Internally, our chapter has been the site of vigorous debates about how best to realize a society that aligns with democratic socialist principles in our lifetimes:

Many feel that pouring our tremendous organizing prowess into ambitious universalist programs like Medicare For All and Bernie Sanders’ prospective 2020 campaign is the best, least divisive use of our time and energy. Others see more local campaigns, direct aid, and cultural education as better arenas for class struggle, sensing that a less centralized approach will allow us to combat capitalism where it intersects with specific racial, gender, and ableist oppressions. Still others urge that we should focus on base-building activities like forming tenant’s rights associations and workplace organizing, and are deeply skeptical of electoral work (and the opportunistic politicians and half-baked legislative reforms that come with it).

In both theory and praxis, I hope that my tenure as a City Councilmember can resolve some of these tensions by showing that we do not have to choose between tendencies. We can have far-reaching, radical action on climate change, while knowing that climate justice disproportionately impacts people of color and the homeless. We can stage a broad fight for the construction of more deeply affordable social housing, while pushing for greater tenant protections and encouraging renter empowerment.

Democratic socialist politics follow from the principle that the market is not the most efficient arbiter of goods and services, and that institutions designed for the people work best when they’re run by the people.

I see capitalism — and not the respective tendencies we deploy to combat it — as our competition.