We are thrilled to announce that
@SalupCid
has WON a seat on YDSAβs National Coordinating Committee, the first Reform & Revolution member to ever do so! πΉ
We won ALL of our resolutions, amendments, & our NCC candidate! Onwards to making YDSA the youth wing of a socialist party!
It is our duty to fight the US embargo on Cuba! Our aim, though, must be to empower Cuban workers to win democratic control of society, instead of pretending they already do under a repressive bureaucracy.
Read Maria Fβs report from DSAs Cuba Delegation!
Reform & Revolution condemns the attack by Biden and the Democratic Party on the railroad workers and their right to strike. It is a disgrace that 3 out of 4 DSA members in Congress voted to make a strike illegal. 1/6
We condemn the votes by DSA members
@AOC
,
@CoriBush
, and
@RepBowman
supporting this attack on workers. We call on them to explain their vote to the membership of DSA. We applaud
@RashidaTlaib
for voting NO. 3/6
Our proposal for a national campaign for reproductive rights & trans liberation has PASSED at DSA Convention (and YDSA Con)!
We are very proud to see DSA commit to a fighting, national campaign for one of the most pressing civil rights issues this decade. Letβs do this π₯π³οΈββ§οΈπ³οΈβπ
The policy of NOT holding elected officials accountable has real consequences for working-class people. It weakens DSA and endangers our commitments to workers. 2/6
Reform & Revolution stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people resisting apartheid and occupation.
We call for mass protests in the US and around the world against the bombardment and brutal siege of Gaza, and the horrific danger of an Israeli ground invasion.
This vote shows the dangers inherent in working as part of the deeply conservative, pro-capitalist Democratic Party. While remaining flexible in our tactics, socialists must remain 100% *politically* independent of the capitalist parties. 4/6
DSA needs a full debate on its relationship with electeds & how to hold them accountable to our platform. The 2023 convention must set clear expectations that DSA electeds will work to represent DSA, meet regularly with DSA NPC & form a socialist caucus which votes as a block 6/6
Reform & Revolution is submitting a resolution to the NPC written by Judith C. and Sarah M. which would open the DSA Communications Committee to member applications. The goal is to build DSA into a communications powerhouse. Read our statement:
Welcome to the roaring 20s! π₯³ There is a tremendous fighting spirit at the 4,000 strong
@labornotes
conference. Let's spread it throughout the US working class. βοΈπͺ
Wall to wall at tonightβs main session at Labor Notes: Bernie Sanders and Chris Smalls are the main speakers! Starbucks, Amazon weβre coming for you!
@SBWorkersUnited
@labornotes
Weβve been informed βA Fighting Campaign for Reproductive Rights and Trans Liberationβ will not be debated at DSA convention despite receiving 387 signatures, because the base resolution was turned into an amendment. We are disappointed in this decision, and are challenging it.
Socialists must work to stop any expression of antisemitism in the movement as well as any slogans aligning ourselves with conservative, antisemitic forces like Hamas, the Houthi or the Iranian state. These self-marginalizing tactics are a dead end.
We, along with MUG & others, convinced the convention to discuss & debate a national trans/abortion rights campaign, joining YDSA who passed a similar resolution. Onward!
On our last day in Chicago we took a trip with our NPC candidates to the memorial of the birth of the American labor movement Haymarket square. We honor the martyrs and feel renewed in our revolutionary struggle for socialism.
We must advocate for a clear, separate, program based on the interests of workers and oppressed people - rather than trying to fit our positions into what is expedient for working within the Democratic caucus. 5/6
Reflecting a majority of R&R, Maria F and Sarah M call for DSA to support a one-state solution and the left wing of the resistance in Palestine on a united front basis, not a popular front.
Read βWhy DSA Should Agitate for a One-State Solutionβ π΅πΈ
As Marxists we 100% support DSA fighting US imperialism. Our critique of campism is that (besides being simplistic) it's an obstacle to building support among US workers for anti-imperialism. Refusing to criticize N Korea hinders our ability to win support for ending US sanctions
All socialists should support this call to end US sanctions on North Korea. However this statement contains significant political weakness of omission - what it doesnt say. Nowhere does it in any way politically distance DSA from the N Korean regime. This raises two problemsπ§΅/ 1
This DSA convention will have a clear choice: Elect a SMC-Groundwork NPC majority to continue on the same path OR elect a left majority to change course towards independence from the Dems, a campaigning org rooted in labor, & defending democracy in DSA.
Congrats to the newly elected NPC! We are disappointed that R&Rβs candidates didnβt win, but weβre excited that delegates voted for a LEFT MAJORITY!
We look forward to working with the NPC to implement our national trans + repro rights campaign and to chart a new course for DSA
The vote to not hear the BDS WG resolution now was wrong. However you feel about their reso, after the NPC tried to dissolve the BDS WG in the wake of Bowman's Iron Dome vote, they deserve to be able to make their case and be heard.
Vote NO on dissolving the BDS WG into the IC!
βWe should be clear that the Democratic Party is running this country in the interest of corporate America, not working people. And our job is to build a left-wing, working class opposition.β
WATCH
@PhilipLocker
from R&Rβs discussion on
@BadFaithPod
about DSA Convention!
βΌοΈIt's My Party? (w/
@PhilipLocker
&
@stylianos_k
)βΌοΈ
DSA members who disagree on the direction the org should take discuss the recent DSA Convention. Will the DSA hold squad members accountable? Will it act as a party? And will they endorse Cornel West?
Sean OβBrienβs speech at RNC is a betrayal of the labor movement. But just two summers ago many in our movement were lionizing him as a courageous reformer. What happened?
In February,
@DeGreat4
gave an analysis of the labor resurgence and DSAβs response π§΅
Weβre proud to announce that R19, our proposal for a trans & reproductive rights campaign at YDSA Convention, PASSED by a margin of 92 to 13! ππ³οΈββ§οΈ
Letβs finish the job this weekend at DSA convention π₯
Vote YES to our agenda change to add a trans rights campaign to the agenda!
Weβre proud to say that our amendment has PASSED! Thank you to the caucuses that worked with us & the members who voted for a better agenda.
Now, the hard work starts. Letβs vote YES for a trans and repro rights campaign, a party-like strategy, and a left majority NPC! π₯
Todayβs the day! We urge delegates to vote YES on our amendment to the Convention agenda, so we can vote on:
- a reproductive and trans rights campaign π³οΈββ§οΈ
- a party-like electoral strategy π³οΈ
- our approach to BDS π΅πΈ
Letβs have an agenda that reflects our big tent!
Introducing Reform & Revolutionβs candidates for the National Political Committee: Philip Locker (
@PhilipLocker
) & Jesse Dreyer (
@Bolshetrick
)!
Learn more about our candidates and what they stand for here:
This is important! All DSA delegates care about trans & repro rights, the question is whether our org had the will + capacity to take this on as a national priority campaign.
We respect the oppositionβs arguments and weβre ready to come together to make this campaign a success!
Exciting news!
Reform & Revolution has collaborated w/
@MarxistUnityDSA
to propose crucial changes to DSAβs direction.
We need 300 signatures from DSA members by April 14 to bring these proposals to convention.
Can you help by signing and sharing with fellow members?
βWhat we as the Anti-Occupation Bloc pointed out is that just opposing the judicial coup meant fighting for democracy for Jews only.β
Read R&Rβs interview with
@danido999
, an Israeli socialist organizer in
@Mesarvot_
refusers network:
Reform & Revolution has joined the radical students and YDSA members across the country who have bravely set up Palestine solidarity encampments in the face of police violence & repression from university administrations.
Now is the time to organize the antiwar movement!π§΅(1/10)
βWe met with our administration and they did not agree to our demandsβ¦ so we expanded our encampment!β
Hear this report from
@ydsauwm
and R&R member Eli K from the Palestine solidarity encampment at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee!
R&R proudly endorses candidates from
@breadrosesDSA
,
@MarxistUnityDSA
, and a strong independent candidate for National Electoral Commission SC!
For political independence and party-building strategy, we urge electors to support:
Ben L
Daniil S
David V
Isaac J
Nick C
Skye O
Full sellout from the White House for the majority of rail workers who rejected the deal the President brokered, preemptively denying them the right to strike.
This was the βwhich side are you on?β moment, and the White House chose the railroad bosses.
βBehind the numbers, DSAβs budget and the debates surrounding it reflect a political battle between a staff-driven approach and a member-driven one.β
Read the opinion article by R&R members
@RuyAMartini
and
@WithoutJudith
on DSAβs budget:
@GroundworkDSA
@meganromer
@redstarcaucus
Rashad X from
@MarxistUnityDSA
swings hard, arguing that ignoring this vote is ignoring our own principles. He says we need to consider discipline, including expulsion.
We're not sure about expulsion, but totally agree that this is a shameful vote - we need to have discipline!
At today's
@SeattleDSA
convention,
@bryan_watson01
moved an amendment to a resolution dissenting from the NPC decision to not expel Jamaal Bowman. The amendment called for reversal of the 3/18 decision to dissolve the
@DSA_Palestine
BDS WG. Final text of the amendment is below.
Socialists in Congress should emulate Karl Liebknecht's political courage and determination to stand against the current in defense of socialist principles
R&R urges DSA delegates to rank
Alex P. (
@apellitteri43
)
#1
and Megan R. (
@meganromer
)
#2
for DSA Co-Chairs!
We need strong, left-wing leaders representing DSA. That means putting forward the need for an independent party, a fighting labor movement, and resisting US imperialism.
This weekend, R&R met in Portland for our annual convention. Together we can transform DSA into a socialist party, urge No Endorsement for Biden, & play a leading role in the fight for a free Palestine and trans/abortion rights!
Join the fight, join R&R!
This should be a wake up call! It made sense to back OβBrien for President against conservative opposition, but during Strike Ready most of DSA was uncritically cheering SOB without a critical, independent position.
These quotes from Claire Sβ article are timely now:
OβBRIEN, TRUMP DISCUSS TEAMSTER ISSUES AHEAD OF RANK-AND-FILE ROUNDTABLE
Teamsters General President Sean M. OβBrien met privately with President Donald Trump on Wednesday for an in-depth and productive discussion on worker issues most important to the Teamsters Union.
The
Putinβs invasion of
#Ukraine
comes after decades of NATO expansion. US socialists need to organize antiwar protests in solidarity with the Russian peace mvt. We say: Russian troops out! NATO battle troops & missiles out of Eastern Europe! R&R's statement:
DISGUSTING. On Monday Howard Schultz resumed his role as CEO of Starbucks,Β then immediately FIREDΒ union leader Laila Daltonβdespite already having been charged with a formal complaint by the NLRB for harassing her! Starbucks, itβs time to
#ReinstateLaila
!
Appreciate
@AOC
voting NO. But why did DSA Congressmembers
@CoriBush
@JamaalBowmanNY
vote Yes for this budget?! And why did
@RashidaTlaib
vote "present"? All socialists should have voted NO together. We need our own socialist caucus which will project a common position & profile
The ruling class keeps forcing unconscionable choices on how to fund our society.
Weβre fighting for a world where workersβ rights & support for the communities we deserve are no longer lumped together with violent increases in militarized spending.
π¨ Trans & reproductive rights are under attack. We can't rely on the Democrats to mount a serious challenge to these rightwing assaults. There's been a lack of a serious national campaign to defend trans & abortion rights.
Sign to put it on DSA's agenda!
@DemSocialists
helped organize rallies in 50 cities on 7/24 demanding Medicare for All! In this inspiring speech in Portland, R&R member Rosemary Dodd explains why working-class people need Medicare for All and how we can build a mass movement to win it!
Solidarity with Starbucks baristas on strike!
Enough is enough.
@Starbucks
needs to end their disgusting attacks on unionizing workers!
Join the picket lines at Eastlake or 5th & Pike in Seattle.
Happy birthday to Karl Marx, one of historyβs greatest revolutionaries! The ideas he pioneered have become weapons in the struggle against injustice and oppression, from picket lines to Palestine.
βHistory is the judge β its executioner, the proletarian.β - Karl Marx
They should make a DSA caucus for people who couldn't care less what books you've read or what label you use, but are more concerned with cultivating talented, disciplined organizers who know how to fill rooms, move bodies, and win political victories for the working class.
βI joined R&R because Jesse was out there with me almost every night during the 2020 BLM protests!β - Sarah M, Portland DSA
Join Reform & Revolution!
Reform & Revolution is excited to endorse Daniel Salup-Cid for the National Coordinating Committee at this yearβs YDSA Convention! Daniel will be a strong advocate for anti-imperialism and fighting the class war β read more about him below and consider supporting him for NCC. π§΅
π¨ Sign Our Amendments to the DSA Convention: We need your signature to promote independence from the Democratic Party, a campaign for reproductive and trans rights and more.
Can you help us with your signature?
Tacoma won a historic victory that will benefit 100,000 renters! We won the strongest renter protections in WA state, despite the corporate opposition shattering all spending records in Tacoma history!
NEW VIDEO interview with DSA campaign leaders:
βGraduation is over, but the encampment is still growing stronger. Even after police arrested 9 students! Thatβs because we have democratic structures, concrete demands, & community support!β
- Nelson C,
@ufydsa
and R&R member reporting from the University of Florida encampment.
.
@DemSocialists
in crisis: Turn to the members to solve it!
@dsaRandR
is calling on the NPC to organize a Special DSA Convention in the fall to discuss the way forward and elect a new NPC.
A mass organization of Bernie supporters might not start as a consciously socialist organization, but it would be a major step forward for workers in the US to fight for an action program that socialists support.
A response to
@jergong
&
@nickfrenchnyc
.
Today marks the 71st anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks, which sparked the 26th of July Movement which toppled Batistaβs capitalist regime in 1959.
We must defend the gains of the Cuban Revolution by ending the blockade on Cuba and Trump-Biden sanctions! π¨πΊ
"I worked in Amazon warehouses for two and a half years trying to organize in my workplace. I had successes, failures, and ultimately had to leave. But would I do it all again? Absolutely."
Mimi Harris on organizing with workers in Amazon warehouses.
Our March issue is shipping soon. Make sure you get your copy by subscribing. This issueβs theme is Labor. Though we also have articles on Roe V Wade, and the direction of DSA.
Get your copy here
ππππππ
The assassination attempt on Donald Trump has strengthened his campaign. It increased his chances of victory, and the likelihood of his far right agenda being implemented.
As socialists, we must confront the root of the political crisis in our country to defeat the far right. π§΅
The DSA Convention agenda lacks discussion on crucial political topics that define the trajectory of our organization. To foster democratic engagement, Reform & Revolution, along with other caucuses and members, has drafted a proposed agenda amendment.
π¨ Voting Guide Change π¨
Reform & Revolution has decided to change our recommendation for βConsensus Resolution
#8
: YDSA Consensus Resolutionβ from βAbstainβ to a βYES!β π§΅
The face of the Democratic Party might change, but the role of socialists remains the same: fight for the total power of the working class. The selection of Tim Walz shows that protest movements can have an impact, but we cannot look to this result as an easy way out. π§΅
Harris choosing Walz as a running mate has shown the world that DSA and our allies on the left are a force that cannot be ignored. Through collective action, DSA and the US left more broadly have made it clear that change is needed. DSA members organized in our workplaces and
DSA has a democracy deficit - we are a member-led org that is lacking the structures and norms to make the most of it. R&R members
@RuyAMartini
&
@WithoutJudith
will help build consensus to see democratic reforms through.
Be sure to check your email - ballots are coming soon! π§΅
Starbucks: STOP UNION BUSTING! Starbucks fired
@lailaddaltonn
in retaliation for union organizing. We demand she be reinstated immediately!
Listen to her speak just days before she was fired. Audio from our friends in Ireland,
@RuptureRadio_
.
"We can only understand this as a bureaucratic crackdown on comrades in dissent."
Reform & Revolution caucus signs onto "For An Internationalist DSA" which calls for reinstatement of DSA's BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group.
Read our statement π
R&R YDSA is proud to endorse Hailey Sowa for YDSA NCC! We support
@marxistunitydsa
βs calls for a proudly socialist, democratic YDSA and advocate a first place vote for Hailey!
𧡠We are excited to announce MUG member Hailey Sowaβs candidacy for YDSA's National Coordinating Committee. Hailey is running on a six-point platform to transform YDSA into the youth wing of a mass socialist party. Hereβs what MUG stands for in YDSA:
@GroundworkDSA
@meganromer
from
@redstarcaucus
notes that very few people are for expulsion. The real issue, she argues, is that we have an 'all or nothing' approach to our electeds.
We totally agree with her that we should consider different relationships with different elected officials!
What's the deal with all these caucuses in DSA?! π§
In the run-up to the 2023
@DemSocialists
National Convention, Reform & Revolution has put together our take on a "Who's Who" for the world of DSA caucuses. πΉ
βThe experience of organizing against DeSantis at Florida International University shows that Marxist ideas and tactics have an integral role to play in the fight against the far right and transphobiaβ
Read
@YacobAlexander
βs new piece on organizing in FL!
Accusations of antisemitism drive a wedge between students and broader layers of society. To break through we need a democratic and internationalist program which refuses to fall into the traps of the ruling class. DSA needs to fight for a leading socialist voice to do this.
This week,
@uncommittedWA
held a press conference urging people to vote Uncommitted in the WA primary.
@SeattleDSA
and R&R member Harris L. spoke:
"If the choice is between Racist Trump and Genocide Joe, millions will stay at home and Trump will win."
In Portland in 2020, we had 10,000 people and lost. This time we have to win, and DSA can make the difference. Hereβs how.
Read βWhat BLM teaches us about Palestine Solidarityβ
We call on the National Political Committee to:
1) Organize a major online rally to put forward a bold, loud and socialist message for a Free Palestine.
2) Draft a program of demands which go beyond a ceasefire.
3) Produce leaflets, buttons, and banners with these demands:
How can we help build a mass socialist party? What red lines should DSA have for its elected representatives? How should YDSA approach the presidential election?
Join Reform & Revolution this Thursday at 3:00PM EST for a YDSA NCC candidate forum on party-building!
Todayβs the day! We urge delegates to vote YES on our amendment to the Convention agenda, so we can vote on:
- a reproductive and trans rights campaign π³οΈββ§οΈ
- a party-like electoral strategy π³οΈ
- our approach to BDS π΅πΈ
Letβs have an agenda that reflects our big tent!
DSA makes the news!
Local TV covered the
#TransDayofAction
rally organized by
@PortlandDSA
and endorsed by local unions. We congratulate R&R members
@BiCoastalLefty
, Emma B, Aiden S, and Meg M for helping lead and organize this rally! π₯π³οΈββ§οΈ
Should DSA Endorse Cornel West?
@stephankimmerle
says yes!
The 2024 presidential race is already dominating political debates in the US. The Cornel West campaign is an important chance to make socialist politics visible in this central arena of debate.
βVery inspiring energy in the face of this grim moment. Today reinforced for me that Biden and the whole US political establishment faces a profound political crisis.β
R&R and
@TacomaDSA
members
@TyronMoore
,
@SocialistRamy
, and Xan at the βBlock the Boatβ protests π₯
University of Florida has become the first campus in Florida to organize an encampment for Gaza, led by a coalition with
@ufydsa
. Reform & Revolution and UF YDSA member
@ncalles244
talks about the impact this has had on campus:
The vibe at UF completely changed. Now students walking by are openly talking about BDS, decolonization, and the working class struggle thanks to ~15 person encampment we had
Tacoma just officially certified our historic victory for housing justice! We won the strongest renter protections in WA state!
@dsaRandR
is proud to have helped lead this fight alongside other effective
@DemSocialists
leaders & a union-backed coalition.
βWorkers at small businesses are conditioned to do more and accept lessβ¦ Youβre compelled to pick up extra shifts, come to work sick, and work in unsafe environments. Youβre family; you have to do it.β
Sean C writes about unionizing his restaurant! βπ§βπ³
This is a culmination of the insider strategy AOC & Bernie have used (and much of DSA passively accepted). Biden could easily lose the election or backtrack these policies!
Socialists in office should be using this moment to attack the capitalist parties & build an alternative!
Scoop: In WH mtg, Sanders pressed top aides for Biden to outline 100-day agenda for working class - including medical debt forgiveness
Sanders & AOC threw Biden huge political lifeline, want progressive agenda at center of campaign
See Biden as best chance for their policies --
"As baristas organize inside the shops, the Starbucks Worker Solidarity Campaign has tabled outside of unionizing shops to talk with customers..."
@rauch_connor
on
@SeattleDSA
's
@VentiSolidarity
campaign to support & spread the organizing by
@SeattleSBWU
.