this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2026
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askchapo

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Is joining the DSA in 2026 worthwhile? (hexbear.net)
submitted 3 days ago by legaltender@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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I'm finally trying to do something about not being involved in any sort of real world organizing, so I've been looking for local orgs to get involved with. The unfortunate thing is that the only socialist organization in my area is DSA, and from the looks of it this chapter seems to be not so radical. They work closely with a lot of local political groups that back the democratic party and have a pretty heavy focus on electoral politics. I know that theres quite a wide variety of socialist / communist tendencies within DSA but the chapter here is tame in comparison to the more ideologically revolutionary caucuses in the US.

What have your experiences been like with DSA if you've ever been a member or if you just worked alongside them? I want to give it a shot at least and get a feel for what its like to be involved but I'm concerned that theres going to be a lot of reformists and social democrat types. Though, maybe I'm being too judgmental before even getting started. I just wanted to gather other peoples' thoughts and opinions first before I really dedicated any time or money to the org.

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[โ€“] MizuTama@hexbear.net 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Depends heavily on chapter from what I've seen. If they're the only organizing in your area you'll likely find a chapter undeveloped enough where if you aren't irritating you could easily influence it's political character. Watch out for SMC and Groundworks caucuses, those are the ideologically committed right-of-Menshiviks. NYCDSA is ran by their coalition for example. If your local chapter is ran by them, you're probably cooked. (Follow-up reading on this: https://cosmonautmag.com/2026/01/dredging-the-southern-earth-4-years-later)

Expect chauvinism and opportunism, comes with the territory, catch people on the way in and encourage political development towards your ideas, if you're luckily you'll find some somewhat ideological allies(Maoists/MLs -> Neo-Kauts/Trots from closest to furthest. Libertarian Socialists are somewhere in there depending on how much you like anarchism).

Godspeed and good luck.

[โ€“] MeowZedong@lemmygrad.ml 10 points 2 days ago

I agree with this. The only real socialist org of significant size in my area is DSA. I've met more MLs from organizing within the DSA than from outside. I think it's worth working with them even part-time or short-term for the purpose of building connections. In places with no other orgs, DSA will be the place to find like-minded comrades or will be a good start to leading you to them.

Even if you don't fit the org, the networking is worth it.