AOC is running for one of the most important positions in the House of Representatives this week, I don't know when the final vote is though.

"...the ranking member still oversees a large staff and had the power to initiate investigations and minority hearings to spotlight issues of their choice."  -NYTimes

That means she could initiate official anti-corruption investigations in any number of topics.

"The powerful Steering and Policy Committee will convene on Monday to debate and vote on recommendations to the full caucus for the committee leadership positions. Then, the full caucus will vote Tuesday morning on the committee contenders. The caucus generally follows the steering panel’s recommendations."   Politico

I'm not sure when the final vote is. AOC was endorsed by the Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and is running against Gerry Connelly of Virginia. Connelly is endorsed by Nancy Pelosi and the leadership council of the New Democrat Coalition.

Call your Rep! I remember seeing her say that people should call their Senator and Rep more, that most people don't, and it has more impact than people think. US House Democrats are listed here by district, you can look up who yours is.

I believe that every House Democrat that will be serving in 2025 gets a vote on it. If your House representative is a Democrat, please call them this week!

In the U.S. Churchill is most often revered as a hero - especially because of WW2 - but I’ve also learned since being a socialist that he’s also a racist imperialist despite what happened during the war. Are there any good books you’d recommend that are crucial of Churchill or fairly neutral that don’t just heap praise on him?

Did DSA Honolulu disappear after an unwise endorsement in a Congressional race, an impatient middle finger, and a pandemic? Who makes up the new, nearly invisible DSA Oahu? Do they do anything?

https://youtu.be/TUz23KJQ6lM?si=yE2lnQuKN5vUraIV

How can we go about successfully pushing through a candidate which is capable of fighting all that money and power? How can we get a party in office which truly represents the interests of the masses, of the workers of this vast country? How will we go about getting what we need, what we deserve - such as healthcare, decent wages, and good working conditions? This is how.

I've recently been looking for ways to get involved in my local NYC chapter and to help get Zohran Mamdani elected as Mayor of NYC. However, I just wanted to reach out here as I've been watching the "CEO shooter" case very closely.

I think a big national messaging push in support of socialized healthcare would go over really well right now. What do you all think? Are there ways that we can strategize a united message throughout all 50 states to say something to the effect of, "of course this happened, they're killing us."

Over the last year, I have organized a successful union campaign across multiple workplace locations in my state. I decided to take what I learned and help members of my DSA chapter do the same where they work so I started a labor union working group.

I am hosting our first meeting tomorrow. I'm very excited. Is there anyone in other chapters that have started something similar? And if so, how is it going?

Hi, I’m in Alachua County. I know there used to be a local chapter here years ago but no longer it appears. Is there anyone here who is organizing in Gainesville area? If so, I’d love to connect. Thanks.

What is identity politics?

Identity politics is based on the ‘fact’ of the (self) identity of a person or a group of persons (which race or

gender, etc. one belongs to). The central focus of identity politics is recognition/respect: ‘Identity politics

describes how marginalized people embrace previously stigmatized identities, create communities based on shared attributes and interests… and rally either for autonomy or rights and recognitions’ (Lancaster, 2017). Identity politics is the politics of (social-cultural) difference. Sonia Kruks (2001:85)

says: identity politics is known for:

its demand for recognition is based on the very grounds on which recognition has previously

been denied: it is qua women, qua blacks, qua lesbians that groups demand recognition. The

demand is not for inclusion within the fold of “universal humankind” based on shared

human attributes; nor is it for respect “despite” one's differences. Rather, what is demanded

is respect for oneself as different.

Strictly speaking, however, identity politics is a system of politics within which there are two interrelated components: the politics of recognition/respect and the politics of limited economic distribution,

with the former being the dominant component and influencing the latter element. The economic

distribution in question is generally within narrow sectors defined based on identity (e.g. academic

jobs for women or blacks), without any linkage to the agenda of the abolition of class relations that

cause inequality. Identity politics aim to hide/downplay class politics (more on this later).

Here are some illustrative examples of identity politics.

When a female billionaire and war-monger bourgeois politician appeals to women to vote for her

because ‘I am a woman’, is identity politics, which hides the ruling class bias of the politician.

When a Hindu-nationalist sectarian leader says to an oppressed Hindu caste group or when a leader of

the Democratic Party says to a black community in a city, ‘I will make one of your people a mayor’,

and when these politicians do nothing to counter racism and casteism, and when these leaders do nothing

to improve the material conditions of the oppressed, these politicians are practicing ‘identity politics’.

To argue that one has to be respectful of the view of a woman or a black person simply because of the

cultural-social identity of the person irrespective of the substantive content and political

implications of that view, that is identity politics. For example, if a woman of color says that Marxists do

not care about the interests of women (or of racial minorities) and then if a Marxist scholar who happens

to be a male passionately counter-argues, providing the reason and/or evidence for his statements,

then to say that his conduct is necessarily against women and racialized minorities, that is identity

politics.

Identity politics – in terms of its underlying thinking and its practice – in many ways an ideology of

bourgeois society. Identity politics is a bit like the capitalist political-economic strategy of slicing up

the commodity chain: the car as a commodity is sliced into tires, windows, doors, etc. which are made

in different places. In identity politics, every separate segment is invited to assert one person’s rights

against another person’s rights. The implication is that: those who subscribe to identity politics

break down the struggle into its smallest parts: pitting black women against black men, black

disabled women against black able-bodied women, and so on. By breaking down and separating things

in this way they are dividing the movement, diverting attention from the main issues, and pitting different

groups of the oppressed against each other..

Das, Raju (2020) "Identity Politics: A Marxist View," Class, Race and Corporate Power: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 5.

DOI: 10.25148/CRCP.8.1.008921

Available at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/classracecorporatepower/vol8/iss1/5

I just joined DSA LA. I saw the annual campaigns on the website and honestly none of them really interest me all that much. I’m not really 100% sure what my lane or avenue is with regard to organizing. I was a tenant organizer for a while, but I didn’t like it. What I’m really interested in is abolitionist work since my eventual goal is to become a public defender. Should I suck it up and get involved with one of the campaigns anyway or try to start something new?

Hello, my chapter is going to be tabling at a local climate justice event. Because of the short notice, we don't have enough time to create our own zines. So I am wondering if anyone has some solid ecosocialist zines we can distribute. Thanks in advance.

Like the title suggests, does anyone know of a labor scoreboard? The labor movement has made big wins over the last year. In order to make a more compelling unionization argument I’m looking for a reference of what, when, where, why, and how much was won/ lost in bargaining agreements/ unionization efforts. Does anyone know of such a reference tool/ resource/website? If not, does anyone know of something similar? Thanks a bunch comrades! 🙂

I have recently been interested in learning more actual U.S. history since I don’t remember too much from my days in school and I’m sure it was highly biased to begin with, while completely missing many important moments as well.

I’m curious as socialists, what would be some helpful US history to dig into?

I’m open to time periods, moments, important figures, etc that I should dig into as well as specific book/podcast/documentary recommendations.