The people making these calls never make any investigation into what the actual consequences of that would be. They just want to make an ideological distinction between “democrat” and “socialist”, which is fair. I do think the DSA is clearly lacking ideological discipline on it’s electoral candidates. But doing that by saying “leave the democrats or be expelled” is ideological nonsense. People who say that make no investigation into the material realities of what that would entail.

Some DSAers will respond by arguing that it’s easier to win elections by running as Democrats. Fine. But comrades, let us tell no lies, and claim no easy victories! The truth is that, in the US, the level of independent working-class political organization is low; we will change that by building up from where we actually are, not by acting as a junior partner to an imperialist party.

Clever little hand-waving away of anything material. Let’s start with the fact that the US is a two party state. That’s not a matter of present political condition. It’s a legal fact engraved into the election law of each state in their own way. It as much a two party state as the PRC is a one party state.

If the DSA overcame that and did form an officially recognized political party, it would be subjecting it’s candidate selection to state election laws which often forbid any ideological disciplining. At least as a 501©4 the DSA can expel or retract the endorsements of members according to it’s own by laws (again, it should do more often). But as a political party it would be legally forbidden from doing that.