A photograph from a recent meeting of the Democratic Socialists of America in Denver, Colorado, has ignited a firestorm on social media. The image, posted in July 2026, shows the majority of attendees wearing COVID-19 masks—a sight that many assumed belonged to 2020 or 2021. Instead, it captures a celebration of Melat Kiros’s primary victory over an incumbent Democrat. The poster quickly deleted it after brutal mockery, but the internet preserves such artifacts indefinitely.
This is not an isolated incident. The DSA remains a stark outlier in its devotion to masking. At their 2025 national convention, organizers strongly encouraged mask-wearing except during meals, mandated six feet of social distancing from unmasked speakers, and required attendees to have received a COVID-19 vaccine and booster within the prior 12 months. Critics note that by 2026, it is widely understood that vaccines do not stop transmission, making these protocols appear performative.
The persistence of such measures raises a deeper concern, according to commentators. While individuals may choose to mask—or wear clown noses, for that matter—the authoritarian impulse behind mandatory policies is what alarms observers. The DSA’s ideological roots, they argue, lean toward a centralized government dictating personal behavior, whether through bureaucratic committees or ballot-box decisions. As one columnist put it, “The government decides, you obey, comrade.”
This dynamic is not confined to health protocols. The DSA’s growing influence within the Democratic Party has been evident in recent primaries, with socialists winning seats in Congress. Their economic and foreign policy positions have drawn sharp criticism, but the mask issue serves as a vivid symbol of their broader approach. The ongoing rift between moderates and progressives, as seen in the Platner exit, underscores the tension.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently touted his successes without explicitly labeling himself a democratic socialist, instead implying that his achievements speak to socialism’s merits—a rhetorical shift that critics find telling. They argue that such evasions mask an ideology that has historically impoverished millions. The Kennedy warning that democratic socialists could drag the party to defeat in November highlights the electoral stakes.
For now, the DSA’s power remains limited, making it easy to laugh off their mask mandates. But if they gain more influence, the return of school closures, business lockdowns, and mandatory masking is a real possibility. The HHS’s preparation of a presumed COVID vaccine injury list under Kennedy suggests that the pandemic’s legacy continues to shape policy debates.
Ultimately, the Denver photo is a reminder that for democratic socialists, the pandemic never really ended—and neither did their desire to control how others live. As one commentator observed, “That is socialism’s crowning principle. The government decides, you obey, comrade.”
