Nicolais: Has Denver DSA become the left’s version of RMGO?
The swift, ugly responses to progressive Colorado candidates and office holders distancing themselves from the Denver Democratic Socialists of America had a familiar pattern. DSA looks and sounds an awful lot like the left’s version of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.
Obviously, this is not a policy comparison. To the extent they discuss the same issues, the two groups occupy polar opposites on the political spectrum.
But tactics and influence? It is not hard to see the similarities.
It began with Denver DSA issuing a controversial statement following the coordinated terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel. The focus on violence against Palestinians, without a mention of the violence against Israelis was tone deaf. The release ended by putting an antisemitic slogan used by Hamas in bold.
That is courting outrage for the sake of confrontation. Even progressive darling U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called similar statements by the New York DSA chapter “bigotry and callousness.”
I watched RMGO do the same for years. For example, when asked about the number of bullets the Aurora theater killer had with him, their executive director replied, “I call 6,000 rounds running low.”