The Federalist Argues Mainstream Democrats Have Merged With Socialism, Making 'Moderate' Democrats Nonexistent
Source: Brianna Lyman. "There Is No Such Thing As A Moderate Democrat Anymore." September 17, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that Democrats can no longer be called 'moderate' because a majority of them now say they support the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization with genuinely radical goals like abolishing the police, ICE, and rewriting the Constitution. She contends that mainstream Democratic positions on immigration and elections are just softer versions of the same ideas, meaning the party as a whole—not just a fringe—has moved toward socialism, and most Democrats in Congress won't publicly reject that direction.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as a moderate Democrat anymore; the Democratic Party as a whole has effectively embraced socialism/DSA positions rather than being a moderate party with a fringe socialist faction.
Premises
- A Quinnipiac poll found 59% of Democrats identify as supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), versus only 30% who do not.
- The DSA platform calls for radical changes including drafting a new constitution, abolishing the Electoral College, subordinating the presidency and Supreme Court to Congress, abolishing police and prisons, and abolishing ICE with open migration/amnesty.
- Only 10 of more than 250 Democrats in Congress have joined a coalition explicitly opposing socialism and communism, suggesting the vast majority are unwilling to draw a line against these positions.
- Mainstream Democratic politicians (Harris, Clinton, Omar) have already endorsed positions that are logical precursors to DSA positions, such as abolishing the Electoral College and opposing the criminalization/deportation of illegal immigrants.
- Because DSA positions are merely the 'logical conclusion' of positions already held by mainstream Democrats, the DSA cannot be dismissed as a fringe group hijacking the party—it represents where the party's own logic leads.
- Genuine moderation requires actively opposing radical positions (ending police, ending borders, abolishing the Constitution), not merely claiming the 'moderate' label.
Assumptions
- Self-identifying as a 'supporter' of an organization in a poll accurately reflects genuine ideological endorsement of that organization's full platform.
- Positions like supporting a path to citizenship or electoral reform are logically equivalent to or necessarily lead to the DSA's more radical positions (abolishing ICE, the Constitution, police).
- Failure to join a specific anti-socialist congressional coalition indicates tacit agreement with socialism rather than other possible reasons (political strategy, disagreement with the coalition's framing, etc.).
- The DSA's stated platform is representative of what the 59% of self-identified 'supporters' actually believe or would endorse in full.
- There exists a meaningful, objective standard of 'moderate' against which the author is measuring Democrats, and deviation from it constitutes extremism.
- Ideological positions have a single 'logical conclusion' that is inevitable rather than one of many possible directions.