Let’s separate the facts from the fiction with respect to the rise of communism in the United States.
Many people appear shocked by how communism has risen in the U.S. in the past several years, but this ascension should not be a surprise, as it has been decades in the making, with one pivotal event.
Going back to the 1990s, many people believed that with the U.S. winning the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, and former Soviet satellite nations in Eastern Europe following Western governmental principles, that communism was on the run, if not dead, but they were wrong. Many European countries were already well down the road of what they called democratic socialism, which, it can be argued, in practice is essentially communism with a hint of democratic principles or simply “communism light.” Meanwhile, the U.S. maintained a more democratic and capitalist stance.
The first sign of change in the U.S. occurred when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was elected to the U.S. House in 1990 and then the U.S. Senate in 2006. During his term in the House and initial election to the Senate, Sanders was considered by most to be a curiosity and a sideshow not to be taken seriously.
The key moment in the U.S. communist movement came in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama. His ascension to the presidency was the pivotal event that legitimized the communist movement in the U.S., giving credibility to Sanders and others with similar positions. If Obama had not won the 2008 presidential election, it is quite possible that the communist movement in the U.S. would have died at that time, with Sanders amounting to nothing more than a footnote in U.S. congressional history.
During his adolescence, Obama interacted with Frank Marshall Davis, a member of the Communist Party USA.
On Oct. 3, 1992, Obama’s longtime pastor and spiritual mentor for 20 years, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, officiated at Obama’s wedding and, years later, baptized his and Michelle Obama’s two daughters. Wright retired in May 2008, but his preachings, which had Marxist elements, were scrutinized and exposed during that year’s presidential campaign.
Obama’s communist leanings were evident early in his political career. In 1995, William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, former leaders of the American Marxist terrorist group Weather Underground, hosted a political fundraiser at their Chicago home for Obama when he was first running for the Illinois state Senate. In addition, Obama and Ayers served together as members of the board of directors for the Woods Fund of Chicago foundation. Also, Obama served as the first chairman of the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge project, which was co-founded and advised by Ayres. On June 18, 2026, showing their ongoing support for Obama, Ayres and Dorne attended the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Obama’s actions after entering the White House were consistent with his earlier communist leanings and the teachings of the Manifesto of the Communist Party, the bible of communism, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848. The Communist Manifesto’s overriding idea of “oppressor and oppressed” is congruous with Obama’s thoughts on race, where he viewed (and still views) whites as oppressors of blacks, which led to his support for diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives. The Communist Manifesto advocates the “abolition of private property,” which is in line with Obama’s backing of affordable housing. The Communist Manifesto presses for the elimination of “all religions,” which Obama addressed through his attacks on the religious right.
The Communist Manifesto endorses the “abolition of the family,” which Obama satisfied through his advancing of LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage. The Communist Manifesto encourages the abolition of “countries and nationality,” something Obama worked toward by promoting globalism. The Communist Manifesto recommends the implementation of a “heavy progressive or graduated income tax,” which Obama complied with by raising taxes through his backing of measures aimed at increasing revenue from corporations and high-income earners, as was the case with the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The Communist Manifesto calls for “centralization” “in the hands of the state” of both “credit” and “the means of communication and transport” as well as the “intervention of society in education,” which Obama effectuated by his support for a stronger federal government, attempted control of both the banking system to manage credit and media to influence communication, as well as sanctioning the adoption of electric vehicles to alter transportation, all while involving government in education for the purpose of youth indoctrination.
The Communist Manifesto asserts that communist goals “can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions,” which Obama covered through many of his stances and deeds described above, as well as his championing of affirmative action and environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, principles.
The positions and actions of Obama have been carried forward by the Democratic Party of today and can be heard in the voices of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and many other communists who control the Democratic Party (which should be renamed the American Communist Party) and run for office under its banner. All of these individuals in public office or running for positions in government owe a debt of gratitude to Obama, as they would probably not exist politically without his election to the presidency.
When Obama ran on a message of “change” in 2008, he intended many of the views we hear espoused today by communists running for or in office in the United States. The only reason he was not as vocal about his plans for change in 2008 was because he wanted to win the election, and the U.S. was probably not ready for such radical change at the time. Like communists Vladimir Lenin in Russia, who took advantage of the country’s battlefield failures and deteriorating economic condition in World War I, and Mao Zedong in China, who capitalized on the country’s struggles militarily and economically during and after World War II, Obama exploited the prolonged conflict in Afghanistan and the 2008 financial crisis to win the election.
Unfortunately, most of the problems we see in the U.S. today can be traced to Obama and those who followed after him preaching the ideology of communism, which has never worked anywhere in the world. Possibly, no person in the annals of the U.S. has done more damage to America than Obama.
MAMDANI PROMISED TO TAX THE 1%. THEN 960,000 PEOPLE ENDED UP ON THE LIST
The U.S. is at an inflection point in its history, and its citizens must resist the hollow vows and lies of communists who will line their pockets with other people’s money. U.S. citizens must not be what Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and radical American Marxist Saul Alinsky considered to be “useful idiots.”
We must consider the facts and not be fooled by the fiction.
Perry V. Kalajian is an attorney, consultant, analyst, and national media personality.