Comrades for the Cause: DSA Fills the Loneliness Void that Churches Vacated

Socialist evangelism uses relationships to mobilize devotees and win elections.

The victory of three radical leftist in New York's June 23 primary proves the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have taken over the Democratic Party. All remaining Democrats should be considered socialists. DSA is running candidates across the United States, including Wisconsin where, if elected, Franchesca Hong would be the nation's first DSA governor.

Socialism is suddenly infiltrating leadership positions everywhere. How has DSA managed to spread so quickly? By community organizing. Socialism is spread through relationships. DSA creates a welcoming community of friends—or comrades—a role once largely filled by churches.

Political Engagement Fueled by Loneliness 

A 2023, Surgeon General report found America has a "loneliness epidemic," with people becoming less socially connected. The average time adults spent alone in 2003 was 143 hours a month. By 2020, it was 167-hours a month—24 hours more. The report also found church attendance declined, with 70 percent of Americans belonging to a faith community in1999, down to 47 percent in 2020.

"Religious or faith-based groups can be a source for regular social contact, serve as a community of support, provide meaning and purpose, create a sense of belonging around shared values and beliefs, and are associated with reduced risk-taking behaviors," the report said.

It means fewer potlucks, movie nights, and youth activities. Memberships have also dwindled at service clubs such as the Freemasons, Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs.

The human need to belong hasn't gone away, but traditional paths to finding community have lost vitality, especially for young adults and people who feel outcast.

Converting Friends to Comrades 

When someone wants to connect, DSA is there to fill the void with social opportunities aplenty, outcasts welcome. Social outings lead to friendships, a sense of belonging and soon, a mobilized army of politically engaged comrades. DSA doesn't say, “Come be a socialist!" They say, "Come play softball with us!"

In Wisconsin, Madison DSA is a microcosm of tactics deployed across the nation. The chapter's busy social calendar offers something for everyone. They do the usual political footwork: phone banks, canvassing door-to-door for Hong (their preferred candidate), and leadership meetings. But they also have a weekly running club, a monthly game night, book club, film screening, and coffee with comrades. They even hosted a "repair day" for Hong. Participants brought broken bikes, electronics, and clothing to mend. Volunteer neighbors repaired them.

Neighbors helping neighbors. Churches used to do more of that. While Republican host another rubber-chicken fundraiser gala, DSA is filling community needs others ignore.

Hong cowrote wrote a booklet about how to talk to people about socialism once you have their ear. The booklet, Organize Your Friends and Foes, part of the How to Resist Series, is riddled with punctuation errors but offers the DSA playbook for manipulation.

Pick up your free zine today at the iconic @RoomofOnesOwn bookstore ✌️ https://t.co/7yJAqxV6T8

— Francesca Hong For Governor (@FrancescaHongWI) July 21, 2025

Hong advises people who want to move politics to avoid talking about Trump and focus on things that matter to them. Get to know people, gain their trust, and then ask them to act.

"If you do all that, if you actually are curious and they feel that from you, well, you've got yourself a relationship. And in a relationship, over time, you can pitch all you want. You can say "come to this union meeting with me" or "have you considered voting for this guy who you think is a crazy socialist?" or "what if immigrants actually weren't making your life worse." Truly. You can debate with them and argue and still want to hang out afterwards. Because that's what you get to do when you actually know somebody.”

Social Activities 

Socializing is a nationwide DSA evangelism strategy. The Philadelphia DSA hosts Cinema with Comrades, "A casual small group gathering where we see a new movie, get to know each other over drinks, and explore how you can get involved in the DSA. All are welcome, even if you're not a member of the DSA yet."

The Columbus, Ohio DSA has "sewcialists" meetups for strangers to make crafts together. New York DSA offers Socialist Soccer League, self-defense club, and even bad singers are welcome to join DSA's socialist choirs where members learn old communist songs like, Dump the Bosses Off your Back, set to the melody of the church hymn What a Friend we have in Jesus.

Friendships, shared interests, churchy songs, sometimes in church buildings, usually served with a socialist speech—for those seeking connection, DSA becomes their church.

DSA Wants to 'Help' Raise Your Children 

Churches offer Sunday school, youth group, and vacation Bible school to help teach religious values. DSA wants to teach kids socialism.

Cleveland DSA has a socialist coloring book. The Pittsburgh DSA's Socialist Sprouts program provides free childcare at all meetings so parents can focus on advancing socialism. The New York City chapter hosts Comrades with Kids.

Its website spells out DSA values.

"The ‘family' belongs to all of us. We reject the conservative agenda of using the family as a tool to maintain capitalist, neoliberal, patriarchal, ableist and heteronormative structures and instead advocate for policies that recognize every family structure and prioritize the collective well-being of families over individual interests of the capitalist class."

Socialists don't think parents know best how to raise their children. They want a say in your children's values. To access children, they offer, "reproductive support such as childcare to build transitional organizations."

Let's break that down. Socialists, who call abortion "reproductive care," also consider childcare "reproductive support." At what point do they see children as human instead of an unwanted burden for downtrodden parents? Apparently not until they are of voting age.

And what are "transitional organizations?" These are groups of regular people addressing day-to-day struggles, preparing for the larger goal of replacing capitalism with socialism.

It's hard to overthrow the government when you can't find a babysitter.

Communist Leon Trotsky wrote of this in The Transitional Program. That is why DSA will watch your kid while you work for the cause.

"Including caregivers in socialist meetings is essential to mobilizing the working class," the DSA writes. Socialists use the word "caregiver" more than "parent."

The DSA is working toward "free full-day year-round childcare for all children ages 0-5," in New York, plus better pay for childcare workers. Somehow, they hope to pay more money to childcare workers, while taking in no money from parents receiving the service.

Through the magic of "reproductive support," caregivers never have to see their children. DSA will make sure they are cared for while you are at work or advancing the DSA.

Stumping for Free Stuff isn't Free 

While DSA advocates for free childcare until kindergarten, free healthcare, free college, free public transportation, free attorneys for housing issues, and free bail from jail, they expect members to pay dues. Free stuff is never free.

By the time DSA asks members for money, they are indoctrinated like a cult. DSA convinces lonely people to keep coming back, then hits them with a financial challenge: if you are a true comrade—If you care about caregivers—if you believe in the cause—you will gladly pay to achieve solidarity.

Just like church, DSA suggests members pay a regular percentage tithe of their salaries. "Solidarity Dues" are charged on a sliding scale depending on income. The Federal Poverty Level income starts at $15,960 for a single person. DSA will take dues from people in poverty, charging between $14-$40 a month at that income. They have a handy website calculator to math it out. Members at the U.S. median annual income of $62,000 owe $52-$155 a month. DSA is not technically a political party. It describes itself as a non-profit activist organization, so give as much as you wish.

Real Friends

DSA's religion webpage declares, "We're building a coalition of religious people with socialist values to defeat Christian nationalism and build a more just world," which is like saying "We are religious people intent on defeating religious people."

In truth, DSA pulls members away from God. Its faith arm—like its LGBTQ arm—is a charm offensive to attract people desperate to fit in.

"Religious faith is important to millions of people in the United States, and DSA must be open to the perspective of such believers," the DSA website reports.

For those who fell away from church, and those who never attended, DSA membership feels like church fellowship. It answers loneliness, gives purpose, and is an effective recruiting tool.

But real friends don't ask for dues, try to indoctrinate your children, or manipulate you for political gain.

Authentic friends hope for the best for one another. That is where DSA fails. It brainwashes members to blindly advance socialism that will trap them in a mediocre life. Socialism caps potential and never truly delivers equality.

The capitalism DSA wants to dismantle should be the source of optimism for young people. The American dream is not just to get by. It is not to live all your days in a free, tiny, high-rise government apartment, eating rice and beans just like all your neighbors.

The American Dream is to thrive—to dream of anything, work for it, and see what happens along the way.

Your vision-board may say beach house but for now, a home in the suburbs and hamburgers on the grill are enough. If you really want it, the beach house is never off the table. Even if you never get there, capitalism justifies dreams, making the journey sweeter.

To thrive, you must strive to do your best, as it says in 1 Corinthians: "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God," and in Ecclesiastes, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."

They don't celebrate accomplishments and they don't preach optimism at the unholy church of the DSA.

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