Why Socialist Alternative Members are Joining DSA
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We are in a new historical period, and socialists must adjust to this deeply changed situation. 2020 will be remembered as a crucial turning point worldwide with the pandemic, economic crash, the biggest protests in U.S. history after George Floyd’s racist murder, and of course the end of the Trump

Looks like Socialist Alternative is going to try to make DSA form a workers party by having some of it's members join DSA.

Current DSA by-laws allow for chapters to expel members for being in Democratic Centralist organizations but its not automatic. It also seems like SAlt isn't telling their members to join en-masse, just a few to push for a new workers party at meetings.

My DSA chapter isn't happy about this but it seems like most apprehension seems to be from their experience with individual SAlt members, first and the rudeness of the tactic, second. But there seems to be little consideration of their goals.

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    4 years ago

    I'm perfectly open to asking our local independent politicians associate with a new political party. That's perfectly welcome. But this whole dual membership issue is going to be a major issue.

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        4 years ago

        Im like 9/10 that these members are mostly just envoys to negotiate making a separate party not trying to turn DSA into a party itself.

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            4 years ago

            For sure. I've hung out with some of the local SAlts before and they were cool. I just hope they don't act like people on here.

    • aqwxcvbnji [none/use name]
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      4 years ago

      But this whole dual membership issue is going to be a major issue.

      Why? What's the difference with all the tendencies which already exist in DSA like "class unity", "bread and Roses" and so on?

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        4 years ago

        There's already a bunch of trots in my chapter after iso folded which was demcent. They never had dual membership and don't think SAlt members should be holding dual memberships either. They also don't like the ban on DemCents but kind of view this as extremely rude.

        • aqwxcvbnji [none/use name]
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          4 years ago

          But what's the difference between membership of one of those caucusses like "class unity" and "bread and roses" on the one hand and SAlt on the other hand? I don't see why one of those would be rude, and the other one wouldn't be.

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            4 years ago

            Becuase the caucuses would be invested in the power of their parent organization while an external organization would only be tangentially so.

            I think the scenario we're trying to avoid is members from another org showing up, voting for the interest of their org, then going back to work for their org.

            • aqwxcvbnji [none/use name]
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              4 years ago

              That's fair, but would you prefer all SAlt members joining DSA and becoming a caucus themselves? They'd be a significant amount od DSA memebrs immediatly if they did that. I'm guessing around 5%

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                4 years ago

                I don't think SAlt should dissolve themselves nationally just to join the DSA nor do I think they ever would. Its seems they just want to more closely cooperate with local dsa chapters.

                • aqwxcvbnji [none/use name]
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                  4 years ago

                  I don’t think SAlt should dissolve themselves nationally just to join the DSA nor do I think they ever would.

                  Trots have a history of switching between being a party and a tendency inside another, broader left party. It's not impossible at all. If they start believing that DSA is the new workers party inside the US, then they'll do it, just like they've followed that strategy in every country around the globe.