Our small chapter, Twin Ports (Duluth MN and Superior WI) does not fit this mold. It was founded by older activists, including a sitting city council member. We have a large overlap with the established progressive groups and the left side of the DFL in town. That same founding member is still a member, but is also chair of the largest of the two DFL bodies in town, and several of our members serve on its board. We do have our young radicals, but they contribute a lot of positive energy to the group, always encouraging us to get out and canvas. And despite only having 177 members, we've put six members in office, including one in the state senate. Last night's chapter meeting saw 60 people in attendance, and we didn't even text people to come.
This sentence: "Indeed, since October 7th a large faction, maybe even a plurality of the organization, are now effectively single-issue Palestine activists rather than socialists oriented toward a broad class alignment project based on a program that can move masses of workers." is totally right. I'm a very longtime veteran of the Israel/Palestine debate, and am not making a comment on that, but what you've described is exactly what happened to the new left in the late '60s. It's called "metonymy" in poetry, the substitution of a part for the whole, with disastrous consequences in politics -- for instance, Weatherman and the disintegration of SDS. DSA, which I recently rejoined, would do well to treat Gaza etc. as one issue among others and not to demand any particular compliance on it from candidates or members. I think the minimal point should be opposition to American military aid.
Our small chapter, Twin Ports (Duluth MN and Superior WI) does not fit this mold. It was founded by older activists, including a sitting city council member. We have a large overlap with the established progressive groups and the left side of the DFL in town. That same founding member is still a member, but is also chair of the largest of the two DFL bodies in town, and several of our members serve on its board. We do have our young radicals, but they contribute a lot of positive energy to the group, always encouraging us to get out and canvas. And despite only having 177 members, we've put six members in office, including one in the state senate. Last night's chapter meeting saw 60 people in attendance, and we didn't even text people to come.
This sentence: "Indeed, since October 7th a large faction, maybe even a plurality of the organization, are now effectively single-issue Palestine activists rather than socialists oriented toward a broad class alignment project based on a program that can move masses of workers." is totally right. I'm a very longtime veteran of the Israel/Palestine debate, and am not making a comment on that, but what you've described is exactly what happened to the new left in the late '60s. It's called "metonymy" in poetry, the substitution of a part for the whole, with disastrous consequences in politics -- for instance, Weatherman and the disintegration of SDS. DSA, which I recently rejoined, would do well to treat Gaza etc. as one issue among others and not to demand any particular compliance on it from candidates or members. I think the minimal point should be opposition to American military aid.
Lots of parallels with SDS in '68.
Stratum*