Do Election Season like a Well-Adjusted Socialist

Most election seasons are rough. The American political system is broken. This isn’t just our socialist bias coming through; this is a bipartisan feeling. To say that the “vibes are off” would be an understatement. Political elites have for a long time scuttled popular opinion. A universal approach to healthcare is largely popular, and yet the political establishment has ensured that the idea would make no progress. War? People hate those too, and yet here we are, saddled with more wars as everyday costs continue to rise. 

Trumpists claim affordability as fake news, and everyone knows this is a lie. It wasn’t so long ago that the Biden administration made the same argument. The economy is great, we were told, and yet most knew otherwise. “It's the economy, stupid” was the remark by the establishment Democrat James Carville, and yet the problem of economics haunted even his side. The reason that both sides cannot seem to get a grasp on the problem of affordability is, from the socialist perspective, because this is how capitalism works. Less money in the pockets of workers equals more money for profit, corporate dividends, shareholders, and so on. 

So what to do about all of this? Well, liberals may tell you to vote harder. Pessimists meanwhile will ask “why bother?” We — in the socialist camp — are centrists. Yes, please vote, but voting is cheap and ultimately voting will not resolve the issues everyone cares about. Ending wars abroad, defunding genocide, and transitioning into a more just system will take organizing work well outside of the electoral system. It’s what fancy people in the socialist world call “extra-parliamentary politics,” a politics of the everyday, where workers organize together to confront their boss, tenants face off with the landlord, a majority of Oaklanders organize against the majority of Piedmont (and their allies in Oakland Hills), and so on. 

Hard as all of this is, there are a few electoral standouts that are interesting enough to note:

• Socialist George Syrop is seeking reelection in Hayward. George is not only a great guy, he’s a fighter. We’re vouching.
• Then there’s comrade Nate Adams, who is seeking election in Oakland City Council’s District 2. Nate’s a chiller, and unlike his right-wing incumbent, he’ll vote to tear down the Flock cameras and push the gas pedal on hiring more Oakland city workers to, you know, actually make Oakland functional. 
• If you're in San Francisco, we suggest that you defy the Bay's landlord aristocracy and vote for Prop I. While real estate capitalists all seem incapable of getting a room painted properly, they sure are good at trying to nuke SF's ongoing push to build affordable social housing for workers.
• Finally, there’s Prop 40, which will soak the billionaires just one time, for good measure. With so many centrist Democrats lined up against it, including some of their organizations, like Planned Parenthood, the measure may not pass. Even so, it’s worth getting out there and filling out the Scantron just in case we can shake some quarters out of their pockets.

There’s clearly a lot more to say or to think about. For everything else, we recommend checking out EBDSA’s voter guide, or if you’re in SF, DSA SF’s voter guide. 

Whatever the outcome, getting organized for the long-term is what’s important. Elections are stacked against the working class by design, with both money and the constitutional order in place to help produce the elite’s desired outcomes. So vote or whatever, but most importantly: talk to organizers to get a union in your workplace, build power against ICE, work for divestment, link up with DSA, or get a tenant union for your fellow tenants.