DSA: What's up?
A look into Monday's DSA Health Worker's Collective meeting on FTV and emergency voting procedures.
The DSA Health Worker’s Collective held a meeting on Monday, January 4th to discuss the growing internal challenges surrounding DSA’s silence on FTV. I joined in hopes of better understanding what was going on internally—because the radio silence from an organization that backs candidates on the subject of M4A was confusing, to say the least. I found that most of the local DSA chapters had no issues backing FTV, even if they didn’t love Jimmy Dore’s tone. Yet it was quite clear to me that the lack of support came not out of simple technicalities that come with last-minute bureaucratic voting alone, but rather because of the messenger—Mr. Dore. I felt for most of the members—they were genuinely confused as to why FTV wasn’t getting the official DSA support. I’ll provide a more in-depth look into how the national DSA bureaucratic process works, who calls the shots, and what the requirements are for DSA to officially support any movement.
I walked away with a sense of confusion because the focus was more surrounding how Jimmy Dore was the one to get the movement out there—not DSA. Leaders referred to him as a misogynist, “just a comedian”, “a YouTuber”, “some guy”—you catch my drift. For an organization that supposedly prides itself on mobilization, it’s hard to understand why DSA, even after getting a 20-6 vote in favor of backing FTV, chose not to officially endorse the movement. Here are just a few of the comments regarding FTV and the National DSA’s lack of support on the issue.
“I’ll just say that I was one of the six people who voted against FTV. Having been a long-time M4A activist, one of serveral reasons I voted against it was that I did some research, and I didn’t see any of the long-standing M4A organizations or leaders who have been in the trenches, fighting for the idea of single-pay healthcare. I didnt see any of those people support FTV. I heard AOC on The Intercept talking about it also, so that was another reason why I made a judgment—I think there’s something wrong with this FTV effort because you don’t see the long time M4A activists supporting it.”
“We need to be keeping an eye on the ball. Clearly folks weren’t talking about this until some comedian started talking about it on YouTube.”
“Now, you look at what’s going on and how she’s [AOC] trying to make a back room deal, I just want these elected officials to tell us about these deals and what’s going on and the likelihood of each situation. I don’t like how AOC is dismissing Jimmy’s point.”
What I gathered, then, was that figures like AOC are part of the reason there’s been such pushback from DSA, some of the members, and progressive elected officials on a national, state, and local level. I expected DSA to welcome MPP and FTV with open arms—but that was hardly the case on the national leadership level. It’s hard to not asks myself why we continue electing politicians who—at the end of the day—still capitulate to the Democrat Party because their specific organization, DSA, refuses to operate as an independent political party.
AOC talks a big game, so she can take the heat, right?
Hardly.
We’re supposed to believe this woman will fight for us when she can’t even take a little criticism from a comedian? Are you kidding me?
More to come on DSA’s internal discussions on FTV. For now — don’t let up. Hold their vote to the fire. AOC and other progressive elected officials ran on the promise of challenging the establishment. Stop tweeting. Get to work.
#ForceTheVote