Remembering Vito Marcantonio as a Historical Counterpoint to Modern DSA Fears
The piece argues that current alarm over Democratic Socialists of America candidates overlooks the precedent of Vito Marcantonio, a mid-century congressman with open communist sympathies.
Amid renewed rhetoric labeling Democratic Socialists of America candidates as dangerous communists, the author revisits Vito Marcantonio, a seven-term House member from East Harlem who was openly sympathetic to the Communist Party USA. Elected with the backing of progressive Republican mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Marcantonio championed large-scale employment and insurance schemes while criticizing the New Deal’s austerity, opposing mandatory ROTC, and supporting Puerto Rico’s independence.
His voting record mirrored libertarian and anti-communist stances on civil-rights measures, illustrating the limits of radical policy proposals in Congress. The piece also references Samuel Dickstein, a New York congressman who spied for the Soviet Union and helped launch the House Un-American Activities Committee, underscoring the era’s tangled alliances. By contrasting these historical figures with today’s DSA nominees, the author suggests that some modern leftists may prove less extreme than established politicians like Chuck Schumer.
Why it matters
It shows how historical leftist politicians challenge current partisan exaggerations about DSA candidates.
In this story