Considering that the DSA rescinded its endorsement of AOC over [checks notes] acknowledging antisemitism, and that Bernie’s reputation was strong for some 30 years, I’m gonna go and hazard that the machinations of The Party™ are not the primary culprit here.

I looked up the AOC bit and it seems it was for meeting with Zionist lobbyists and voting for Zionist bills in the House. You might disagree with the decision, but these are very valid reasons to rescind an endorsement. Supporting Israel’s right to exist is a dealbreaker on its own, (edit:) and exactly what I was talking about. I very much doubt AOC would’ve supported these bills had she been with the DSA rather than the DNC.

We absolutely need a massacre (metaphorically, for the sake of my personal FBI Agent) of Dem leadership, but whether starting from a clean slate entirely, or trying to revitalize the Dem Party, there’s no way to guarantee good leadership will replace them.

Again, the standard we’re working with isn’t “good”; it’s “not absolutely horrible and spineless”. At least at the start you can guarantee that the leadership won’t be absolutely horrible and spineless, because that leadership is in part literally you.

Also note that when I say strong leadership I don’t necessarily mean one guy or a few guys coming to save the common man from the woes of fascism; this leadership can just as easily be a coalition of grassroots organizations or any other form of organized resistance.

That’s not how Americans vote or how they recognize success, man. If it was, our situation would be considerably easier.

It’s how the core activist base recognizes success. Those will then spread your ideas among low and medium-information voters.