When members of the DSA got together to plot the ousting of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), they revealed the very toxic undercurrents that are at the heart of their movement. The DSA members want to use their post-midterm momentum to get rid of both Schumer and Jeffries from their leadership positions and then put socialists in their place in 2028. Whether that will actually happen is an open question, but the warning signs are there as to where the Democratic Party is heading.
The plans surfaced on a members-only online discussion board.
Meanwhile, the national DSA is flooding members of Congress with thousands of letters and calls. One member bragged that he phoned three representatives on his morning walk to work to tell them to oppose Schumer and Jeffries.
On Thursday, the group launched its "Say No to Schumer" social media campaign, set to Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)." The campaign branded "Good Luck Chuck" a leader who "failed to deliver for the working class," and it has generated more than 6,000 letters to Congress.
The rhetoric on the message board is far nastier. Discussing the midterm results, Syjil Ashraf, a leader on DSA's International Committee, made the case for action.
"Both of these men are corporate shills who have enthusiastically cheered on a genocide. If we do nothing, what were these wins even for?" Ashraf said.
A member of the Richmond chapter piled on. "Both are openly hostile to our goals and our organization," the member said.
A New Orleans member set his sights on Jeffries. "He's sitting in a congressional seat that should belong to DSA... Strip him of his leadership position first. Take his seat next," he said.
Of course, both men have rewarded the far left before.
Jeffries endorsed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last year. In 2023, Schumer joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at a reelection fundraiser in Astoria for City Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán, where $14 cocktails carried names like "The Spirited Socialist."
Of course, Schumer did favor mainstream Democrats in this year’s primaries, like Gov. Janet Mills in Maine and Haley Stevens in Michigan, because he considered them more electable. He fell in line later, but arguably because he had no choice.
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DSA members also plan to lean on the group's eight elected officials, demanding a "hard no on these two ghouls" or concessions in exchange for their votes. One member insisted DSA must "hold the Sword of Damocles" over their heads. Then a New Jersey member of the National Abolition Working Group revealed what's really going on.
"If our DSA electeds can't oppose these two ultra-Zionists, I don't see how they can meaningfully be seen to be upholding DSA politics in the slightest," the member said, adding that Schumer "should absolutely be vigorously opposed."
That tells you the foundation of the opposition to both men is antisemitism. Schumer is Jewish. Jeffries has taken money tied to AIPAC. We know, of course, that the DSA crowd will claim this is just about Israel policy and nothing more. But I don’t buy that for a second. The recent “Kristallnacht’ protests in Philadelphia targeting Jewish-owned businesses,which was organized by Philadelphia’s branch of the DSA, tell you everything. They targeted Jewish business owners who have nothing to do with Israel policy in Washington.
I suspect both men survive, though Jeffries has a better shot than Schumer.Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) launched a leadership challenge Thursday. Ten high-profile senators and senators-elect, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Abdul El-Sayed, say they'll vote against him.
Jeffries stands on firmer ground. He's likely to become the first black speaker of the House, with backing from Ocasio-Cortez, Rep.-elect Brad Lander (D-N.Y.), New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Mamdani. Ocasio-Cortez said she'd support Jeffries for speaker but declined to comment on Schumer.
The establishment dismissed the socialist uprising in their party as a merely a reflection of them having a “big tent” party. They’re learning the hard way that people they’re bringing into the party want to kick them out of the tent. The more power the DSA gets, the more antisemitic the Democrat Party will become.