What better way to kick off 2018 than by trolling Texas Senator and devoted capitalist Ted Cruz?
After spotting Cruz in a D.C. movie theater on Monday, Margaret McLaughlin—who, unbeknownst to Cruz, is the chairwomen of the Metro D.C. chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—approached the senator for a photo op.
Wishing him a happy New Year, McLaughlin made a simple request: "Say 'socialism will win.'"
"It's not going to," Cruz responded.
2018 is good pic.twitter.com/Y9t7YJFiv3
— marge (@peg_mclaugh) January 1, 2018
Following Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, DSA's membership has soared, transforming a marginal organization into what The New Yorker's Anna Heyward recently described as "a budding political force."
Last November, DSA celebrated the upset victory of Lee Carter, a dues-paying member, over Republican Jackson Miller in Virginia's House of Delegates race.
While Cruz remains steadfast in his commitment to capitalism, recent polls show that it is rapidly falling out of favor with the American public. Socialism, by contrast, is on the rise.
Carter said in an interview with Jacobin that, because of this widespread disaffection with the prevailing economic status quo, there is a significant opening for candidates with an agenda that expresses "unabashed support for working-class issues, issues facing communities of color, issues facing women and climate issues."
"Having a solid stance that is unapologetic, and saying you will fight tooth and nail on all of these—it works," Carter concluded.
