Is the West Experiencing a Left-Wing Drift? (the international left politics activism, news, and strategy thread)

so AMLO won in México, the New Yorker had a profile of him and his campaign. The major question raised there is what his all- things-to-all-people campaign persona will become in office, I think.

I first learned about him on the El Chapo drama on Univision. felt bad for him on the show so I'm glad he won an election :)

wanted to share this reflection from a pal on the kind of personal spiritual benefits of organizing, and particularly the catalytic effect of momentum, the training institute & community i've learned organizing through:

Momentum helped guide me through a life-changing spiritual transformation and leadership change. I learned new tools and practices for my organizing work. But on a deeper level, I was able to sustain myself in hope for the first time in my organizing career. I was connected to a larger organizing community. I met a group of incredible leaders who played roles in movements and campaigns across dozens of issues. These relationships supported me in transcending the feelings of not belonging that I often felt in social justice spaces. I didn’t have to be a “good organizer” in the Momentum community. I could be my broken, complicated, whole self for the first time. And I finally had a theory of change that posited current political structures could be disrupted so that a more fundamental liberation would be possible. The training structure helped me to integrate this new theory of change experientially, through song and chant. I was making change on a spiritual level.

http://stillharbor.org/anchormagazine/2018/no-small-project

("my" momentum ofc is different from corbyn's momentum, funny that they share a name)

thx for sharing HOOS

there's a lot more nuts-and-bolts organizing/campaigning stuff in this long AOC interview than I've seen from her elsewhere

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-interview-democratic-primary

all y'all forriners are just copying the true socialist rush of #ruddmentum

For a deeply skeptical read on the current situation, the latest Trillbilly ep has you civered

One of them alleges that she removed DSA from a bio somewhere?

it is probably very healthy for me that my girlfriend is to my left--she's mentioned the bio removal also & insisted i listen to the same trillbillies ep lol

Simon H are you my girlfriend

omg plot twist

I'll never tell

Lookee that, TeenVogue talked to Ash Sharkar, and actually gave her enough space to describe leftist politics:

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ash-sarkar-communist-called-piers-morgan-idiot

love that they included a direct PDF link to Marx's Fragment on the Machine

I’m glad you’ve posted this because I semi related want to say how angry I was at the number of British journalists uncritically rting this shit take:

Communism and Nazism are roughly as bad as each other, but communism gets treated as if it's a fun little eccentricity or youthful exuberance.

— Sam Bowman (@s8mb) July 16, 2018

following a week when:
- Trump gave an interview to the Sun and walked it back
- Steve bannon appeared on gmb (fawned over by Piers Morgan) and LBC (with Farage)
- Bannon then threatened the producer of the LBC show for giving him pushback
- Piers Morgan gave another fawning interview to Trump on his way out of the country

But sure, communism is the real threat here. Must be nice not having to worry about being on the sharp end.

Left out:

- Trump refused to take a q from Cnn and the press pack let that happen

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dATxKSqKxGCa8KpEA ILx what hast thou wrought?

Referring to this clown self identifying as a 'poptimist' obv https://twitter.com/s8mb

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/17/magazine/america-can-never-sort-out-whether-socialism-is-marginal-or-rising.html

AOC is getting a shit-ton of press

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democratic-socialists-stage-a-summertime-comeback/2018/07/24/a28ae0da-8c1e-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/07/just-stop-worrying-and-embrace-the-left

admittedly I was wrong about this being a new york-centric thing, I underestimated the right's ability to create new hillary clinton/nancy pelosi-esque villains of any woman in politics

It’s wild this shit made it on NPR:

https://www.npr.org/2018/07/26/630960719/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-democratic-socialists-of-america

The BSA met with AOC for a little brush-up coaching

Electoral politics alone isn’t enough.

No politicians are accurately describing Socialism.@Ocasio2018 wanted to meet in person & let us explain why. We appreciate this at a time when many Leftist figures won’t even get on a call with us.

Our statement: https://t.co/RYkZiwscq8 pic.twitter.com/EygpHyNL8m

— Black Socialists of America (@BlackSocialists) July 26, 2018

Oh, and in case y’all were wondering...

She’s 100% ‘bout that human liberation life (confirmed).#ComradeAlex 💯 pic.twitter.com/VCEvJhEp6g

— Black Socialists of America (@BlackSocialists) July 26, 2018

Here’s their statement: https://blacksocialists.us/home/bsa-meets-aoc

i don't think it's "wild" that NPR are reporting on DSA at this late date but that is a decent piece. it's clear about some of their goals, it allows an adherent to articulate their moral vision, and it offers a specific example about why people are more receptive to this vision after being disappointed by 2016.

hey, that BSA stuff is very wholesome and cool

she's got teeth that will run the world someday

so uh who is the dead ringer for Malcolm X there

haha he says in the thread those glasses are "the same model and vintage from the same era"

yknow may as well

the BSA "opening statement" is essential, relatively brief reading for anyone who wants to get the left's apprehensiveness w/r/t/ "democratic socialism" and electoralism more broadly imho

er *"social democratic" I should have typed there

Leftist film youtuber Lindsey Ellis posted this(w/ the help of Natalie from ContraPoints)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFMiuAtbMO0

the BSA "opening statement" is essential, relatively brief reading for anyone who wants to get the left's apprehensiveness w/r/t/ "democratic socialism" and electoralism more broadly imho

― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Friday, July 27, 2018 4:21 AM (ten hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i like it but i don't really dig how it carries that sort of condescendingly written style of idk post-Fanon (??) stuff

Yeah, I know what you mean, but I think it's a strong summary of the concerns and a good reference for new entrants who are confused by skepticism towards electoralism

I'm not confused offhand but I don't really care to find out what people think the middle ground is between getting out the vote and arming the populace. Since nobody seems to be arming the populace.

I mean I can understand why an org might not care to focus on getting out the vote and do any number of other pressure moves but deriding "electoralism" as ineffective in bringing about change without proposing armed struggle doesn't do a lot for me.

Since nobody seems to be arming the populace

not quite true

https://socialistra.org/

the DSA-electoral leverage question re Cynthia Nixon

https://splinternews.com/the-democratic-socialists-of-america-s-cynthia-nixon-di-1827894468

pro-armed struggle tankies in the u.s. are deranged.

remember how well being armed worked as protection for the black panthers who were facing a much less militarized police force?

not even the jokers in the PLP who're actively organizing inside the armed forces think they're gonna beat history's greatest superpower through open armed insurrection tomorrow, though. if there's a benefit to organizing in the armed forces it's one that works just as well for strategic nonviolent conflict, namely that you're moving the enactors of institutional power to your side within the institution itself, building quietly towards a time when the right political crisis will allow for a cleave of leading elements away from the will of the institution. if you ask me, though, that's not what PLP types have in mind.

the memey joke answer to your post, jim, is a smiling picture of ho chi minh & a link to that bonkers pastebin about launching protracted people's warfare from the everglades

being armed seemed to work out pretty well for the Malheur occupation, wonder why

bonkers pastebin about launching protracted people's warfare from the everglades

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Friday, July 27, 2018 12:30 PM (thirty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

beg your pardon?

retweets are not endorsements ok https://pastebin.com/FBRF3VhG

The struggle could begin with…establishing permanent camps in the swampiest, most isolated parts of the Everglades—areas seldom penetrated by tourists. This would not be difficult.

visionary

truly a "how many levels of communism are you on" document

Train the gators to be foot soldiers of the revolution

that is amazing

and like, the running bit on left twitter is investigating whether it's an extended joke or if there are actually like 3 dudes swimming through north florida right now with red hats on

in other news, this strikes me as a fair piece even if the people representing the no-endorse view are some of my least favorite online types

https://splinternews.com/the-democratic-socialists-of-america-s-cynthia-nixon-di-1827894468

Well, the Communist League of Tampa is a thing...

https://communistleaguetampa.org