If you are a "socialist" operating within the system by participating in electoralism, your job as an elected representative are two fold: heighten the contradictions in the political sphere; throw a monkey wrench in the normal day to day activities of the imperialist death machine. That's it, it's really not that difficult. You show up to congress, say you got elected to pass m4a or vote no on ICE funding, vote down imperialist wars, vote down bank bail outs. Your votes will be lonely and will probably have zero effect in the grand scheme of things, but that's the point. A socialist representative, even a squad of them, is functionally weak and incapable of bringing about proper change.
By advocating exactly for the things the working class supports (healthcare pls), showing solidarity with the international proletariat (no wars pls), and trying to give power to the workers (union protections, higher minimum wage) and you fail, time after time, you fail to get any meaningful support from your colleages; you are demonstrating to the working class that this system is not for YOU. You are trying to get them to wake up and realize the system is fundamentally at odds with THEM.
Failure to do this each and every step of the way is opportunism of the highest order. Refusing to stand up for your own demands, and asking to get votes on healthcare, larger stimulus checks, and better working conditions for the working class, is a failure.
I don't know what is in the water on DC, or if it just takes a certain kind of fucking brainworms to even run for congress, let alone win; but goddamn the whole process of slowly "justificating" the process of siding with Pelosi and Schumer on the procedural votes; the idea of not holding Pelosi's entire leadership position hostage is asinine. Nobody cares if you are a latinx congresswoman from the bronx if you don't pass anything fucking meaningful, or "politically" die trying.
Yes, thank you! Both strategies are doomed to fail. Jimmy Dore is an idiot for thinking it will work, and "the squad" are wrong in their entryist strategy. Once that's accepted, we can discuss what will and won't work. I'm totally in favor of a desperate push in hopes that the dems will be weakened somewhat.
I think Jimmy Dore actually knows it will fail but has to say he thinks it will work in order to get more people on board. Or maybe he really is just an idiot lol either way they should do it
Is there anything that you think people like AOC can do? I've always been in the camp of force as many votes as possible, make it clear they don't give a fuck about working people and then constantly talk about protesting and unions and stuff. Every time a politician has to publicly come out against MFA or the GND it should lower their public support and credibility. That way people become disillusioned with the system while also seeing another way of operating.
If you think that's doomed to fail what else is there?
Yeah I think I agree with you? I have no idea what "progressive" congress members can do really other than agitate with a platform, but yes it seems like a coordinated break from the dems is bound to happen at some point.