News

Unite and Win: March Dispatch

March 6, 2020

5 million people voted for Bernie Sanders this week and we won 4 states and 102 Texas delegates to Biden’s 111. Bloomberg dropped out after voters repudiated his $500 million power grab in disgust — and our job now is to remind folks that that kind of billionaire money is exactly what’s fueling Biden’s campaign.

Our country has been torn apart by four years of fear and hate. The only way to reverse that tide is to build a grassroots army of people coming together fueled by love and hope, willing to fight for our future. But that cannot be done with the same old politics that inspired so many voters to stay home in 2016. For those of us who genuinely believe that we face climate death and global fascism, for those of us who are students of history and of the stories of our grandparents, for those of us who have had to fight injustice on the job or in our home or in our community, the path to victory is the one being built by millions of Bernie donors and volunteers standing side by side and demanding Medicare for All and a livable planet.

No one of us can do this alone. But together we can win. Bernie has an enthusiastic volunteer army that bridges all of the divisions exploited by Trump and his ilk and instead says The status quo has failed us. We all deserve to live lives of dignity. We have the power to make it happen. We can win if we unite and fight. We can turn back the forces of fear and hate and instead bring a new hope to our country and the world.

I remember AFA president Sara Nelson’s reminder at our national convention that “solidarity is a force stronger than gravity.” We are living through a moment of raised expectations despite the best efforts of the capitalists who own CNN and MSNBC. We are fighting for each other.

We can do this! And after election day, we’ll be here to keep going.

In solidarity,

Maria Svart
DSA National Director

In This Dispatch

NEW LOCAL GROUPS

A big welcome to our new DSA local groups! Congratulations to Rio Grande Valley, TX on becoming a full chapter, and Greater Flint, MI joins us as a new Organizing Committee (OC).

DSA FOR BERNIE: YOU CAN GROW OUR MOVEMENT

Last night, more than 130 committed socialists joined our post-Super Tuesday DSA for Bernie national call to talk through lessons from the last round of primaries and what steps we can be taking RIGHT NOW to bring Bernie supporters and activists into our movement. Our members have already knocked hundreds of thousands of doors and helped secure wins in Super Tuesday states, and we are just getting started.

Whether or not you have a local DSA for Bernie campaign, every chapter has the opportunity to grow by engaging with Bernie’s massive, working class base. In the short term, chapters in states that have already voted should look to hosting “Beyond Bernie” meetings to talk with Bernie supporters about our organization or sending a Spoke text to sign ups from rally or crowd canvassing with a DSA membership ask. We should also make a commitment to following up with targeted Students for Bernie groups to make sure they become YDSAs!

Our movement isn’t going anywhere. Check out #DSAforBernie to see the new chapters that are just getting started with DSA for Bernie or the others that are preparing to get out the vote in the next round of primary states. March is going to be huge for our campaign, and we have many victories ahead this month and beyond.

NEC: VOTE FOR ANTHONY CLARK FOR CONGRESS ON MARCH 17th in IL-07

The National Electoral Committee would like to encourage members to vote for and support Anthony Clark, running for US Congress in Illinois’ 7th Congressional district this March 15th, alongside Bernie of course.

MEDICARE FOR ALL ENDORSES THE PATIENTS OVER PROFITS PLEDGE

The Medicare for All campaign is proud to endorse National Nurses United’s “Patients Over Profits” Pledge! By taking the pledge, politicians at all legislative levels must reject campaign contributions over $200 from executives, lobbyists, and PACs affiliated with corporate front group, Partnership for America’s Health Care Future. We stand in solidarity with NNU and other coalition organizations fighting for a universal, comprehensive and free-at-the-point of use Medicare for All system.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST LABOR COMMISSION UPDATE

We are pleased to announce the election of the new Democratic Socialist Labor Commission (DSLC) Steering Committee. The DSLC supports members across the country to build our work related to the labor movement through chapter-based labor working groups. The new steering committee is listed on the DSLC website here.

APPLY TO JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP: DEADLINE 3/20

In accordance with Resolution 4: Building the International Committee, we have begun a structural overhaul of our International Committee (IC).

As part of this reform, the International Committee will soon open IC Subcommittees to all of DSA membership for your participation. We will also create a new Steering Committee to oversee our IC’s Subcommittees, and an International Secretariat to provide advice and diplomatic support directly to the NPC.

The most important part of this reform is you! We need to find member-leaders to assist us in this transition, helping to ensure that DSA does the best international work it can going forward. We are looking for members with some background in internationalism — and a willingness to commit a minimum of 3-5 hours per week — to apply now to take on a leadership role in the IC, either as a member of the Steering Committee or International Secretariat, or as a co-chair of one of its world-regional and thematic Subcommittees. Apply here by Friday, March 20 to join the International Committee in a leadership role.

And we’re looking forward to seeing all of you soon in one of our newly opened Subcommittees, helping to develop the politics we need to build international democratic socialism in the 2020s and beyond. Sign up here to receive notifications when the IC’s Subcommittees open for membership.

YDSA CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

275 students attended the February conference of the Young Democratic Socialists of America. Watch coverage of the conference and the East Tennessee State University YDSA delegation.

THIS ISSUE OF SOCIALIST FORUM: INTERNATIONALISM

We dedicate this issue of Socialist Forum to the question of internationalism. Internationalism has been one of the core values of the modern socialist movement since its founding in the mid-nineteenth century. Working people around the world are still grappling with capitalism and imperialism and their most destructive expressions, militarism and war. And today, we face a scourge that threatens to make all of the conflicts and contradictions of capitalism worse than ever: climate change.

Our approach to internationalism in the twenty-first century will be shaped by the return of great power competition and the impact of climate change on the social and ecological systems that sustain human life. Our theory and practice of internationalism needs to be refined and updated to meet the challenges of today’s deeply unsettled world order. The articles in this issue of Socialist Forum seek to provide DSA members with a starting point for thinking through these issues, and to encourage discussion and debate. Any member interested in writing a response to the articles in this issue, or in learning more about the next issue, should contact the editorial committee at [email protected].

DEMOCRATIC LEFT: NEW ISSUE OUT SOON — AND INCLUDE YOUR BOOK IN OUR ONLINE “BOOKS BY DSA AUTHORS” FEATURE

The spring issue of Democratic Left will be out soon, so check your mailboxes! If you previously received Democratic Left in the mail, but aren’t getting your copy, please email [email protected] to confirm your mailing address.

And are you a DSA member who has published a book in the past three years? Let us know! Please fill out this form by Tuesday, March 31, 2020 to include your book in the listing.

The “Books by DSA Authors” feature is a listing only, not a review of the book. This is an online feature, and is not included in the print edition. Inclusion in the “Books by DSA Authors” feature does not constitute an endorsement.

STATEMENTS APPROVED BY THE NPC

The National Political Committee is a 16 person body elected at each DSA national convention, most recently in August 2019. In the past month, the NPC has approved the following statements:

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL PRESENTATION

Thanks to you and working class folks across the country, DSA had another great year of organizing in 2019. Please join our 2019 annual report to membership call on Tuesday, March 17 8:30PM ET/7:30PM CT/6:30PM MT/5:30 PT to hear an overview of DSA’s story in the data, income and expenses from 2019. This call is for members as of 3/4/2020 only. RSVP to join us!