"October 7 was inevitable": The interview that is shaking the American Left
In an interview with The New Yorker, one of the co-chairs of the Democratic Socialists of America presented a sharp line against Israel, claimed that the events of October 7 were "inevitable," and supported the regime in Cuba.
In an unfiltered interview published on Saturday, Megan Romer, one of the co-chairs of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), spoke on the podcast of the respected American magazine The New Yorker and revealed the organization's radical positions regarding Israel, alongside a far-reaching vision for the future of the economy in the USA and the entire Western world.
October 7 and the Israeli "Red Line"
When asked by The New Yorker editor, David Remnick, about the organization's position regarding Israel and the Jews, Romer's answer was unequivocal. In this rising organization, which serves as a breeding ground for prominent politicians on the American Left, support for Israel is an immediate cause for expulsion and condemnation.
Romer referred in detail to an incident that recently caused a stir, in which the organization withdrew its historical support for the famous anti-Israel Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, after she supported a Congressional resolution determining that denying the right of the State of Israel to exist is effectively antisemitism. "Our convention discussed this and decided that this is a solid red line," Romer clarified firmly. "There will be no security or economic support of any kind for Israel."
When asked what solution the DSA is striving for in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, she replied that it is a "free Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital," a position that, according to her, "can be safely read as a one-state solution only." But the most disturbing part of the interview touched directly on the October 7 massacre. Romer admitted that it is likely she would have participated in a pro-Hamas demonstration held on October 8 had she been in New York at the time.
"I think the events of October 7 were in large part inevitable," Romer said. "If you put people inside an open-air concentration camp and deny them basic rights, dignity, food, and the ability to live in minimal security, you have to expect that they will eventually rebel." When confronted with the fact that Hamas is far from being an organization that supports LGBTQ rights, Romer chose to blame Israel: "I won't call Hamas an LGBTQ-friendly organization, but I think most of the LGBTQ people who were killed in Palestine were killed by Israeli bombs."
"Defund the police and tax the rich"
Beyond the Middle East issue, Romer outlined the full economic and social vision of the organization. According to her, democratic socialism means that citizens will have democratic control over their workplace, housing, and necessary industries like energy, water, and the internet. The goal, she emphasized, is not just "a gentler capitalism," but a democracy truly controlled by the working class.
On the subject of domestic security in the USA, Romer supports the approach of total "abolition" of prisons and a massive cut in police budgets. "This means zero funding," she explained. "It means taking the funding from the police and moving it to social services, schools, and after-school programs for children." In her view, the safest communities are those that invest in welfare and parks, not those with "a cop on every corner." In the economic field, Romer promised: "We believe in taxing the rich to the max. Most billionaires achieved their wealth solely because they exploited the working class."
Cuba as a model, and blaming the West for the crisis in Ukraine
When asked to find a model for an existing socialist state that can and should be learned from, Romer cited dictatorial Cuba as a positive example. She praised the Cuban family constitution, calling it "the most LGBTQ-friendly constitution that exists today." The deep problems of the oppressive regime in Havana she dismissed, claiming the USA is to blame because it "spends billions of dollars to undermine them."
Regarding the war in Ukraine, the DSA's worldview aligns with sharp opposition to the West's foreign policy. Romer opposes sending weapons to the Ukrainian army and blames the lack of diplomatic effort on Washington. "We don't believe in pouring American money and weapons anywhere in the world, it doesn't do anything better," she noted, suggesting instead "sending huge teams of diplomats to get Russia off Ukraine's back."
Ahead of the upcoming presidential elections, Romer explained why her organization refused to support Kamala Harris. "Our credibility stands on the fact that we are first and foremost socialists offering a real alternative to the system, and not a rubber stamp," she said, adding that the DSA is looking ahead to 2028, hoping to run their own candidate from the labor-left, such as union leaders or progressive congressmen.
