In his most recent essay, Benjamin Studebaker does an excellent job outlining some of the worst tendencies of the DSA. There is no doubt that such language policing, woker-than-thou virtue signaling, and obsession with ideological purity will rot the left from the inside out. What’s more, he is correct in his assertion that the those who peddle this type of discourse have no interest in making real change and seek only to inflate their own self-regard. I do not wish to rebut his claims, instead I would like to present an an anecdote of my own:

As a member of the Providence DSA, I went to a meeting attended by RI State Senate Candidate Sam Bell. He had reached out to the chapter for an endorsement and subsequently agreed to do a Q&A, which I found to be a very positive and constructive experience. Here’s what he looks like:

Despite neglecting to describe himself as a Democratic Socialist in much of his campaign literature, he would readily do so in person when asked. More important than just saying the magic words, his issues page affirmed a commitment to Medicare for All, justice reform, progressive taxation (Only Minnesota had greater tax cuts on the rich than RI), opposition to school privatization, major infrastructure improvements, and more.

There was none of the inanity described by Studebaker. The discussion was very calm, reasonable, and respectful. If differences couldn’t be resolved between members and Bell they simply agreed to disagree, which was very refreshing and constructive. Votes were cast privately by dues-paying members at a later date, and ultimately he received the endorsement. His election in September 2018 was successful, and since assuming office he has remained in close contact with the chapter.

Bell has introduced or sponsored legislation to:

End RI’s “employment-at-will” policy

Reduce the cap on interest rates from 21% to 12%

Consolidate School districts

Limit ability of cities and towns to provide tax exemptions

Express support for “Medicare for All”

Create a commission to assess implementation of M4A in RI

Penalize police officers for sexual assault of those in custody

Prohibit cash bail for misdemeanors

As he is less than half a year into his term, none of these proposals have moved past the first stages. That said, these are real policy solutions for problems that overwhelmingly impact poor and working class people. Rhode Island now has one more committed progressive in a major state office, which is a pretty big deal considering our state Dem leadership chose to endorse a Trump supporter running against another major progressive, Rep. Moira Walsh. Passing legislation like this will result in real material improvements in regular people’s lives, which will go a long way in proving that left-wing policy is worth their support. Winning elections with help from the DSA will encourage more candidates to seek endorsement.

It seems to me that this is how the DSA should handle endorsements. Not only does it allow us to build power and gain influence, it is also a positive experience for those involved. I think that successfully engaging in left politics should make you feel good. You shouldn’t have to watch your back constantly, hoping you don’t slip up and say something that gets you cancelled. Building a mass movement requires getting lots and lots of people on board, many of which have no interest in getting browbeaten by an undergrad with 3,000 twitter followers. If someone like Sam Bell wants to use his public office to promote core DSA goals they should be encouraged. Offer constructive criticism, of course, but don’t cast them aside over a handful of disagreements.

It’s easy enough to declare that this is the way things should be. What’s more difficult is determining why the Providence DSA seems to be more functional than the Purdue YDSA. The primary reason, I believe, is the “Y” that shows up in the latter. Studebaker reached the same conclusion in his piece, noting that these students had no material stake in leftist organizing. Contrast that with the class representation I see at each Providence DSA meeting and you begin to see the difference. While there’s plenty of college students and professors, there’s also nurses/healthcare workers, retail and service workers, unemployed people, disabled people, skilled workers like plumbers and electricians, etc. There’s also diversity in age, which allows for veteran organizers to share their advice.

Benjamin Studebaker’s story was aggravating and a great example of how not to build a mass movement, but we shouldn’t allow that to discourage us from participation in left-wing organizing. Those who value class-based analysis and wish to build a mass movement should make their voices heard. Such rhetoric, I would argue, is considerably more palatable to the average American than the exclusionary and blame-focused arguments of identitarians. I think you’ll find that more people agree with you than you expect.

A few notes:

– The Providence chapter also endorsed community organizer Rachel Miller. She now has a seat on the Providence City Council.

– This is a good article about the Providence DSA leadership written a few months prior to the election: http://www.rifuture.org/providence-dsa-co-chair-on-electoral-strategy-and-the-movements-rising-star/