The Democratic Party is dead. What was once the champion of labor unions, free speech and the rule of law has been hijacked by its radical socialist wing. This wing offers no coherent message — just endless outrage and a sneering disdain for core American values.

Tragically, this is exactly what many young Democrats crave. Zohran Mamdani’s stunning mayoral win in New York City and Graham Platner’s bold challenge to Sen. Susan Collins next year signal a surging tide of far-left insurgents targeting the party establishment. They rail against “billionaires who control everything,” yet conveniently ignore billionaire patrons like George Soros, whose cash flows freely into their campaigns.

Mamdani and Platner hail from elite, privileged upbringings and pose as saviors of the working class. History begs to differ. Socialism’s track record is a graveyard of broken promises: leaders who swear to uplift blue-collar workers, only to impoverish nations while entrenching themselves in power. Think Chávez and Maduro in Venezuela, Castro in Cuba, Mao in China, Stalin in the Soviet Union. These fresh-faced recruits insist this time will be different. How, exactly?

Capitalism isn’t perfect. Elites — especially in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street — have rigged the game, gorging themselves while leaving chaos in their wake. But much of that rot stems not from free markets but from government meddling: cronyism, bailouts and picking winners and losers. Americans are right to be furious. And if people want a crystal-clear preview of socialism’s endgame, they should crack open George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.”

Kevin Landry
Lewiston