DSA Should Turn Left and Join the Resistance

What Is to Be Done – 2025.
By Duane Campbell
For more than the last year the DSA national leadership has often prioritized working to support the agenda of one part of the leadership of the Palestinian Solidarity movement  more than  consideration of the calls to respond to the dangers of a rising fascist movement in the elections of 2024.  These decisions to prioritize this form of Palestinian solidarity was made by a small majority of the members of the NPC. 
Following this direction, DSA as an organization made only marginal and localized efforts in the 2024 national election. I believe that there were substantive contributions made by individual DSA members. However, the election was won by authoritarian fascist, anti Palestinian forces. 
Clearly, the strategy of this militant segment of the Palestinian solidarity forces has failed and the strategy of DSA’s national leadership following them also failed.  While organizing against U.S. aid to the Israeli government and against the genocide was  appropriate, honorable, and needed, ignoring the consequences of a victory for fascist forces in the 2024 election  was obviously a failure. While the Palestinian electoral abstention effort did not cause the electoral loss by itself, along with DSA it was one of several constituencies that contributed to the loss.   Each group had their own reasons.  I am not blaming the abstention effort for the Democratic Party loss. 
 I am saying, OK ! You have tried that. It did not work.  Now what?
The strategy failed.  The Palestinian people are worse off  as a consequence of the election victory of the Trump/ fascist forces.  For evidence of the failure – just look at Gaza.  And, take a look at Trump’s proposal for Gaza.
Although the Palestinian solidarity movement in the U.S. is militant, well organized, and influential in DSA, the strategy still failed. It failed the Palestinians, the Ukrainians, Afghan refugees, at least 11 million working people in the U.S. and millions worldwide who have lost food and medical assistance in the last 3 weeks. 
The U.S. is presently experiencing a coup by right wing fascist forces.  They have gained control of the federal government.  They have cut funding for health care, food support, education, air traffic safety, FEMA assistance and more.  They are mounting a full-scale assault on U.S. labor. And, they are seeking to deport at least 11 million workers.  We must pay attention to the domestic forces of fascism. 
We have 4-6 months to stop this coup.  After that it will be much more difficult to oppose these forces.( see the history of Chile and many others).  The MAGA /fascists seek to return to a form of government that existed in the U.S. South from 1876 until 1960, and a form that existed in South Africa until 1992. 
What should DSA do?  What should North Star do?
WE should reverse course, stop tailing after the failed strategy of one section of the effort prioritizing the Palestine solidarity movement (which has failed), and join with other popular forces to defend the working class from the takeover by an oligarchy.  We should turn left and make defense of the working class our priority. If we lose this battle the pain for working people will grow. The fascist government will reverse much of the social progress of the last forty years prior to the November election.  If the fascists can consolidate their electoral victory It will require decades of work, struggle, and pain to gain back the democratic rights we had prior to the November election.
 Largely performative actions such as the recent demonstrations called for by PSL and others that are not connected to a realistic analysis of the political terrain are of secondary importance.
DSA should engage with others  such as those listed below operating from realistic assessments of political strategies to build the pro-democracy defenses of our rights, our liberties, and the constitution. 
 
Next steps for turning left developed by many organizations are available on our Defeat Fascism/Fight for Democracy pages.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cRIJsSJwtF72ckJ8QLQu5cDCGnoeh5OIIjwqRkDKdBg/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.es6myhajhn20
DSA should join the resistance.  There are plans, strategies, organizing guides and links to active organizations in the resistance.
Duane Campbell.
Sacramento, California. 
An individual opinion. Not a caucus  decision.