this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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chapotraphouse
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No anti-nautilism posts. See: Eco-fascism Primer
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The only way we get to that project is through organizing, and delivering concrete wins for people so they trust us. I will judge Mamdani on whether he delivers on his promises. I understand being skeptical, but DSA and Future Mayor Mamdani are putting in the work of organizing, showing people that a better world is possible.
But is he doing socialist organizing?
Election campaigns can be a tactic, like I said, but if that's the extent of his organizing then it can't accomplish anything else other than temporary electoral wins.
This is a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, delivering concrete wins purely through electoralism alone is absolutely impossible. If he doesn't have a larger strategy, other tactics to fall back on besides getting elected, then he's just going to run headfirst into the obstacles outlined in the OP.
Is there any strategy outside getting elected?
NYC-DSA has seen a massive increase in members during his campaign. His campaign has created more socialists that have joined a political party. For socialists in the current environment, I think that's one of the best outcomes of electoralism.
DSA isn't exactly a political party though as much as I wish it were. That said, I think it's still good people are joining. There are a lot of political lessons people will never learn unless they actually get involved in organizing work.
if you want DSA to be a political party one way for that to happen is to have the chapters in places like NYC get really big.
maybe there's a path where dems continue to be geriatric losers, PSL forms a vanguard, and major DSA chapters get a few normie wins like this one and they can legitimize the vanguard instead of repeating the mistakes of the SPD.
If DSA becomes something akin to say the Sunrise Movement where members are just volunteers and staff run the whole thing then it’s not going to legitimize any sort of future vanguard. This is a real risk because frankly most people joining DSA have more familiarity volunteering and running liberal non profits than they have experience with the real participatory democracy of a vanguard party. So yes it’s great if DSA can attract more members. However that’s not sufficient for it to be a meaningfully stepping stone towards socialism.
You are correct. I'm definitely speaking to my personal ambitions lol. DSA is in a stage where they're trying to figure out what a successful socialist party in America looks like.