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.

    • mrbigcheese [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      well if its large enough that a potential newfound SAlt caucus within DSA would cause big tensions within our entire org than they obviously hold a significant enough presence in the US for it to matter if they could influence internal DSA affairs if they wanted to, hence why we're even having this discussion in the first place

      • gammison [none/use name]
        1·
        4 years ago

        I don't think it would cause big tensions. At most it could cause issues inside Seattle DSA. The ISO had more members than SAlt and many of them joined DSA and there's been no appreciable change. Some former ISO members are in national leadership but they didn't get there via a caucus of concentrated ISO members joining.

        Like all the responses I've gotten about the SAlt piece from other members is concern that SAlt is dissolving, and just that the proposal is rude. There's virtually no discussion that SAlt could actually influence DSA beyond the Seattle chapter.

        • mrbigcheese [he/him]
          ·
          4 years ago

          ISO members didnt really come in and form a caucus though, and even then there were still tensions and concerns about it, but if SA did or if they merged with R&R it would certainly cause tensions among the members who are vehemently opposed to forming a party, and ive certainly seen a lot of responses for people being very against it. SA's membership is somewhere over 2k I believe, tho ive seen varying estimates that go higher so idk. From my experience in NYC I feel like SA is pretty similar to DSA so i dont really care about this whole thing, they can all join or whatever, the more the merrier.