Marxist Unity Group (MUG), in collaboration with Reform and Revolution (R&R), has created a set of resolutions for DSA’s 2023 National Convention in August. There are five MUG and R&R joint resolutions and two independent MUG resolutions. This letter is intended to publicize and motivate all seven resolutions, and in so doing, generate support and garner the 300 signatures from dues-paying DSA members needed for each resolution to qualify for consideration at the convention.1 The proposal documents with a link to sign can be found here and here.
The capitalist world order is lurching from one crisis to another. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and decrease in real wages; the war in Ukraine and the corruption-exposing Turkey-Syria earthquake; the overturning of Roe vs. Wade and police murder of Tyre Nichols; the energy crisis in Europe and ongoing protests against Macron’s government; the stream of intergovernmental reports on climate change – all of these events point towards a fundamentally undemocratic and exclusionary political system that ensures wealth and possibility for the few against poverty and precarity for the many. There is a desperate need for a mass, organized, and working class political party that will represent the interests of the majority and fight the undemocratic constitutional law and order regime. DSA has the potential to become that mass party if it adopts a clear political direction of independent class struggle and chooses to lead the working class movement and not tail progressive Democrats. Our resolutions are aimed at building the foundation to make that necessity a reality.
The convention period is an important part of DSA’s democratic structure – a structure that needs to be improved in order for DSA to become a force capable of leading a millions-strong movement for a new constitution, a democratic republic, and socialism in the United States and across the globe. If socialists want to win, we have to lead. Our resolutions were written in the spirit of this inspiring goal. Please join us in the work of making this goal a reality by sharing our proposals and (if you are a DSA member in good standing) signing on in support.
Resolution 1: Towards a Party-Like Electoral Strategy
This resolution outlines a strategy to run dedicated “DSA Representatives” for public office. These candidates will speak, vote, and struggle together as disciplined representatives of the socialist movement. The resolution draws on DSA’s past electoral experiences to advance an improved vision of socialist electoral discipline. While our organization will mobilize to run a wave of DSA Representatives for office, local chapters and the national organization will also retain full autonomy to endorse additional left-wing candidates (such as Sanders-type campaigns) as they see fit. DSA members in office are the most visible face of our organization; as such, they should be expected to proudly fly the DSA flag and advocate for the policies and goals of our membership. Tribunes of the people – elected officials who represent and platform of DSA openly fight for the working class and its interests – will not be built overnight. Our proposal goes a long way in creating a strong foundation from which we can strengthen our electoral work, build our party, and champion the fight for democracy and socialism.
Resolution 2: On the votes of DSA Congressmembers to fund the Israeli military and ban a railway workers strike
This resolution will give our Convention a chance to conclude the Bowman Affair once and for all. It censures Bowman for his inexcusable vote to fund the Israeli military while also offering a nuanced analysis of DSA’s response to the debacle. The resolution also criticizes the decision of three DSA Congressmembers to vote in favor of banning rail workers from going on strike, while thanking Representative Rashida Tlaib for her principled “no” vote. Moving forward, the proposal makes two practical demands of DSA members in Congress, based on firm principles of anti-imperialism and working class freedom.
Resolution 3: Strengthening Democracy by Strengthening DSA’s Elected Leadership
This resolution calls for a stipend for all NPC members in order to give our elected leadership the resources and freedom needed to dedicate their time to important political work. Given the relatively large size of our organization, the size of our staff, and the size of the workload of NPC comrades, it is important we support the ability of all NPC members to play a full role. All NPC members need to be able to focus a significant part of their time on leading our organization. Leadership in DSA must be possible for all working-class people, not just those who already have the resources to use their time leading our organization.
Resolution 4: Strengthening Democracy by Increasing Member Input and Creating a National Delegates Council
Since DSA’s rapid growth the NPC has continually struggled with being able to effectively lead our large and diverse organization. The impact of the national organization on the life of chapters has often been very limited. This has contributed to a lack of cohesion and disorganization within DSA, and has made it difficult for our membership to check the power of NPC outside the national convention. More tools in the hands of our tens of thousands of members are needed to democratically control the course of our organization on a national level. Therefore, this amendment to the DSA Constitution increases member input by creating a larger national body – the National Delegates Council – with the authority to intervene in the work of the NPC in between conventions.
Resolution 5: Socialist Anti-Militarism and the War in Ukraine
This resolution aims to formally democratically codify DSA’s principled position of opposition to the US imperialist proxy war in Ukraine and reaffirms DSA’s commitment to US withdrawal from and the abolition of NATO. It offers a Marxist analysis of the roots of this conflict in the reactionary global strategy of the United States as a declining imperialist hegemon state as well as Putin’s Russian nationalist political project and articulates a strategy of intransigent opposition to the war aims of our own government. It calls for DSA to place itself at the forefront of the movement against war and imperialism and for members of DSA elected to public office to reject all budgets that fuel the US war machine as well as military aid to US proxy states such as Ukraine and the Zionist apartheid state of Israel. It also outlines an anti-war conference to be organized by the International Committee to cohere working class anti-imperialist forces around the world.
Resolution 6 (MUG): For a Political, Prolific and Democratic DSA Editorial Board
Today, DSA’s publications (Democratic Left and Socialist Forum) face a few related issues: limited reach (both physically and digitally), a lack of democratic engagement (no open calls for editors, volunteers or submissions), and a lack of focus on DSA’s political priorities. This results in a major missed opportunity: a prolific, democratic, and well-resourced DSA media operation has the potential to greatly benefit DSA’s organization, public outreach, and political strategy. This resolution addresses these issues by calling on the NPC to elect an Editorial Board (responsible for both DL and SF) after each convention, and tasks this new board with developing a plan to expand the publications’ digital reach and get print issues of Democratic Left to their previous length. This resolution expands the size of Democratic Left and focuses our publications on important membership work and the crucial strategic questions being considered amongst our membership.
Resolution 7 (MUG): Winning the Battle for Democracy
This resolution aims to formally democratically reaffirm DSA’s platform plank that the United States’ political system is “no democracy at all.” DSA must orient its work around the final goal of the working class taking state power and overthrowing the existing constitutional regime. DSA should demand a new and radically democratic constitution, drafted by an assembly of the people elected by direct, universal and equal suffrage for all adult residents with proportional representation of political parties, and rooted not in the legitimacy of dead generations of slave owners and capitalists, but from a majority consensus of the working masses.2 In every corner of the country, from the picket line to the halls of Congress, it is our duty as socialists to fight the Constitution and demand a new republic.3 DSA should declare that, in preparation for the Third American Revolution, to be a socialist in this country is to be an enemy of the US Constitution.4
- Rules for convention: https://convention2023.dsausa.org/rules/
- ‘Fight the Constitution! Demand a New Republic!, Jonah Martell
- US Constitution: Hiding in Plain Sight, Daniel Lazare
- Burn the Constitution, Seth Ackerman