10 Comments

Brilliant critique of self-serving arguments. Brava!

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"As we seek to create a stronger body politic, we should be encouraging more candidates from nontraditional backgrounds to run for office." -- Amen! Look at Seattle, where Kshama Sawant is making John Lewis's #GoodTrouble, in defiance of the business-minded PMC liberal establishment. Perfect example. We need California to find these successful insurgents to begin to get more DSA-sympathetic politicians elected.

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We have one running in CA: Jackie Fielder. Look her up and support her.

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This feels like you’re still sour about losing your own race. And the next time you feel the need to whitesplain Black politics, just don’t.

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NYCDSA at the time endorsed Una, DSA members were an important part of her campaign. One member was on her council staff and later worked for Major. Dinkins was also a DSA member whom we supported. He had been a part of a number of our projects in the city and nationally.

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Good piece Brother Ross. I'd add that Major Owens, aside from being the only librarian in Congress, was also a member of DSA. But when we in NY DSA were running, endorsing candidates or actively working in campaigns back in the 90s and before, we didn't have the tech to manage the kind of low donor campaigns, and groveling for contribs was a very labor intensive often mail-based process.

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I had no idea! Good to know

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The other part that my Comrade Jeff forget to mention is that DSA is about a platform and not the person.

American style politics always put the person in the foreground (electability) instead of the platform.

Watch European style Socialism and you will understand why DSA is about to really change American politics.

Platform before person. When people vote DSA they know what they will get.

https://twitter.com/theochino/status/1287114873378283520?s=21

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Ross, this is a very important contribution to the political discourse. Well done and thanks so much for the history refresher.

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I am impressed with your research on Democratic politics and primaries in the last 40 years. The whole process of how incumbents loose touch with their districts is a fascinating, too.

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