Cringe: Atlantic Magazine Compares Democratic Socialists to MAGA

Newsbusters ^ | July 21, 2026 | P.J. Gladnick

[PJ-Comix]

James Kirchick came down hard on the Democratic Socialists of America in Atlantic magazine. However, there was a problem. In order to ameliorate his harsh criticism of the that socialist party for acting as a "parasite" on the host Democrat party he also attempted to compare the DSA to MAGA as if they were both equally evil.

Kirchick's obvious attempt to placate liberals with the absurd DSA/MAGA comparison appeared in "The DSA Is Only Using the Democratic Party." The subtitle made clear the low opinion Kirchick held of the DSA, "The left-wing faction is a parasite."

Following a long-winded treatise on how Neil Kinnock, whom Joe Biden notoriously plagiarized, saved the British Labour Party by severely denouncing a far-left group that attempted to take it over, Kirchick finally gets around to his own slapdown of the DSA for similarly trying to take over the Democrat Party:

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: clickbaitasusual; democrats; dsa; jameskirchick; kirchickislying; labour; maga; neilkinnock; newsbusters; pjgladnick; socialists; theatlantic

[PJ-Comix]

Is Kirchick worried that he won't be invited to liberal cocktail parties unless he slimes MAGA as just as wacko as the DSA? Of course he offers NO EVIDENCE as to why he claims that MAGA is extreme despite giving a lot of proof as to the why the DSA are a bunch of moonbats.

[dfwgator]

The best way for a socialist to win is to convince people that they aren’t a socialist.

That’s what this whole DSA thing is about. It’s a ruse, like “Sistah Souljah” was for the Clintons. It’s a way to make them look reasonable.

Don’t fall for it.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Atlantic Rag is a skank rag. They haven’t got a clue.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

I can see the comparison. MAGA was a wrecking ball aimed at the Establishment GOP that talked conservative and governed Deep State / open borders / go-along-to-get-along. At the heir to the Tea Party, MAGA was people who were sick of John Boehner crying that the GOP couldn’t pass an agenda even when the GOP controlled the House and Senate and who were sick of George Bush letting the Democrats slap him around like a b__ch because he wanted to take the “high road.”

The DSA is the wrecking ball aimed a the Democrats who talk a good game but who take money from Goldman Sachs and other billionaire donors. The Democrats who rig the system to nominate warmonger, Wall Street Hillary over a Socialist. The DSA is insane but it is the same type of response as MAGA.

[Salman]

Calling the DSA "MAGA" is calling them "Fascist" with extra steps.

A civil war within the Democratic Party?

[chajin]

If I were a socialist who wanted to be surreptitious, I would want the Democrats to be leftists without telling everyone they are socialists, and I would want the GOP to be “mainstream” politicians who will go along to get along for the sake of “bipartisanship.” My two difficult groups would therefore be the openly commie DSAs and the openly patriotic MAGA.

[Nateman]

The purges have already started. As an example AOC replaced a long time RAT politician.

[neverevergiveup]

MAGA is not a ‘wing’ of the Republican Party. It’s a slogan, that’s very generic and signifies belief in America and traditional mainstream American values. It could just as well be an abbreviation for Make America Mainstream Again.

DSA, on the other hand, want a revolution. They want a ‘fundamental transformation’ of the United States into a socialist / Marxist state. They support revolution and a decimation of our Constitution. There’s absolutely no comparison.

[adorno]

Instead of the DSA/MAGA comparison, I’d make it...

MACA/MAGA.

Which is better?

Make America Crappy Again...

or

Make America Great Again?

Not even close.

Socialism/communism make any country crappy to live in. All those living in the crappy (shithole) countries, want to move to the one and only MAGA country.

(BTW, why is MAGA not an accepted acronym/spelling in FR; it’s being flagged as a misspelled word; it should be an accepted abbreviation for the conservative political movement. The slogan has been running for more than 10 years now.)

[Salman]

Here's a link to The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/dsa-socialist-leftist-takeover/687989/

To gain leverage within the Democratic Party, the DSA is employing a tactic that Trotsky dubbed “entryism”—the willful effort by a small, disciplined cadre of radicals to infiltrate a more moderate organization and subvert it from within. It’s the same tactic that, throughout history, far-left organizations such as the Militant Tendency have routinely used to amass power. Unless the Democrats respond forcefully to the DSA’s entryism, they risk being overrun by extremists who will poison the party’s national brand and sap its capacity to compete with an already radicalized GOP.

So the DSA is not just "MAGA", they are basically "Trotskyites"?
Does that make The Atlantic Stalinists?

[V_TWIN]

“The best way for a socialist to win is to convince people that they aren’t a socialist.”

Heck dude, democrats have been pulling that crsp for decades.

Look at taterhead biden.....they convinced the mouthbreathers he was some sort of moderate and the swallowed it hook, line and sinker.

Clinton and obama, same thing.

They always have to pretend to be middle of the road just to get elected, if they were truthful they KNOW no one would vote for ‘em.

[adorno]

The best way for a socialist to win is to convince people that they aren’t a socialist.

True. And the easiest way to do the convincing is to keep them ignorant from an early age, like from k-12 and colleges/universities.

And, promise them everything for free, which is what socialism is mostly about. Who is not going to want free stuff.

Socialism and communism are impossible economic systems.

Something from nothing leaves nothing.

[Bishop_Malachi]

James Kirchick came down hard on the Democratic Socialists of America in Atlantic magazine.

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The vast majority of the time the Atlantic sounds just like the DSA in their articles. The only reason their anuses are tightening is because the DSA is scaring the broader public. Anyone who isn’t completely clueless knows that the DSA isn’t much different than your standard Dem on a giant range of issues.). As much as many folks might not want to vote Republican this November, it seems that a shockingly large portion don’t want to vote Democrat either.

[Frank Drebin]

Agreed. Well spotted.

[Lion Den Dan]

Comparing MAGA to DSA is like comparing moon rocks to cow plops.

[sphinx]

Yup. Bernie Sanders and DJT were riding the same populist wave. The DNC broke its own rules, cheated, and did its push-button Leninist thing to make Hillary Clinton the establishment annointed nominee. Had the Democrats held an honest primary, Sanders would have won.

[Ken Regis]

It’s satanic.
It’s Democrats.

Now THERE’s a comparison for you!

[SunkenCiv]

/bingo

[Liz]

Biden acted like a “moderate,” and gullible Dems swallowed it hook, line and sinker. Clinton
and Obama, same. They have “to pretend.” If they were truthful, no one would vote for ‘em.

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N-i-c-e deconstruction.

[blueunicorn6]

The Atlantic is full of sewage and crabs and old wrecks.

It’s also the name of an ocean.