The Democratic Socialists of America want to replace the President with an executive chosen by and subordinate to Congress. This means adopting the parliamentary system that prevails in Britain.

[Excerpts of article published under the heading “Abolish the Senate, says the DSA” on The Wall Street Journal website on 26 July 2026]

[By The Editorial Board]

The Democratic Socialists of America are gaining strength in the Democratic Party, so it behooves voters to know what they’d do with political power. We know they want a “future without capitalism,” as their latest policy document avers. But most Americans may not know they also want to rewrite the U.S. Constitution.

The left has long targeted the Electoral College because it thwarts the ability of the most populous states to dominate presidential elections. But in its latest manifesto, “Workers Deserve More,” the DSA says it wants to “replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.” It also wants to “abolish the Senate.” James Madison, call your office.

It’s important to understand how radical this is, essentially blowing up the Constitution’s separation of powers. Letting Congress choose the President means adopting the parliamentary system that prevails in Britain. It would essentially remove the presidential veto power that the Founders designed as a check on the legislative passions of the day.

Ditto for ending an independent judiciary, which is a check against legislative and executive violation of individual rights. Third World dictators seek to make the judiciary subservient to the ruling party for this reason, as they did in Venezuela, and as Mexico’s Morena party is now attempting to do.

The left loathes the Senate because it is also a restraint on temporary majorities. The Senate’s design, with two Members from each state, gives an equal voice to small and large states. This prevents dominance by California, New York and Texas. And it buttresses the federalist principles at the core of the Constitution’s design, which preserves certain powers to the states as a check on Washington, D.C.’s commandments.

The Senate’s six-year terms are another check on momentary House majorities elected every two years. The Founders’ original design that Senators be elected by state legislatures has given way to direct election. But the 60-vote filibuster rule has developed as an alternative check on radical change by narrow majorities.

Article V of the Constitution says “no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.” This means the Senate couldn’t be abolished without the consent of every state, assuming the DSA doesn’t ignore the Constitution, as some on the left might want to do.

But the left’s first step would be breaking the filibuster rule. This would let them add Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia as states with two Senators each. They would also have the votes to “restructure” the Supreme Court, as Senate Democrats are already promising. Democrats have proposed adding four new Justices to the Court, as well as limiting the kind of cases the Justices can hear.

The common denominator in all of these DSA proposals is eliminating barriers to rapid, radical change. The socialists want a single-branch legislature that can sweep into power in a single election, dominate the President, and neuter the judiciary as a check on that power. With those checks gone, they can impose their agenda that will be nearly impossible to undo.

The job of Republicans now, and Democrats who have the guts, is to educate the country about this agenda. Not by doing what President Trump does and call them “communists.” That general attack won’t resonate with young people who don’t know what communism is.

The political task is to link the DSA to their specific and radical proposals, and ask Democrats running for Congress if they agree with abolishing the Senate or neutering the judiciary. Democrats who won’t disavow these DSA ideas make themselves fair game to be tied to them in this year’s elections.