One of the several things I did right after the election was to join Democratic Socialists of America. Yesterday I got this message from them:
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to DSA! You are receiving this email because
you recently joined Democratic Socialists of America. We are glad you are
joining us on this journey, especially during this challenging time. We are a
diverse group of people located across the United States. We come from
different backgrounds and have taken different paths to becoming socialists,
but we come together for the purpose of building a society that provides
equality and democracy for all.
As a way to connect all of us across the country, we have
created a DSA group on Facebook for new members. It will be a place for new
folks to exchange ideas, ask questions, look for ways to volunteer, etc.
As many of us are new to socialism, it's a safe space where we can grow
and shape our beliefs in the presence of like-minded people. The group is
"secret" by Facebook standards, which means that it cannot be seen or
found via a search. Group membership and posts can only be seen by members of
the group, which allows for some privacy.
Your participation in the group is entirely voluntary.
You should have already received an email giving you the option to join.
If you received the invitation, but the link was "broken," your
Facebook account may be linked to another email address. If you'll send
me the correct email address, I'll send you a new invitation. If you did
not receive the invitation or you're having trouble navigating the email
address issue, feel free to contact me at this email address.
I'm looking forward to connecting with you on Facebook and
continuing the conversation.
In solidarity,
Julie
[The email address is juleshome42@comcast.net]
[The email address is juleshome42@comcast.net]
Forget about the revolution. That is, I am afraid, a story we tell the children at bedtime to soothe their fears of the President-elect. But if enough of us join nationwide, we just might be able to put some weight on the scale to tilt it to the left.
I joined shortly after the election. I'll look forward to seeing you there! :)
ReplyDeleteI want to note that in the Scandinavian countries, like all other developed nations, the means of production are primarily owned by private individuals, not the community or the government, and resources are allocated to their respective uses by the market, not government or community planning. One might emphasize as well, that they provide things like a generous social safety net and universal healthcare. This is, for me, I think, only about fully appreciating the sources of Nordic success. The Scandinavians embrace a brand of free-market capitalism that exists in conjunction with a large welfare state.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that debate isn't what people are interested in, I'm also interested in how Democratic donors mostly fought Obama’s push to expand SCHIP, his stimulus plan, and the Affordable Care Act. I offer that towards a partial explanation for the Democratic Party's reluctance to take on a more progressive policy platform. I spy a significant obstacle to the party's populist wing. I'm not precisely offering any of this 'in solidarity', but it's interesting to read about green-energy proponent and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer, billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (a lifelong Democrat before running on the Republican ticket as mayor and serving three terms) and Chicago media baron Fred Eychaner. I read that five top donors – Tom Steyer, Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett, Pierre Omidyar, and George Soros’s own son, Jonathan – are major funders of the left. Together, they have contributed at least $2.7 billion since 2000 to groups pushing abortion, gun control, climate change alarmism and liberal candidates. I kid a bit, in putting it precisely that way (and when I mention as well, how Buffett gave more than $1.2 billion to pro-abortion groups). But not when I add that collectively they either supported or owned 88 separate media outlets as the 2014 midterm elections approached.
I don't have a stake in the outcome. I don't have a pony in this race since I don't have a cat..
What would be your grandfather's reaction to that letter?
ReplyDeleteWell, assuming he had not written it, he might have quoted from it as he stood on the back of a flatbed truck on a street corner in Brooklyn, rallying the troops with his stentorian voice as he gave one of his almost nightly speeches for the Socialist Party during the elections in New York. I can trace his movements from the daily listings of street corner speeches in the CALL, the Socialist newspaper. Once he even had the great honor of introducing Eugene V. Debs!
ReplyDeleteRomanticism that is engaged (if I read Charles Taylor right - Sources of Self). Love it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know whether I still harbor old Lefty prejudices against the DSA, or whether it's just their program that fails to inspire, but here it is:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dsausa.org/resistance_rising_socialist_strategy_in_the_age_of_political_revolution
Haven't they been flogging this piecemeal approach for years?