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In this episode Daphna Thier and Ryan Cowles ask a couple fellow labor organizers about the state of the labor movement, and why socialists care so much about labor.

Daphna Thier is a DSA member and longtime bartender based in Brooklyn. She recently stepped down as the chair of DSA National Political Education Committee (NPEC), and is now the Labor Education Coordinator at EWOC. You can also find her written work at Jacobin.com, and a chapter she contributed in the book Palestine: A Socialist Introduction. 

Ryan Cowles is a co-chair on DSA’s National Labor Commission. He helps workers build power in their workplace as a volunteer with the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee and as a member of Inland Empire DSA.

Emma G. is a rank and file Teamster UPS package delivery worker, and a member of DSA National Labor Committee’s Steering Committee.

Dawn Tefft transitioned from a union member to a union organizer, and she also volunteers as a Lead Organizer for the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC).  She is a member of DSA.

Nation Labor Committee 

https://labor.dsausa.org/

Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC)

https://workerorganizing.org/

Volunteer to be an organizer for EWOC 

https://workerorganizing.org/volunteer/ 

DSA chapters interested in hosting local EWOC trainings 

https://airtable.com/shruVX1K8MqrWh08q 

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The Republican Party is the biggest threat to our liberal democracy, and we cannot depend on the liberals to defend our liberal democracy. How then should we as democratic socialists spearhead the fight for democracy and worker power?

Socialism 2022 Conference, Chicago
“The Crisis of American Politics: Socialists and Liberal Democracy”, part 2.
Moderator: Griffin Mahon
Panelists: Sanjiv Gupta, Paul Heideman

Sanjiv Gupta is a member of the River Valley DSA chapter in Western Massachusetts, and is a sociologist at UMass-Amherst. I personally discovered Sanjiv first from his excellent podcast Socialism in the Time of Corona. You’ll find the link in the show notes.
NOTE: In the episode Sanjiv was introduced as a sociologist at Amherst College, but Sanjiv is at UMass-Amherst.

Paul Heideman is a writer and high school teacher in NYC. He is the editor of Class Struggle and the Color Line and his work has appeared in Jacobin, Dissent, and In These Times. He is currently working on a history of the modern Republican Party. There is a link to his article “Behind the Republican Party Crack-up” in Catalyst.

Links:
Haymarket Books Socialism 2022 podcast
https://socialismconference.org/

Sanjiv Gupta’s podcast Socialism in the Time of Corona

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/socialism-in-the-time-of-corona/id1511330379

Paul Heideman

“Behind the Republican Party Crack-up”, Catalyst

https://catalyst-journal.com/2021/09/behind-the-republican-party-crack-up

***At a point in the recording something was repeatedly hitting the microphone, making it  difficult to hear Griffin the moderator. Griffin asked Paul and Sanjiv why they didn’t use the F word “fascism.” Griffin assumed it was intentional to avoid this term, but asked them to expound on their opinion on the use of the word fascism. And he asked a follow up question, if they prefer not to use the term, how would they describe the Republican Party?

Paul said he wasn’t opposed to the use of the term for rhetorical reasons, but argues it isn’t particularly accurate. Historically fascism has been the complete crushing of liberal democracy and a complete break with the constitutional order. When fascists come to power the old constitution is no longer in effect, and all opposing political parties would be removed. This is not actually what the Republican Party is doing, though we could consider calling them “Authoritarian,” like India and Turkey where they still have limited civil liberties and opposition parties.

You’ll continue to hear some noise as Sanjiv answered Griffin’s question, but we were able to make the sound quality good enough to include it into the episode. Thanks for bearing with us.***

Credits:
Producer: Elton LK
Logo by Michaela Brangan
Sound Engineer & Opening Music by Casey Stikker

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The Republican Party is the biggest threat to our liberal democracy, and we cannot depend on the liberals to defend our liberal democracy. How then should we as democratic socialists spearhead the fight for democracy and worker power?

Socialism 2022 Conference, Chicago
“The Crisis of American Politics: Socialists and Liberal Democracy”, part 1.
Moderator: Griffin Mahon
Panelists: Sanjiv Gupta, Paul Heideman

Sanjiv Gupta is a member of the River Valley DSA chapter in Western Massachusetts, and is a sociologist at UMass-Amherst. I personally discovered Sanjiv first from his excellent podcast Socialism in the Time of Corona. You’ll find the link in the show notes.
NOTE: In the episode Sanjiv was introduced as a sociologist at Amherst College, but Sanjiv is at UMass-Amherst.

Paul Heideman is a writer and high school teacher in NYC. He is the editor of Class Struggle and the Color Line and his work has appeared in Jacobin, Dissent, and In These Times. He is currently working on a history of the modern Republican Party. There is a link to his article “Behind the Republican Party Crack-up” in Catalyst.

Links:
Haymarket Books Socialism 2022 podcast
https://socialismconference.org/

Sanjiv Gupta’s podcast Socialism in the Time of Corona
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/socialism-in-the-time-of-corona/id1511330379

Paul Heideman
“Behind the Republican Party Crack-up”, Catalyst
https://catalyst-journal.com/2021/09/behind-the-republican-party-crack-up

Credits:
Producer: Elton LK
Logo by Michaela Brangan
Sound Engineer & Opening Music by Casey Sticker

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Bodily autonomy has been severely restricted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. How can socialists organize to protect abortion rights where they exist, provide and expand access where they don’t, and win a permanent nationwide right to free and legal abortion?

Socialism 2022 Conference, Chicago
"Socialists in Defense of Abortion Rights"
Panelists: Aileen Garza and Suz Warshell
Moderator: Melanie Turner-Harper, DSA Tucson, member of DSA NPEC

Aileen Garza was born and raised in Rio Grande Valley in Texas, which she refers to as the RGV. She has been organizing in reproductive rights since 2016 after learning about the reproductive justice framework. In the 2016 election she began working with many Texas and national organizations where she learned about policy advocacy and the impacts that legislation has on her beloved community of the RGV. Currently Aileen continues in Reproductive Rights and is a board member of Frontera Fund, the sole abortion fund in the RGV. And she is continuing her work of empowering, fund raising and educating the community, especially other young people to take their community into their own hands.

Suz Warshell (she/her) is passionate about the behind-the-scenes work needed to win a better world. As a member of DSA's National Electoral Committee, she has led the organization's Protect Abortion training series following the Dobbs decision and helps coordinate the NEC's abortion initiatives for ballot measures in Kentucky and Montana. She currently volunteers as a case manager for the DC Abortion Fund and previously served as the volunteer Deputy Development Director. She also volunteers with the Online Abortion Resource Squad, which works to bring accurate, supportive information about abortion to online forums. She is based in Mexico City.

Links:
Haymarket Books Socialism 2022 podcast
https://socialismconference.org/

Online Abortion Resource Squad
https://abortionsquad.org

Frontera Fund
https://fronterafundrgv.org

Episode of Jacobin podcast ‘The Dig’ referenced in the episode
https://thedigradio.com/podcast/gunpower-death-drive-w-patrick-blanchfield/

DSA’s statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
https://www.dsausa.org/statements/fight-for-democracy-fight-to-protect-abortion/

DSA Protect Abortion Chapter Toolkit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/186fbIas3-C3JSs4eM53dIV3brz6cXI8h0Osvq2SFIDU/edit

Credits:
Producer: Elton LK
Logo by Michaela Brangan
Sound Engineer & Opening Music by Casey Stikker

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Featuring University of Massachusetts Amherst Sociologist Sanjiv Gupta and University of Massachusetts Amherst Economist David Kotz. 

This episode is a part of a 4-part series on “What is Capitalism?” This series is accompanying the DSA National Political Education Committee’s curriculum packet, which can find our curriculum at https://education.dsausa.org/resources/.

This chapter, from a book published in 2016 at the time after the first Black Lives Matter protests, introduces the complex interactions between racism and capitalism in the U.S. Taylor reiterates CLR James’ assertion that Black struggles for democratic rights have been at the forefront of the socialist movement in the U.S. In turn, socialists been central to anti-racist struggles. Taylor argues that U.S. ruling classes have used racism and white supremacy, first to justify slavery, then to divide workers. The chapter highlights Marx’s statements on slavery, the Civil War, and capitalists’ use of ethnicity to divide workers. 

From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga-Yamahttah Taylor

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fj1NujY5Z3Qry_2HNCji1ktdW4N_Ajeo/view

Credits:
Producer: Elton LK
Host: Daphna Thier
Logo by Michaela Brangan
Sound Engineer & Opening Music by Casey Stikker

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Featuring University of Massachusetts Amherst Sociologist Sanjiv Gupta and University of Massachusetts Amherst Economist David Kotz. 

This is episode 3 of a 4-part series on “What is Capitalism?” This series is accompanying the DSA National Political Education Committee’s curriculum packet, which can find our curriculum at https://education.dsausa.org/resources/.

This episode goes into classes and class struggle under capitalism. The discussion is in response to a chapter from the Communist Manifesto about us, the working class, and the capitalists class. The Communist Manifesto was written just as the French Revolution of 1848 was getting started. 

“Bourgeois and Proletarians” by Karl Marx & Frederick Engels https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WfYU9Aa8SIPZom3yzC-c7PpD_wLe0W7E/view

Credits:
Producer: Elton LK
Host: Daphna Thier
Logo by Michaela Brangan
Sound Engineer & Opening Music by Casey Stikker

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Featuring University of Massachusetts Amherst Sociologist Sanjiv Gupta and University of Massachusetts Amherst Economist David Kotz. 

This is episode 1  of a 4-part series on “What is Capitalism?” This series is accompanying the DSA National Political Education Committee’s curriculum packet, which can find our curriculum at https://education.dsausa.org/resources/.

This episode covers a passage from “Understanding Capitalism” by Vivek Chibber, in which he goes into the history of how capitalism came into being and how capitalism works. Under capitalism people sell things on a market, not for personal use, but for generating profit for the capitalists. 

“Understanding Capitalism” by Vivek Chibber: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CTxMynZZYMrtbf30mR8o23vWUQCBFYOh/view

Credits:
Producer: Elton LK
Host: Daphna Thier
Logo by Michaela Brangan
Sound Engineer & Opening Music by Casey Stikker

Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America.

Send us a text

Featuring University of Massachusetts Amherst Sociologist Sanjiv Gupta and University of Massachusetts Amherst Economist David Kotz. 

This is episode 1 of a 4-part series on “What is Capitalism?” This series is accompanying the DSA National Political Education Committee’s curriculum packet, which can find our curriculum at https://education.dsausa.org/resources/.

This episode covers “But at Least Capitalism Is Free and Democratic, Right?” by Erik Olin Wright in which Olin Wright takes the common assumption that capitalism grants us freedom and lays out simply how that’s not the case. The working class has a “choice,” but only between working and starving — and that’s no choice at all. And, at work, workers are subject to the whims of their employers, giving over at least eight hours of the day to someone else’s control. He also succinctly lays out how governments steward the interests of capital, and how in turn capitalists control the political system. 

“But at Least Capitalism Is Free and Democratic, Right?” by Erik Olin Wright: https://jacobin.com/2016/04/democracy-capitalism-freedom-friedman-wright-socialism

Credits:
Producer: Elton LK
Host: Daphna Thier
Logo by Michaela Brangan
Sound Engineer & Opening Music by Casey Stikker

Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America.