Class

In today’s episode, we talk with Sanjiv Gupta and Paul Heideman about U.S. politics, conflict within the Republican Party, and the current state of American democracy. We invited Saniv and Paul back onto the podcast as a follow-up to their 2022 presentation at the Socialism Conference in Chicago. 

Sanjiv Gupta is a member of the River Valley DSA chapter in Western Massachusetts and a sociologist 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.

These two resolutions are mentioned in the discussion: No Votes for Genocide Resolution and Establishing a Mass Member Input Process for a Position on the 2024 Presidential Election Resolutions  

Transcript:

Luke: This is CLASS, the official podcast of the Democratic Socialists of America's National Political Education Committee. My name is Luke Pickrell. In this episode, we talk with Sanjiv Gupta and Paul Heidemann, who I will introduce fully at the beginning of the show. Our discussions will be released in two parts.

Over the course of these two chapters, I asked Sanjiv and Paul to talk about the Uncommitted Movement and how DSA should relate to the 2024 elections. Paul explains the internal workings of the Republican Party and how Trump's rise to prominence has impacted the Republicans. We consider the challenges facing the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, and particularly how the ongoing war in Gaza could be splitting the Democrats.

We conclude by talking a bit about the meaning of liberal democracy and how socialists should relate to the larger structure of American politics. Enjoy.

Today we're joined by Sanjiv Gupta and Paul Heidemann. I want to introduce, our two guests here to the, to the podcast. Sanjiv is a member of River Valley DSA in Western Massachusetts. And he's also a sociologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Paul is a writer and a high school teacher in New York City.

He's the editor of Class Struggle and The Color Line. And Paul's work has appeared in Jacobin, Descent, and In These Times. You all might remember Sanjeev and Paul from episodes 6 and 7 of the podcast. We shared a recording of their presentation at the 2022 Socialism Conference in Chicago, and that presentation was called The Crisis of American Politics, Socialists, and Liberal Democracy.

And then I was just reminded that Sanjiv also appeared on several of our first episodes. we had an introductory series talking about what is capitalism more generally. So, two years later, give or take, after the Socialism 2022 conference, we wanted to have Sanjiv and Paul on the show to discuss a variety of topics, but mostly within the realm of the 2024 presidential elections, democracy more broadly, the Republican Party, And then also the Democratic Socialists of America, the DSA, And then, of course, we'll release this discussion in two parts. So first off, Sanjiv and Paul just wanted to thank you both for joining us. 

Sanjiv: Very happy to be here.

Paul: Glad to be here. 

 Luke: Yeah, it's, it's great to have you both. So, I thought first we could start off with the Uncommitted Movement, something that's started recently. the Uncommitted Movement generally being a campaign to get voters to mark uncommitted on their Democratic ballots as a protest against Biden's Gaza policy. I was doing a little bit of research before the sh

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This episode is an attempt to make the first part of the Communist Manifesto, the part called “Bourgeois and Proletarians” intelligible for some one knew to socialism. This text is a part of the DSA NPEC “What is Capitalism?” curriculum. 

Written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, this is one of the foundational texts of the socialist movement. The first chapter covers the expansion of capital and the consolidation of the bourgeoisie as a class, as well as their relationship to the proletariat (the working class) and their role in history.

Crucial to Marx and Engels’ understanding of socialism is their appreciation of the power of capitalism, not simply to dominate and exploit, but to create vast amounts of wealth. Prior to capitalism, no society existed that produced enough for every person to not only be fed, clothed and housed, but to enjoy luxuries and meaningful free time. While capitalism is incapable of providing a just distribution of this wealth, it has ushered in an era of unprecedented wealth. Because the working class produces this wealth, it is the unique agent of change that can upend this status quo.

The Manifesto not only shows capitalism to be a historical phase, and not something that has existed forever, but it also points towards the potential, even the inevitability, that something else will replace it.

Elton L.K. will be returning to his personal podcast The Working Class Intelligentsia. In The Working Class Intelligentsia he follows serially the writings and biography of Italian Communist Antonio Gramsci, and the lessons we can learn today from them. Gramsci is famous for participating in a socialist movement that collapsed under Mussolini’s fascism. Mussolini put a few socialists in prison, including Gramsci. While in prison Gramsci was for some reason allowed to theorize how the Italian revolution failed, and analyze how power worked through Italian history. Season 2 is going to cover the Russian Revolution and the simultaneous socialist movement building in Italy in the year 1917.

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Achieving the liberation of the queer community requires realizing the intersecting nature of all U.S. cultural oppressions — including class oppression — ties the liberation of all to the end of capitalism. Today, queer oppression is being used not only to sustain capitalism but to help grow fascism. When so many people’s personal hierarchy of needs requires them to spend their limited resources struggling simply to survive an onslaught of existential attacks, how does a socialist movement grow and build class consciousness? How has capitalism infected liberal social analysis of so-called “identity politics” and activism in those realms? How can socialism provide a better analysis and reinvent activism in those realms? What can socialism, in general, learn from queer analysis and activism?

Genevieve R is the co-chair of DSA Trans Rights and Bodily Autonomy. She's also a founding member of the Ithaca Tenants Union and the Ithaca Solidarity Slate, which has elected four organized socialists to the City Council.

Rashad X (he/him) is a proud member of Lakefront DSA in NE Illinois and a member of DSA's National Political Committee. Most of his work is focused on ensuring that DSA is fighting the imperial police state through political independence and ensuring DSA is a leader in winning the battle for Democracy. Both of these themes inspire his involvement in the Trans Rights and Bodily Autonomy Campaign, where DSA is fighting the unpopular far-right agenda implemented through the US's undemocratic political system.

Emma P is a published researcher in both neuroscience and engineering. Her love has always been philosophy, hence she has been a lifelong member of the working class. She has organized outside of socialist spaces, from multi-city protests to state-level building and leading, as well as collaborating with national organizations. She has contributed nationally behind the scenes for about 15 years. But several years ago, she lucked into an opportunity to join the socialist struggle, join DSA, and find comrades who mean the world to her. She has held a few local offices, is a member of NPEC’s committee, and is now on the TRBA steering committee. She likes to call this work applied philosophy, but no one else finds it funny. Reclaiming queer liberation as an inherently socialist struggle has been a dream of hers.

Get involved! Queer Socialists Working Group.

Also check out DSA’s recent Kickoff of the Trans Rights & Bodily Autonomy Mass Campaign Commission.   This commission will act as an organizing and resource hub for our over 150 chapters in 48 states. It will struggle on different fronts including for legislative reform, defense of queer community spaces, protection of queer people in the workplace, distribution of trans and abortion resources, and a national Day of Action on March 31, Trans Day of Visibility.

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In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels wrote that “the first step in the revolution by the working class is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle of democracy.” Almost two centuries later, the battle for democracy continues. Today, economic precarity and social upheavals have led many to question our present political system. In these times, DSA’s position that the United States is “no democracy at all” is a rousing and powerful assertion against mainstream narratives. At this event, DSA members Jerry Harris and Luke Pickrell will discuss their understanding of democracy, whether the Constitution supports or frustrates democracy, and to what extent socialists should "fight for" or "defend" democracy going into the 2024 Presidential elections.

Jerry Harris is the national secretary of the Global Studies Association and on the international board of the Network for Critical Studies of Global Capitalism. He is a retired union activist with over 120 published articles on political economy, globalization, democracy and other topics. His work has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, German and Chinese. His last book was "Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Democracy."

Luke Pickrell is a member of East Bay DSA and Marxist Unity Group. He's written in Cosmonaut and The Democratic Constitution Blog, and contributed to various discussions in the Why Marx? project. He's also interviewed or co-interviewed several people about democracy and the U.S. Constitution for Cosmopod, including Robert Ovetz, Douglas Egerton, Gil Shaeffer, and Bruno Leipold.

The video version of this episode can be found on YouTube here.

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Local DSA chapters have been conducting what is called Socialist Night School. Socialist  Night School is a democratic space for people to participate in the education process. 


In today’s episode we talk with Guy Brown, Molly Culhane and Evan Moravansky. They are members of the National Political Education Committee. Evan is the chair. They will explain more about what the National Political Education Committee is, and they’ll explain much more about Socialist Night School.

Guy Brown (he/him) is currently a member of DSA's National Political Education Committee and the father of a two-year-old. After leaving the Ozarks, he worked as an early childhood and elementary teacher before joining Charlotte Metro DSA in 2016 . He enjoys playing soccer with his toddler, cuddling with his two pitbulls, and watching Bravo with his wife.

Molly Culhane is a member of East Bay DSA and the National Political Education Committee. She is also a graduate student in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at UC Berkeley, with research interests that center on the criminalization of informal economic activity. Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Molly is enthusiastic about running, public transportation, and building a more inclusive, more robust socialist movement through political education.

Evan Moravansky is a member of mid-Hudson Valley DSA and is the Chair of the National Political Education Committee. 

Resources

• NPEC Mentorship program sign-up form
• NPEC Socialist Night School Curriculum website
• NPEC-created old curriculum for basic SNS modules
• Socialist Night School modules shared from other chapters
• Socialist Night School "What is Capitalism?" and Backwards Planning Training 
• Socialist Night School "What is Socialism?" and Facilitation Training

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Today we are talking with members of the Chicago Teachers Union, Ayesha Qazi, David Stieber and Hadeil Abdelfattah. As you may remember from our episode on the victory Chicago’s mayor, a former CTU member, Chicago’s students and educators have lived through a neoliberal hell. From 2003 to 2013 Chicago closed 50 schools, only making conditions for students worse. These closures moved the members of the teachers union to become militant. Their militancy changed the direction of Chicago’s education politics and reignited a labor movement in America that starting to reverse decades of decline of US union membership. Chicago educators recently joined 146 other unions, locals and caucuses, including United Auto Workers, United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America and Association of Flight Attendants, signing a letter calling for basics rights to be restored in Gaza, hostages to be released, and for Biden to call for a ceasefire. 

Ayesha Qazi-Lampert is an AP Environmental Science Teacher at Chicago Public Schools. She is a member of the Chicago Teacher Union Climate Justice committee and is the Chair of the American Federation of Teachers Climate and Environmental Justice Caucus 

Dave Stieber is a 17 year Chicago Public Schools high school social studies and poetry teacher. He is National Board Certified and hold his Masters in Urban Education Policy. His partner is also a CPS teacher and together they have two children that both attend CPS.

Hadeil M. Abdelfattah, Ed.D. is a Palestinian-American born and raised on the northside of the city of Chicago. She is an educator of nearly 28 years and is currently a Lead Instructional Coach at Chicago Public Schools. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and wrote an Autoethnographic study of her experiences as the child of immigrants in a large urban school district. 

Our Union Called for a Cease-Fire. It's About Our Students. (In These Times)

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DSA is becoming a true working class organization. Today we are continuing our conversation with three past and present members of DSA’s National Labor Commission, also known as the NLC. The National Labor Commission has several campaigns underway. We have talked about the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee or EWOC on this podcast a number of times.

Ayesha Mughal was an NLC Steering Committee member from 2022-2023 and is currently a staff organizer on the Starbucks Workers United campaign in Pennsylvania.

Sean Orr is a UPS package-car driver and elected shop steward in Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago.

Sarah Hurd is one of the co-chairs of DSA's National Labor Commission which works to build rank and file militancy and solidarity within the labor movement. The NLC launched a campaign called "Strike Ready" which served as a major force in organizing community support for the Teamster's contract fight against UPS.

The 2024 Labor Notes Conference will be held April 19-21 in Chicago. Register by March 1 for a big discount. Labor Notes is both a media project and a network of rank-and-file members, local union leaders, and labor activists who know the labor movement is worth fighting for. They encourage connections between workers in different unions, worker centers, communities, industries, and countries to strengthen the movement—from the bottom up.

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This has been an important year for the labor movement and for DSA. Workers are seeing the value in forming a union and using the credible threat of a strike to win better pay, working conditions and political power. Today we are speaking with three past and present members of DSA’s National Labor Commission, also known as the NLC. The National Labor Commission has several campaigns underway. We have talked about the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee or EWOC on this podcast a number of times.

Ayesha Mughal was an NLC Steering Committee member from 2022-2023 and is currently a staff organizer on the Starbucks Workers United campaign in Pennsylvania.

Sean Orr is a UPS package-car driver and elected shop steward in Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago.

Sarah Hurd is one of the co-chairs of DSA's National Labor Commission which works to build rank and file militancy and solidarity within the labor movement. The NLC launched a campaign called "Strike Ready" which served as a major force in organizing community support for the Teamster's contract fight against UPS.

The 2024 Labor Notes Conference will be held April 19-21 in Chicago. Register by March 1 for a big discount. Labor Notes is both a media project and a network of rank-and-file members, local union leaders, and labor activists who know the labor movement is worth fighting for. They encourage connections between workers in different unions, worker centers, communities, industries, and countries to strengthen the movement—from the bottom up.

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NPEC Presents: "Understanding the Israeli–Palestinian Colonial Conflict,” with featured speakers: Moshé Machover and Sumaya Awad.

How should we understand what is taking place in Gaza and across occupied Palestine? What history do we need to know to understand and interpret the present? What can we do in the present to shape the future? Moshé Machover and Sumaya Awad will help us answer these questions.

Moshé Machover, born in Tel Aviv in 1936, is a mathematician and socialist activist who has been active in and written extensively on Middle-Eastern politics. A collection of his essays on the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians – Conflict and Resolution (Haymarket Books).

Sumaya Awad is Adalah Justice Project's director of strategy and communications, and coeditor of Palestine: A Socialist Introduction (Haymarket Books). She has written a series of essays with Daphna Thier in Jacobin, including In Israel, Zionism Prevents Working Class Solidarity .

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This episode is going to be different from prior episodes. Today we’re going to be talking about psychoanalysis. Marx esteemed scientific rationality. Many, including many socialists, reject psychoanalysis as a pseudoscience. I have my own questions, honestly. Nonetheless, there is a significant branch of Marxism grounded in Freudian psychoanalysis, including controversial yet influential thinkers like Louis Althusser and Slavoj Žižek.


On Today’s episode I asked Michael Downs to talk about his essay “Wage Labor and Jouissance, Why the Left Needs Žižek to Understand Workers”. Michael Downs is most famous for his theory blog The Dangerous Maybe. The Dangerous Maybe makes philosophers such as Žizek, Lacan, Marx and Heidegger intelligible to people with little to no background in theory. Michael Downs himself does not have a college degree, but his blog posts have been so respected that professors are assigning his them in their classrooms. In his essay “Wage Labor and Jouissance” he talks about some insights he has gotten from reading Žižek, insights that he believes socialists organizers should be aware of: we must meet workers where they are at. We will fail to bring about socialism if we force our values on the rest of the working class. Our job as organizers is to present them with the tools to take their own liberation into their own hands. This aligns with the socialist organizers from EWOC and the DSA National Labor Committee and other places that you have heard on this podcast.

• Michael Downs' theory blog The Dangerous Maybe.
• Michael Downs' essay “Wage Labor and Jouissance, Why the Left Needs Žižek to Understand Workers” in Underground Theory (2023).
• Downs’ courses on Žižek’s “For They Know Not What They Do”, and an Intro to Nick Land. 

Note: Downs' class on Nick Land is interesting because Land offers a critique of socialism, and yet he influenced some of today’s most important socialist thinkers, including Mark Fisher and Nick Srnicek.

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