#491 — The Suicide of the Left
Sam Harris and James Kirchick discuss what they view as the Democratic Party's dangerous alignment with Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a group they characterize as communist rather than democratic socialist. They examine how mainstream Democrats have failed to distance themselves from DSA-affiliated figures like NYC Mayor Eric Adams, attributing this partly to intellectual intimidation by the left and partly to historical patterns of leftist sympathy toward radical movements.
Summary
Sam Harris and James Kirchick examine the DSA's explicit platform, which calls for abolishing capitalism, private property, the presidency, Senate, Supreme Court, police, and prisons. Harris expresses alarm that mainstream Democrats have not treated DSA affiliation as disqualifying for political figures. Kirchick draws historical parallels to Cold War-era fellow travelers who were sympathetic to communist movements without being explicitly communist themselves.
Kirchick argues that contemporary left-wing intellectuals lack the ability to critique those to their left, unlike Republicans who contested Trump's rise within their party. He attributes this to a misplaced sense of open-mindedness among liberals that extends to groups fundamentally opposed to liberal democracy. He specifically critiques the alliance between the far left and Islamist movements, which he terms "Islamo-leftism" (Islamo-gauchisme), noting that this partnership has deeper roots in Europe.
The conversation focuses extensively on NYC Mayor Eric Adams and other DSA-affiliated politicians, with Harris characterizing Adams as superficially charming but evasive on key issues like antisemitism and statements like "globalize the intifada." Kirchick argues that Adams is more sinister precisely because of his charm and incrementalism—moving slowly on radical policies rather than implementing them dramatically.
Kirchick introduces the concept of "third-worldism" as the underlying ideology binding DSA members, Islamists, and figures like Piker and El-Sayed. He defines it as a worldview holding that the West is the root of all evil and that politics must function as revenge against Western civilization, uniting oppressed groups while notably excluding Jews from this coalition of the marginalized.
The speakers discuss how third-worldism and coalition-building against Israel at the UN reflect these ideological currents. They argue that mainstream Democrats' tolerance of DSA affiliation represents a political suicide pact that could enable right-wing populism's return by offering voters a choice between communism and fascism.
About this episode
<p>Sam Harris speaks with James Kirchick about the far left's growing influence over Democratic politics. They discuss Kirchick's article "<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/dsa-socialist-leftist-takeover/687989/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The DSA Is a Parasite</a>," the group's platform and foreign policy, entryism, the alliance between Islamists and the far left, Third Worldism, Zohran Mamdani, antisemitism on the left, polling on political violence, Kirchick's exit from <em>The New York Times</em>, Nicholas Kristof, Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre, JD Vance, and other topics.</p> <p>If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at <a href="http://samharris.org/subscribe" rel="noopener" target="_blank">samharris.org/subscribe</a>.</p>
Key Insights
- Kirchick argues that left-wing intellectuals in academia—particularly in Middle Eastern Studies departments—deliberately promote Islamo-leftism and know exactly what they are doing, unlike confused younger activists who may be simply confused about the implications of their positions.
- The far-left replaced the Soviet proletariat with Muslims (the Ummah) as their primary global constituency after communism's collapse, explaining the emergence of the Islamo-leftist alliance that was previously impossible during the Cold War when communism opposed religious faith.
- Harris and Kirchick contend that mainstream Democrats' failure to reject DSA affiliation creates a political path to fascism by forcing voters to choose between communism and authoritarianism, replicating patterns from Weimar Germany.
- Kirchick characterizes Mayor Adams as sinister specifically because of his charm and incrementalist approach to radical policies, arguing that his gradual implementation of socialist economic programs is more effective and dangerous than overt radical action.
- Both speakers identify that liberal open-mindedness has become pathological on the left, creating asymmetrical criticism where those to the right are condemned as fascists while those to the left receive sympathy regardless of their anti-democratic or anti-liberal commitments.
Topics
Transcript
You're listening to Making Sense with Sam Harris. This is the free version of the podcast, so you'll only hear the first part of today's conversation. If you want the full episode and every episode, you can subscribe at samharris.org. There are no ads on this show. It runs entirely on subscriber support. If you enjoy what we're doing here and find it valuable, please consider subscribing today. I'm here with James Kirchick. Jamie, thanks for joining me on the podcast. Thanks for having me, Sam. So if memory serves, I wrote you a fairly plaintive email not that long ago, just more or less crying out to the universe, who is going to write an article that reveals just…
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