I’m a socialist (and not the Barack Obama kind)
What do Martin Luther King Jr., Bernie Sanders, AOC, Cornell West, and I have in common?
Democratic Socialism.
I just joined the DSA — Democratic Socialists of America. I’ve been flirting with the idea for a few years now. Why did I take the plunge today?
🌹 More and more people have publicly embraced the DSA, including a growing number of candidates and elected officials at the state and national level.
🌹 The DSA just swept the leadership positions in the Nevada Democratic Party. Being a DSA member is not just an ideological statement — democratic socialists can, and are, occupying important political positions.
🌹 Jacobin, in particular Weekends with Ana Kasparian and Nando Vila, has reinforced what I’ve thought for years: capitalism is the root of the problem. We need to do whatever we can within the current system, but working towards systemic change.
🌹 The gaslighting that the Democrats and compliant corporate media did about the $15/hr minimum wage. It was only thanks to a people-powered petition and social media campaign, not forces within the Democratic Party, that we even got a vote on whether or not the Senate should vote on it.
🌹I love the Squad overall. Two members of the Squad are DSA members. But they either can’t, or don’t want to, effectuate change from the inside as things stand. They either need more back-up and/or more pressure. The more open socialists there are, the more they need to listen to us and fight to bring about change.
You can find out more information about DSA on their website, and either donate or become a member. Here are three highlights that I like that helped convince me to join.
🌹Democracy is needed not just in politics (which we don’t have: Electoral College and much more) but also in the workplace. No CEO is worth 100x or more than other employees. Voters deserve a voice in their government, workers deserve a voice in their workplace.
🌹 DSA is not a political party. This a strategic advantage. Democrats viciously fight against the Green Party to keep them and all potentially viable third parties off the ballot. The DSA and its members can choose more freely what candidates they’re supporting and can run with or without the support of another party.
🌹 The DSA doesn’t view socialism as an all-or-nothing proposition — we can and must take concrete action now. Changes now help pave the way to bigger changes later. According to DSA’s website:
“Reforms we win now—raising the minimum wage, securing a national health plan, and demanding passage of right-to-strike legislation—can bring us closer to socialism.”
I’m proud to be a card-carrying socialist (or will be as soon as it arrives in the mail) and hope that people who support raising the minimum wage, Medicare For All, Green New Deal, workplace equality, and so much more, will consider joining me in joining the DSA.
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