Their is no 'far-left' representation in the US

I personally believe Bernie Sanders is too conservative, but I don't know if that makes me far left or not.

Will have to disagree on that point.

I've traveled all over the US. I can say the West Coast is far more left than say New York. Kate Brown our Gov is way more left then Bernie. Oregon has a lot of red. People like their guns around here. She worked to pass a domestic violence gun confiscation. It's that kind of political bravery that I call LEFT

Defend the Unions, free college and single payer here in Oregon. Where is it?

She had big ideas for healthcare and Vets but she was counting on a measure to tax corporations more of passing. The Oregon voters voted against it.

And I wouldn’t think McCaskill to be in the same category as Sanders in leaning left and I suspect that other democrats in red states are also closer to the center.

I bet membership numbers in the high dozens.

Though The Revolutionary Communist Party still shows up at events.

For example, batshit crazy radio host Mark Levin accused Jake Tapper of being a "left wing hack". I personally consider myself to be far-left. I am a Socialist who is much to the left of where our mainstream politics have been for many decades. Yes, The Communist Party USA still exists but has no real influence. They have only a few thousand members. Here's their site: cpusa.org . It seems clear to me that the real left momentum is rising in groups like The Democratic Socialists of America right now as their membership has grown substantially in the past few years and they have become far more active in electoral politics. Our Revolution, Bernie Sanders' group, is also helping to grow the influence of a more robust left-agenda.

yes, I think you are right about DS and OR. Here in Europe, Trotskyite Socialism is the underlying philosophy from what I have observed. I recall one member on a forum in Ireland who opined that there wasn't one Socialist Government in Europe, who was up to their purity standards. To paraphrase Brendan Behan, the first item on the agenda of the Left, is the split.

It’s amazing how often that happens. The individual you referred to in Ireland is working to make that happen there just as several times in the recent history of the US, various folks have worked to make that happen here.

Any time the left most part of the left is successful in effecting a split with the center left, the result is a right wing catastrophe.

Nor does that far right catastrophe eventually produce support for the far left. What it does instead is provide a wave for the moderate/center left the next election.

must not be for this year, 2 years or 4 years time. It's taken decades of apathy to get to a Trump Presidency, I pray that the lessons will be taken on board.

these leftist dissident groups far more than issues do. (As does, of course, the concomitant inability to ally and cooperate, which would erase the defining split.) Dissidence comes first, and can come from any part of the political spectrum, then ways of expressing it are identified.

For example, although I do suspect Sanders would like to act farther left ideologically, his avowed issues have all been mainstream liberal Democratic ideas, tweaked to sound different for the purpose of creating that defining split.

I wouldn't call a pro-NK, pro-Stalin, pro-Mao site/person "far left"; I'd call it/him pro-authoritarian.

This site divides political thought on two axes: the usual left to right on economic issues (communism to free trade iirc) and also up/down for social issues (authoritarian to libertarian). Provides a better picture imo.

https://www.politicalcompass.org/

Communism has always come in the form of dictatorship. Always. No exceptions.

I think it's safe to say that every industrial nation state that has called itself "communist" has had a scary authoritarian side. But there have been uncountable numbers of communities throughout history that have operated according to the principles of communism that were not dictatorships, nor particularly authoritarian.

Recognized as such by the world community. Yes, maybe some small communities can operate for a time under communal principles, but I believe only for a time and only with very small groups.

I'm inclined to agree that arrangements that could be called "communist" aren't likely to work well with large groups (although I wouldn't say the same for various possibilities that could be called "socialism&quot . But the historical record says otherwise about time. Absent external interference (e.g. conquest), those arrangements seem to be far more stable than any others.

for the very reason you cite. "Ism"s are all the work of fallible humans and implemented by fallible humans.

Humans are ultimately corruptible. There will be no real communism or libertarian utopias.

Human avarice and fear and hatred won't allow it.

seems to be a coordinated effort, and in fairness it looks like it is working.

In general, they seem as intolerant of compromise as those on the Far Right. The Purists, as it were.

Or fascist?

I tend to think of him and his goons as far-right, and fascist.

Maduro in Venezuela tends to be "socialistic," but really in name only.
Other than the name he calls his party and people, he is practically identical to the right-wing "el Presidentes" that were notorious in Central and South America.

whatever it takes to retain power, which is what it's all about for them.

by the trolls who are desperate to attack anyone who hasn't learned to ignore them.

Ignoring them allows civilized people to continue the conversation.

but there is certainly a movement of groups who portray themselves as left leaning, or left, who are anything but.

The term "left" seems to have been hijacked by some who are more similar to Republicans than to the Democrats.

Most are disgruntled Republicans who are for protecting the environment, are for marijuana reform, are for diplomacy over war, but are against "identity politics" or as we refer to them, civil rights.

They are blurring the lines as to what it means to be "left", if you notice, they never refer to themselves as liberal, which has a more clear meaning.

Just as there was a "tea party" takeover of the Republican Party, there seems to be a force attempting to do the same to the Democratic Party.