Francesca Hong’s defeat was a setback for the Left. But lost in discussions of the campaign’s shortcomings is how much she actually accomplished. Hong may have opened the door to a new era of politics for Wisconsin and the Left more broadly.
The congresswoman can run a serious national campaign on the left and pull a movement in behind it. She should get in early
Waking up
Things to remember and celebrate this May Day
“I think the question is, why has D.S.A. been able to build a really durable organization over the last decade? What Tascha brought was a sensibility about how to treat people and how to relate to people that is now built into the DNA of D.S.A.”
Zohran Mamdani’s victory was rooted in organizations that took up the base-building and mobilization functions that once fell to parties. When was the last time being on the left was fun? It was a year-long act of collective joy. We actually won.
The precariat rose up, with passion, desire for change, and votes. The issue was an excess compensation tax on corporations to fund social, economically integrated, affordable housing across Seattle which earlier had passed with a 26 percent margin.
This book appeared in September. How the world around Mamdani has changed since then! This book lays out how it all happened, who was Zohran Mamdani, how he became an activist, how he was drawn to Bernie Sanders and DSA, how Zohran became Zohran...
The ferocity & scale of onrushing authoritarianism demand that we think beyond binaries. We can’t counterpose electoral & strike action: we need to do both. And we can’t decisively defeat MAGA without effectively challenging the neoliberal model.
Mamdani’s agenda will face serious obstacles. A massive wave of new voters doesn’t just carry you into office. It shifts the landscape, it creates political capital that can be turned toward other ends; changes political calculations for others...
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