Seattle Democratic Socialists of America

Are you concerned about the 2020 election? We are too. While Biden’s lead in the polls continues to rise, especially after Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis last week, there is a real concern that Trump could contest the election. Mail-in ballots could mean that the initial vote count on election night is very close or even have Trump ahead, leading to confusion and uncertainty that Trump could exploit for his benefit. Trump is already preparing for this, casting mail-in ballots as fraud, and supporting racist voter suppression.

In the 2000 election, the Supreme Court decision to stop the recount of ballots essentially handed the presidency to George W. Bush. If the ballots had been allowed to be recounted, Al Gore would have won. Trump’s current strategy seems to be similar to this outcome: spreading confusion and misinformation in order to steal the election through a right-wing Supreme Court.

At the first presidential debate, Joe Biden made clear that he will limit the effort to stop Trump from stealing the election to a narrow legal effort, and will appeal to his supporters to “stay calm” in opposition to building mass protests in the streets—the exact same failed approach of the Democratic establishment in 2000.

We need to be prepared to fight back. In the event of an election crisis, Seattle DSA will be ready to flood the streets to defend democracy and fight against racist voter suppression. The most powerful force to defend workers’ rights under our capitalist democracy is a mass movement of the multi-racial working class. We will fight to defend the basic democratic rights won by working people—not the pro-corporate policies of Joe Biden. And if Biden is the next president, DSA will be at the forefront of building a movement for Medicare for All, for a Green New Deal, to abolish ICE, and to defund the racist criminal justice system and the Pentagon.

As socialists, we must be organized and prepared for any scenario. If you haven’t joined yet, now is the time. With 75,000 members, DSA is the largest socialist organization in the US. Join DSA here.

100,000 DSA Members?! DSA 100K!

DSA has set itself the goal of building a mass socialist movement in this country. We live at a time that demands we succeed—and a time when interest in socialism is growing by leaps and bounds.

As a next step, DSA is working to grow to 100,000 members by the end of this year. Whether or not we build a powerful socialist organization, rooted in the multiracial working class, will make a decisive difference in the success or failure of the fight against racism and racist violence, against sexism, and for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and tuition free higher education.

To build that socialist movement, we need you. If you’re not yet a DSA member, join today! Once you join—or if you’re DSA-curious!—come out to our online new member orientations this week: Thursday, October 15th at 6PM or Saturday, October 17th at 12PM.

Already a member? Our 100K campaign is based on every DSA member asking the people in our lives to join DSA. Sign the DSA 100K Pledge to commit to talking to three people you know about joining DSA!

Socialist Night School Tonight!

Socialist Night School is an open course that provides a chance to develop our politics together, regardless of background knowledge or whether you’ve attended a class before. New members and lifelong socialists are all welcome! Tonight at 6PM we’ll discuss the Minneapolis Teamsters Strikes of 1934, a crucial moment in labor history. What lessons does this incredible moment of socialist and labor organizing have for us today? RSVP here!

DSA for Sherae!

As the general election nears, DSA is going all out for DSA-endorsed, People’s Party candidate Sherae Lascelles for State House! Sherae is running to unseat moderate Democrat Frank Chopp, and bring people-centered politics to Olympia, including taxing the rich to fund transit, housing, and healthcare.

Join us on Saturday, October 17th at 11 AM for our weekly Sherae for State canvass! RSVP here.

For more ways to get involved in DSA for Sherae, make sure to join our DSA Slack! Just forward your welcome email from Maria Svart (“Thanks for Being a DSA-er!”) to [email protected].

In solidarity,

Seattle DSA