EE.UU: The winning streak of the Democratic Socialists

Julia Salazar won the primary election to the Senate of the State of New York 13 of September. campaign, as well as others not won, demonstrate how the Democratic Party fight leftist candidates, and how we can overcome them.

At first sight, New York outputs mixed news show a balance to the left. But just feels good. The Democratic Socialist Julia Salazar defeated the son consented to the real estate industry, Martin Dilan, with a 59% of votes, in a district of northern Brooklyn, High working composition and an accelerated process of gentrification. Salazar will have no opposition in the general election, so, if there are no unforeseen, It will be the next state senator 18 New York District.

Progressive gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon lost in an attempt to replace Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who won nearly two-thirds of the votes. The veteran social activist and current city councilman New York, Jumaane Williams, He lost narrowly to the current lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul in his attempt to beat her.

A list of progressive Democrats known as No IDC, He won several victories over a group of Democrats sided with Republicans in the State Senate. Alessandra Biaggi, Rachel May, Jessica Ramos, John Liu, Robert Jackson, y Zellnor Myrie, all holders defeated.
With the triumph of Salazar, Democratic Socialists of America continue our winning streak, surpassing (especially in the campaign Salazar) Press slanderous attacks unprecedented. What conclusions should remove the left of the results of Thursday's election 13?

Workers can not be a secondary concern

Improving the subway was the central proposal of the Nixon campaign. But two weeks after announcing his candidacy in March, launched unionized workers working in the construction of a new underground line attack: "With agreements (the construction unions) they have now, you can not beat the subway fiscally responsible manner ... all have to collaborate, and everyone has to make sacrifices ".

This quote was, effectively, one of his first public statements as a candidate. Union leaders quickly counterattacked:
"What do you know Cynthia Nixon construction? What do you know of subtes? He says it's a progressive, but this anti-union rhetoric shows that it is no friend of workers ", said Gary LaBarbera, President of the Trade Union Building Greater New York, the Political magazine. The leaders of the Workers Union Local Transport 100, permission Internacional, and the president of the AFL-CIO Federation of New York, also quickly they denounced Nixon.

Cuomo had cultivated an intense loyalty of senior union leaders long before March, and it was never seriously raised the possibility that would support the leaders of the main unions. But, although Nixon drew a lukewarm correction to its initial statement, almost he did not talk about the problems of workers until August.

Eventually their working platform was, in many ways, copy for progressive candidates competing at state level. But by the time he left, it was too late to reach important sectors of the union base.
Nixon left union militants who agreed with her on other issues tied hands in convincing their peers to support it. If all he said on workers for four months was that they would have to charge less, why would you make room for his other proposals?

Prospective candidates competing as democratic socialists, or simply progressive- They should emphasize the problems of workers, those who are unionized and those who do not. Socialist organizations in particular should prioritize candidates who support aggressive claims boost their working class platforms.

They come for us

Defamation of figures left by the right and the establishment is nothing new. But from the unexpected triumph of Alexandria Ocacio-Cortez in the legislative primary, the Democratic Party of New York, notoriously corrupt, mean and twisted, He did not spare bullets against leftist candidates of choice 13.

In the last days of the campaign, State Democratic Committee New York sent a letter to Jewish voters in suggesting that Nixon "is silent about the rise of anti-Semitism". There is evidence that anti-Nixon hold positions Semites, and he has two Jewish children.

to get started, is unfair and inappropriate for a party actively support one candidate over another in a primary. Not to mention, groundless to accuse a candidate racist. With the Democratic Party barely keeping an image of neutrality and internal democracy, which propaganda it is regrettable, but not surprising.

More amazing was the intensity of the attacks on the democratic socialist candidate Julia Salazar. The Senate candidate has probably received more national and local media coverage than any state legislative candidate in history. Nevertheless, towards the end of the campaign, when voters pay more attention- very little of that coverage focused on proposals to expand rent control, approve the bill unified health system for New York, expand labor rights or reform the opaque and undemocratic electoral financing laws.

The latter excels especially in the way that was hit Salazar. Considering the extensive research that was conducted on past Salazar, the candidate's efforts to curb gentrification and strengthen rent control, the close ties his opponent with the real estate industry and its history of receiving campaign donations from dubious, one wonders who would have an interest in questioning the credibility of Salazar.

intimate details of family history, religious, educational and false arrest of Salazar, They were examined and questioned in the press at an unprecedented level in a local election. It was also made public, without their consent, she is a survivor of a sexual assault by an Israeli government official.

Most of these attacks did not come directly from his opponent, but the press. But this kind of in-depth coverage and across several states-and even continents- It is so alien to local elections like this, it is doubtful that dozens of local journalists have independently researched what they published. A journalist aggressively anti-Salazar, in fact, publicly he acknowledged that he blew data of at least one salacious story.

None of this was related at all with the proposals Salazar. no great scandal that destroyed his credibility is not revealed. And was not that the goal. The message of who was ultimately responsible for inquiring about Salazar's past is clear: if our confrontas, no rules. We're going to strip your dignity publicly. But in the case of Salazar, It did not work.

In this round election, at least six relatively progressive Democrats IDC No list challenged incumbent legislators bolted to their posts. None faced the level of scrutiny and intrigue that had to endure the socialist Salazar. To the extent that the left continue to gain weight in elections and public opinion, It must be prepared to again become a particular white, because it represents a particular danger to powerful interests.

The left should direct the fight directly against those who lead the Democratic Party

Since the campaign Bernie Sanders 2016 Much ink has been spilled on the left on the issue of the Democratic primaries. That is to say, whether it is acceptable that arise Socialist Democratic primary or if it is more suitable to be submitted as independent or small parties noncapitalist.

Even supporters of the Left Democrats are present in the lists, They recognize that doing so is an unfortunate compromise. The party is ultimately controlled by capital, delimiting the boundaries of acceptable policies for its members and alebosamente gives advantages to candidates preferred primary. It is not the land on which one would choose to do battle. But there is also a notion that occur in the Democratic primary and face directly to those who control the party is a greater good, and accelerating alienation from the Democratic base of its leaders.

From the 2016, the dynamics of Democratic voters and leaders and party officials have continued to diverge. A recent survey shows that more voters perceive Democrats socialism so more favorable than those perceived favorably capitalism. In the meantime, liberal wing leaders like Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi have explicitly redoubled its commitment to capitalism.

Progressive efforts to rebuild the Democratic Party are destined to fail, because the party is dominated by capitalists. Nevertheless, any prospect of forming a party of the working class in the future will also fail if the party fails to support a large number of people who today are considered Democrats. At present in the Democratic primary election lists, Socialists can exacerbate the contradictions between voters and leaders and help speed up the process through which the creation of an independent party becomes feasible.

The left must consolidate itself voter identity and unmistakable

Clearly capitalists perceive even a small socialist movement that can dialogue directly with the material needs of ordinary people as a threat. Shortly, the electoral victories of democratic socialists will no longer be a novelty and will become part of everyday life. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether voters still see the "democratic socialist" as a particular political and coherent identity, which would be a key factor in the eventual founding an independent party.
For example, several conventional Democrats have adopted at least rhetorically- supported socialism as universal health reforms. Bernie Sanders, the most famous democratic socialist country, It has been dedicated to promote the election of progressive general, whether socialist or not. What differentiates democratic socialists then?

When faced with a powerful enemy who takes it more seriously than most of his followers potential, the growing democratic socialist movement faces the danger of becoming irrelevant to fall into one of two paths of least resistance: Toothless and made-to-fail Democratic progressivism, or wide and accommodating activist subcultures.

To avoid these two potential deadlocks, the left should follow the example of Salazar and work to consolidate a clear and consistent collective political identity based on a material analysis of society, focused on class solidarity and struggle against the capitalist class, and easy to understand reforms that provide real benefits to voters at the expense of the capitalists.

For the democratic socialist movement to become a major force in American politics, a critical mass of voters and workers must identify themselves as democratic socialists and have a clear and relatively consistent with the idea that identity means. Without that collective self-perception, the movement will cost rooted in the working class, most of which today can not or do not want to invest large amounts of time to organize actively. That unitary identity of large segments of the working class is also a prerequisite for building an independent workers' party.

Bernie Sanders has already begun this process, with their constant attacks on capitalists ("Millionaires and billionaires") and its platform redistribution policies such as universal health, free higher education, minimum wage increase and facilitate the formation of unions. Nevertheless, although the potential candidacy of Bernie Sanders 2020 It is a unique opportunity, the socialist movement can not depend on one man.

Instead, short term, the movement should focus on policies rooted in the class struggle (as universal control rents, the universal right to strike, and free universal health coverage) and how voters perceive (as a universal block constantly attacked by the rich) when they support these policies.

This is the reason why Salazar's victory is especially important. While he appeared in the Democratic primary, He has articulated a platform that is popular among the working class, and transcend what can offer the Democratic Party with its current composition (under the control of capitalists).
Salazar has established a programmatic basis on which you can anchor a new voter identity. Nevertheless, you can not build a collective identity or promote a movement by itself. That depends on all of us.

Ben Beckett*

*Originally published in jacobinmag.com. Ben Beckett's union delegate in New York City and a member of the Democratic Socialists of NYC.