The Democratic Socialists of America, a caucus of self-identified socialists whose members operate primarily within the Democratic, Libertarian, and Socialist Parties, will meet later this year at an intentionally undisclosed location in Chicago for their national convention.
Members will gather August 4 for two days worth of business. The location has been publicly withheld for security reasons, but caucus organizers state it will be distributed internally. A large portion of the convention will center around reforms to the organization’s platform and bylaws, adopting “consensus resolutions” to further unite the organization, and selecting officers and full-time co-chairs.
“For this year’s Convention, the National Political Committee – DSA’s highest leadership, elected at each Convention – voted to solicit “Consensus Resolutions” from eight of DSA’s national committees,” the official 2023 Compendium states. The consensus resolutions, written by eight of the DSA’s national committees, will examine topics such as connecting the Youth Caucus to more chapters, international socialist solidarity, a recommitment to multi-racial organizing, and expanding the National Electoral Commission to more members.
In addition to the resolutions, supporters will also have the opportunity to discuss and adopt member-submitted resolutions. Many of these proposals touch upon issues and initiatives more prone to discourse within the caucus. Some relate to operational reasons, such as moving the caucus toward a more “party-like” electoral strategy and converting the national Harassment and Grievance Officer role into a formal staff position.
Others yet are more ideological, including making the organization anti-Zionist in “principle and praxis” and formally punishing DSA-endorsed members of Congress, such as censuring Rep. Jamaal Bowman for his vote on U.S. funding of the Israeli military and registering opposition to Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Bush, and Bowman for their votes on the railroad strike. Readers can access a complete list in greater detail here.
While supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America primarily work within other political parties, they attribute their origin to the Socialist Party of America, a much older third party known for its leaders like Eugene V. Debs, and whose complex history would have a lasting impact on contemporary American politics.
In 1973, a split in organizational leadership over the importance of labor and Vietnam saw the Socialist Party of America give way to three distinct organizations: the Socialist Party of the United States, the Social Democrats USA, and the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee. The latter would formally merge with the New American Movement and become the Democratic Socialists of America a decade later. In 2017, some of its members began organizing in the Libertarian Party, adopting the moniker of the Libertarian Socialist Caucus of the Libertarian Party; however, the organization known as the Democratic Socialists of America’s Libertarian Socialist Caucus, organized that same year, states they are not formally associated.
Sort of like membership in some churches. I remember finding out in the mid-90s that I was still listed as a member of the local United Methodist Church — just Methodist back then — where I grew up.
They’re not a party. They’re a caucus working within the Democratic party and they use the Democratic Party’s ballot line. They have a handful of caucus endorsed Congressmen in office. They may become a party in the future.
DSA membership isn’t calculated the same as LNC membership. Joining and paying dues to a local DSA affiliate automatically makes one a member of the DSA national group. And according to the DSA bylaws: “Membership in the organization may be maintained by persons who are up to one year arrears in dues.” So it seems that people can join their local affiliate and pay dues every other year and the DSA would count them as national members. The LNC would not.
https://www.dsausa.org/ has Congressmen (about five of them) and a Senator. That’s a political Party, And they are clearly moving, to judge from their convention resolutions, more in the direction of being a distinct political party.
Corrections or whatever?
1. I’d change “operate primarily” in the first paragraph to “operate entirely,” unless you have a specific instance of the Roseys endorsing somebody outside the Dem Party. (I’m unaware of the caucus[es] within the LP having any real effect on LP nominations.
2. Related, then, re George’s comment, they’re not a “party,” they’re an “interest group.” Or, “caucus,” just as within the LP.
The Democratic Socialists of America are America’s largest third party, though their strategy is different from the strategy of many other third parties. For example, they are more than six times as large as the Libertarian Party, based on dues-paying memberships.