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Hey folks, just saw this thread, and thought I'd share some info. I'm a member of the International Socialist Organization in Seattle and I was at the J20 protest at the University of Washington campus where a IWW comrade got shot by a reactionary while protesting against Milo Y. speaking on campus. If you got a couple of bucks, please send them here. It was my first time at an Antifa action, and although it really sucks that a comrade got shot, I found it incredibly radicalizing and invigorating to face off against these cowards directly, and I am not afraid to stand up next time. Now more than ever, we must stand up to the reactionary forces in the US, or else we'll be seeing much worse violence than one man getting shot down the line. Other than that, the RESIST coalition (a coalition of student groups on UW campus which I'm part of with the ISO) occupied Odegaard library earlier that day and did teach ins, one of which I co-led. 60 people were in attendance for our section, and it was a really fun experience to have a dialogue with so many fresh faces eager to hear more about socialist politics and activism! You know you're doing a good job with students when nobody has their phones out.
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Jan 25, 2017 20:06
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HorseRenoir posted:Creating a third party is dumb. The goal should be to take control of the Dems' internal machinery and pressuring the rest of the party to fall in line. The Dems have a huge amount of infrastructure, resources, and name recognition and the left would be fools to give that up for ideological purity. A lot of people have tried this many times, and failed. There is an excellent book called "The Democrats: A Critical History" which explains this in great detail, going through several illuminating cases and also explaining how essentially the party is so inextricably tied to financial interests the party historically has been and most assuredly remains to this day. Frankly, the enmeshing of capital interests is so central to the actual apparatus of its power that, no matter how difficult it may seem for a third party to rise, it will almost certainly be harder to make the Democratic Party change. Even if you do not agree with my summary of its theses, I strongly recommend checking out the book, because it illuminates many aspects of the party that are worth considering even if you remain convinced that trying to reform it is the best strategy.
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Jan 25, 2017 22:10
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yellowyams posted:The left is simply not big enough to break off from liberals running as one of the main parties under the current ballot system while also dealing with gerrymandering, electoral vote, voter suppression, propaganda, and in-fighting, plus loads of scared people going with what they perceive as the safer option because of what's at stake. I think we would probably get closer than any other third party in recent history but we would not win and we will not survive two terms under Trump, I'm already doubting if we can survive one. The establishment just suffered a huge blow like never before, and people are energized to reform the party, we even have stuff like justice dems to get rid of dems who cast unacceptable votes and refocus the party onto the working class. This is a unique opportunity with special circumstances and it would be unwise to dismiss it. If the primaries come and the establishment still retains substantial power then I may reconsider but I would like to see how our efforts pay off first since I don't think this is comparable to any other attempt so far. It's true that the left, as it is right now, has little pull in the sphere of electoral politics, either within or outside of the Democratic party. However, and this is one of the things The Democrats book I linked earlier talks about, electoral politics is not where the force towards true progressive change happens in our society. Consider the 1960's, the era in which some of the greatest victories for civil rights and women's liberation in the 20th century were won. It wasn't because there was anything essentially more progressive about the politicians of the era so much as it was the fact that it was an era of mass mobilization, strikes, and agitation. It was only in this environment that a politician like Richard Nixon could be responsible for creating the EPA. In fact, going into the 1970's when many of the radical figures of those days became coopted into the Democratic party and levels of direct political action decreased, that is when we saw this trend towards progressivism die down. Likewise, it is worth considering that FDR didn't draft the New Deal out of the kindness of his heart, but because he lived in a time of wildcat strikes. It's hard to appreciate this, but in that era many of the ruling elite feared that an actual socialist revolution could take place in the US, and their fears at the time might not have been wholly misplaced. Regardless, the New Deal was in many ways a capitulation to these populist forces, and it is in their absence that we have seen these victories erode. I suppose it is fine if you want to vote for a Democrat, at least, I'm not going to say you're being a "bad leftist" if you do, but I think the far more important project in this era is revitalizing this sense that politics does not end at the voting booth. I think the massive, historic outpouring of people last weekend for the Women's march is a sign that there is absolutely this potential within the people of the contemporary US, and it is our duties as leftists to organize as effectively as we can to capitalize upon and bolster this sentiment as much as we can. Whether this leads to a reform of the Democratic party or the rising of a legitimate worker's party in the United States, these things will come as an organic consequence of mass grassroots action, rather than precede it. The worst possible thing we could do is to direct that energy into the machinery of the democratic party, rather than dragging it (along with the rest of the political apparatus of the US) kicking and screaming into a better era. Mr. Lobe fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Jan 25, 2017 |
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Jan 25, 2017 22:54
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And if we should reach a point at which we can terminate that political apparatus and build something better that truly represents the interests of people, I would very much like that, because that is what I am personally fighting for as a revolutionary socialist. But obviously that is going to be a long struggle, and we have a long way to go before that is a possibility. But I think it is very important to consider the shape of the society you want and to dream big, because even if you fall short in your struggle, you will make it much farther than if you did not have a sense of vision.
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Jan 25, 2017 23:00
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tsa posted:
The Republican Party was originally a third party, and yet look where it is now. Since the First Past the Post system means that only 2 parties can really hold influence in US politics, its ascendance came at the expense of the Whig party. I think a true worker's party could potentially subplant the Democratic party in a similar fashion, and frankly, I think doing so will be less difficult than reforming the Democrats. That is to say, it will be very difficult, but all the same, very necessary. As to the point of parties "reforming", at no point has any major political party in the United States ceased to serve first and foremost the interests of capital. Even in the cases where the Democratic party put forth legislature with progressive consequence, it only did so because it was self-servingly advantageous to do so in the political climate of its time (and indeed its hand was often forced by populist pressures), and yet it never did (and almost certainly never will) implement policies that actually undermine vested interests. Also re: international socialism doomed to fail, do you really believe that capitalism is an eternal system beyond challenge or compromise? Do you really believe it is indefinitely sustainable? I think it's becoming increasingly clear that the contradictions of capitalism are going to lead to its own destruction, potentially along with the rest of the world in the process. I agree with Rosa Luxemburg here: it's either socialism or barbarism. I don't think trying to reform the worst aspects of capitalism is going to be both sufficient or viable in the long term, which is an important consideration in light the very material threats it presents. The broad neoliberalization of the social democracies of Europe is one of the demonstrations of this principle. The only meaningful way that we can fight the global environmental destruction that capitalism faces us with is to attack capitalism directly, though I think part of the campaign of undermining its power is by seeking the sorts of reforms that you describe while the system still exists. That being said, if the pursuit of reforms is not contextualized within an actual revolutionary struggle, all the gains made will inevitably be frittered away. I also think having a grander vision to present politically is important when trying to fight even for short-term gains. And as to the matter of other efforts at socialism failing, should we have considered the project of post-enlightenment democracy an unworthy pursuit when the French Revolution led to the Reign of Terror, and in the New World the American Revolution led to a native-genociding slave-holding colonial empire? Mr. Lobe fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Jan 26, 2017 |
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Jan 26, 2017 22:35
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The Republican party has always been full of white supremacists and reactionaries. The material interests that are served by the Republican party have not changed because more overtly nasty people are more visible in it. The same cannot be said of trying to make the Democratic party into a true workers party. Edit: beaten a little, haha. Anyway, to tie back into the topic of the thread, I was notified this morning that there is going to be an Immigrant Rights March in Seattle.. Are there other specific immigrant-oriented actions happening in other parts of the country this weekend, or is this just a local thing? Mr. Lobe fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Jan 27, 2017 |
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Jan 27, 2017 00:57
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Yeah, a number of people who were at the UW event got doxxed and harrassed. And, as mentioned in that tweet thread, a comrade got shot during the protest of Milo Y (I wrote an account of the events as I observed them here), and now the College Republicans on campus are loving rubbing salt in the wounds by holding a "Wall Building Celebration" this coming Monday. The terrible thing is that everyone on the RESIST coalition (the coalition of student groups that planned the J20 actions earlier in the day on campus, including the occupation of Odegaard Library) is pretty much on the defensive at this point, but I'm in contact with SeaSol (a local solidarity organization that does a lot of good labor activism) and some other anarchist and socialist groups to try to coordinate something. We are thinking something more subdued in response is probably a good idea, although the fact that it will be in broad daylight and the heat they will almost certainly be drawing from the recent gun violence will probably make the chances of such severe outcomes as during the J20 events much less likely. Incidentally, the "College Republicans" are basically alt-right neonazi types. They don't bear much pretense of respectibility, if you check out their facebook page.
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Jan 27, 2017 21:30
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TwoQuestions posted:Any way out-of-staters can help? One, you could donate to the comrade's medical funds. Two, you could email UW President Cauce and tell her that her inaction and silence on these matters reflects poorly on her management of the institution. Three, you can make sure to support your local Antifascist actions, as they arise.
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Jan 28, 2017 00:45
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the black husserl posted:Seriously, has anyone talked to the black student athletes? They probably hold a significant amount of power. That's how we won Missouri. I realize you're being blithe here but it is true the black student population at UW is pretty small. 2.7% or something like that. I don't know anything about no sports teams though, being someone who doesn't follow sports at all (imagine, a goon nerd with no sports interest) and it's not like student athletes were a contingent of the RESIST coalition. While a major portion of it was student minority interest groups (including representatives of the undocumented students union, who were in particular vulnerable targets to the reactionary's doxxing efforts), even within this coalition black students were not largely represented. It may be worth trying to push the coalition to try to reach out more to the sports teams, though. I'll bring it up at the next meeting.
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Jan 28, 2017 01:05
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Tuxedo Catfish posted:Thanks, this is perfect. I'd found one of these links on my own but the rest are new to me. If you don't mind me pushing my org, a very good comrade of mine came from the Pittsburgh branch of the International Socialist Organization. Considering the sharpness of his politics, I have to imagine they're doing good work out there.
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Jan 31, 2017 00:02
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Veyrall posted:For those who are twitter-averse, it's a pretty good breakdown of a current ideological divide in the LGBT community, that there is a portion of the LGBT community that is still averse to transexual rights, and that this divide could be exploited to push through anti-trans-gendered executive orders with less pushback. Little Light argues that the liberals and the left must keep coalition and fight and protest this as well. Read good books written by effective activists and spend time with people who are capable of effective analysis. Nothing revitalizes like being given a clear vision or political insight that you did not have before. If I may make a recommendation, "Freedom is a Constant Struggle" by Angela Davis is a good choice.
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Feb 5, 2017 08:19
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ate all the Oreos posted:*is gerrymandered to the point where my vote counts 1/3 as much as a republican's* Obviously the left is just not trying hard enough geez How about, like, the red scare and the demonization of serious workers movements for the vast majority of the last century? God knows voting more democrats into office wouldn't put us much better than we are now. If Perez being put into his seat is evidence of anything, it is that Democrats are never going to be in the business of saving anyone from anything. At best, they are a stopgap measure in the absence and development of a real populist front. More realistically, they are the all-too willing vectors for the kinds of neoliberal policies that brought us where we are now.
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Feb 27, 2017 19:52
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Jack Gladney posted:There are apparently nazis marching in my town next Saturday and I'm frightened at the prospect. My local DSA and some other socialist groups are organizing a planning meeting this week, presumably to figure out a counterprotest. I've never seen either a nazi rally or attended a proper counterprotest, and I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid there will be violence, as the nazis have a facebook even for it where they're apparently trying to provoke antifa groups into attacking them, but I can't ignore nazis any more. What should I do? Beforehand, go to the planning meeting. Decide what your appetite for risk is. Make sure that you are in some kind of a group communication thread with your comrades, preferably something like Signal. Have the telephone number for your local branch of the national lawyer's guild written somewhere on your body. On site, be aware of what factions are at play. Typically at those kinds of events, on their side there's going to be the overt fascists/nazis, some less radical but still pretty dangerous nationalists (note whether they're waving US flags or dressed up like nazis), and then the police, who in my experience tend to do a lot more protection of the fascists. On your side, there is going to be a smaller contingent of black bloc types (with the face masks and the black clothes, usually anarchist or of other ultraleft persuasion) and a larger body of less radical protestors, including people from the DSA and other orgs you mentioned in addition to sympathetic left-liberals of varying degrees. The overt fascists and the black bloc will typically be at the front lines of the conflict, and it's highly probable you will see exchanges of blows. Depending on how quick and heated the frontline conflict gets will determine when the police intervene. It sounds like your appetite for risk is lower, so you will probably want to be more in the outer perimeter. But keep your eyes open, and be aware of what is happening around you, on all sides. Coordinate with comrades to make sure that key observations are communicated. Be aware of where street medics are, they will typically have red crosses taped on themselves or their bags. They will typically have the means to treat pepper spray (from both cops and belligerents) and lacerations. The key determining factor in the dynamic will be the relative sizes of the general fascist and antifascist contingents. Accordingly, if you are going to take part in this, go all in and try to bring as many people as you can to this. And remember what's at stake. This action will not make the fascists go away, but it will show the people they wish to oppress that there are those who can stand with them in solidarity. And it can serve to undermine the morale of the fascist tendencies. Mr. Lobe fucked around with this message at 18:39 on May 7, 2017 |
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May 7, 2017 18:29
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Oh, and if you want to do a lower risk but productive action to support the antifascist action, consider recording the proceedings. Just remember to bring a spare external battery if you are using your phone, as that eats through charge right quick. Also, remember that you can walk away at any time.
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May 7, 2017 18:38
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Reene posted:If you do this be mindful that some antifa orgs will ask you not to record or photograph them, particularly if they're in black bloc, and you should do your best to respect that -- they're there for your protection too, after all. Yeah, I should have been a bit more clear, the people to focus on are the reactionaries and the cops. That way if they pull some heinous poo poo, there is evidence.
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May 7, 2017 22:37
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shrike82 posted:decades? Yeah, the origins of the modern police bureaucracy is literally from slave catchers, and there is a whole storied history of racism and labor suppression which primarily characterizes their actions since.
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Aug 31, 2017 04:58
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