Building the Popular Front! Discuss and organize!

US Comrades,

Too often in the echo chambers of the internet we get caught up in purity and debates amongst parts of the left which *mostly* agree on basic premises of leftism. We forget that politics isn't about purity, your individual worldview, or endlessly splitting on the grounds of small disagreements. Politics is about getting things done of material substance.

There will be a time when the left must totally part from IDpol, there is a time where the left will probably have to use violence to smash the ruling class and seize the means. That time though will never even be close to near if we don't rebuild the explicitly/openly socialist left that has working class politics.

This means fighting for anti-capitalist structural reforms which take power away from the ruling class and put it in the power of working people who are then empowered to fight for even more. It means putting food, water, healthcare, education, transportation, under public control and building the labor movement. It does not mean obamacare, somewhat progressive dems, or offering means-tested reforms like Hillary's "debt-free" college program. Those are obviously just reforms which lighten the load of capitalism. In the fight for these reforms, we rebuild the left and we win power. It is not the question of reform or revolution, it's reform and revolution. We can't just have history on our sides, we need action, even if they means putting differences aside for the sake of furthering socialism. IMO

So here's a somewhat comprehensive list of the sane left which is worth using for organizing. It doesn't mean they have programs which totally align with your views, it means they are worth utilizing and working towards reforms in. All have administrations/core members/cadre who are marxists. I've had experience organizing and talking irl to members of each.

Should be required reading if you are making a transition to IRL organizing and giving up using the hammer and sickle (for now).

Ralph Miliband: Beyond Social Democracy
marxists.org/archive/miliband/1985/xx/beyondsd.htm

Pablo Iglesias: The Left Can Win
jacobinmag.com/2014/12/pablo-iglesias-podemos-left-speech/

Feel free to call me a class traitor, but if you disagree feel free to debate. Just trying to help people new to socialist orgs in the US.

Other urls found in this thread:

dsausa.org
dsausa.org/chapters
twitter.com/DemSocialists
facebook.com/demsocialists/?fref=ts
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXzv5EEcV_A76vKSDBd048yyHHgsVNVJyo8DTpZp9Em_3aMg/viewform
dsausa.org/we_fight_for_socialism_over_barbarism
internationalsocialist.org
internationalsocialist.org/get-involved/joining-iso
internationalsocialist.org/find-the-iso
twitter.com/SocialistViews
facebook.com/International-Socialist-Organization-122646921103159/?fref=ts
socialistalternative.org
twitter.com/SocialistAlt
facebook.com/SocialistAlternativeUSA/?fref=ts
youtube.com/watch?v=tckvbCulVBc
twitter.com/AnonBabble

Democratic Socialists of America:
I prefer this org and pay dues for the sole purpose they are the largest and internally democratic out of all. There is a membership of over 10,000 due-paying members and rapidly expanding, especially in the South. They have been frequently pulling 100-400 people to their meetings. Internally very democratic, and there is a large left caucus which is pushing towards more explicit socialism and absolutely no collaboration with “progressives”. Each local branch has autonomy over what they choose to do (so in your local chapter you could take lead through the democratic process and choose what you want to focus on). You will meet all sort of leftists here, you can connect with the not liberal ones and help network in your community. Even if you are not going to pay dues, they are almost everywhere in the US, and are worth organizing with. Additionally, beyond their timid presentation, they have in their agenda for more internal education in marxism. They are not anti-communist like they were under class traitor Michael Harrington. IDpol is a problem but they probably do more work exposing people to class politics than any other org below. They also successfully converted a ton of college/local bernie groups into DSA/YDS chapters which is great.


Join:
dsausa.org
dsausa.org/chapters

Social Media:
twitter.com/DemSocialists
facebook.com/demsocialists/?fref=ts

Start a Chapter: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXzv5EEcV_A76vKSDBd048yyHHgsVNVJyo8DTpZp9Em_3aMg/viewform

Socialism Over Barbarism: DSA Statement on Trump:
dsausa.org/we_fight_for_socialism_over_barbarism

International Socialist Organization
Membership of about 1,000-2,000. Has pretty good presence across the US. Obviously they publish socialist worker and are more to the left than DSA. I hold membership with them as well, although my local chapter, despite being in a big eastern city, is usually not that great at having a big presence at events or getting out their message to the public. They are very very effective at building cadre, and building a highly educated vanguard. They openly say they exist in the tradition of “Marx, Engels, Luxemburg, Lenin, and Trotsky”. More towards making sure all their members closely align with their message, however there is still room for flexibility. Worth attending in your area even if solely for the purpose of connecting with other marxists. Good for intellectual debate. They host great “Marxism Day Schools” in major cities in the US.


Join:
internationalsocialist.org
internationalsocialist.org/get-involved/joining-iso
internationalsocialist.org/find-the-iso


Social Media
twitter.com/SocialistViews
facebook.com/International-Socialist-Organization-122646921103159/?fref=ts

Socialist Alternative
Membership of around 900. Trots. Kshama Sawant. I’ve been to meetings of theirs in my city and been to their organizations on school campuses. I also have a close friend connected with leadership. They are good at making a huge presence at events, and organized most of the anti-Trump rallies following his election, which was pretty impressive considering they had speakers talking about socialism to the huge crowds that showed up to protest Trump. They are pretty all out with IDpol in their messaging, which you can see on their site, and sadly they have a totally undemocratic structure. Several people have resigned from the organization since it is literally, like WSWS or any other trot org, totally controlled by a small anonymous committee or editorial board. They might be worth aiding in the anti-trump inauguration protests, or the fight for $15 in your area. Strong supporters for Stein in general election, unlike DSA/ISO which simply said more organizing, no endorsement.

Join:
socialistalternative.org


Social Media:
twitter.com/SocialistAlt
facebook.com/SocialistAlternativeUSA/?fref=ts

Thread seems related, so I'll ask: why are ML parties in the US so divided?

What was the Trotskyist group that's against identity politics called again?

I'm new to this organization, but what I get is that there isn't a full on embrace of Idpol, atleast where I am located. One of the problems are people coming in open meetings after a protest or rally and saying "white people are the problem" or "we just need to talk it out with white people who voted trump". Besides that, I don't find any of it from the actual members. It's better than what I though it would be.

Socialist Equality Party, they own wsws.org

wtf I love trots now!

Can any americans explain bob avakian to me?

Leader of some tiny-ass maotist party who has created a cult of personality over himself.

so just normal Maoism then

Except it's even funnier because he's not the leader of a country, but a head of some tiny meme organization.

He seems like /ourguy/ tbh

youtube.com/watch?v=tckvbCulVBc

Bump

Not completely related to this but I really don't want to make another thread for it:

We need to do community outreach and the like in our respective communities. Back when I was retarded and enjoyed the aspects of fascism and Nazi like the retard I was, I put forth the idea of actually showing the "good side" of the group. I advocated for helping aid in relief like some militias do. I said we should get donations for those that are less fortunate. I said we should help feed those who cannot do it themselves. Stuff like that where it would show the organization in a good light and get away from "dem ebil nazis!!!"

I was either ignored or met with a barrage of insults that included but was not limited to how those people deserved it, no coloureds would be helped, the strong survive, etc. It was a cacophony of retardation that really pushed me away from that ideology.

Why couldn't we, as Marxists, do something similar? It may not be seizing the means of production, but it'd be a step in the right direction of showing others what a good thing can do.

Black Panthers did this but it typically has to be political or illustrate a part of their economic program to work. For instance, when school breakfast gets cut by austerity, we step in and provide it gaining the community's trust and also gathering young people together to educate them.

DSA tries to do this in a way by just participating in Fight for $15, Sanders Campaign, efforts registering voters in low-income communities as open socialists wearing pins, merch, and being vocal. It works for them since they aren't autistic/violent or an actual electoral party, just an NGO.

The only problem with charity is that people just get the impression that socialists are for more sharing on moralist grounds. As if the end game of socialism is us all deciding to give up a little more to held the needy.

The pro

Holla Forums is trying too hard.

sauce?

It's started. The Trotskyites have invaded and are convincing us to rally their social democrat against the other social democrat. I'm almost surprised there was no CWI shilling yet.

resident evil