In most American cities, real estate and development companies own the city council and mayor (if there is one) thoroughly. Yet people like Kshama Sawant have managed to get on the local government and make effective changes. Any socialist electoralist strategy in America has to successful start at the local level, so I'm asking if there's any stratagies we should employ to build labor power and/or effect local legislation. Of course direct action strategies like the Young Lords did in the 60s is effective, but I am thinking more electorally here. Direct action and electoralism can, and should, be in concert.

  • EmmaGoldman [she/her, comrade/them]M
    ·
    3 years ago

    I think unfortunately if there was a surefire or even just repeatably moderately successful track to socialist entryism in electoral politics, we'd already all know it and be doing it.

    Unfortunately, the only way in is to do things the hard way, work really fucking hard for a really long time to create a movement in your area that will hopefully bust the doors off the voting hall and get you in. You can use direct action and social media to accelerate growth of that movement, but it's still going to be an uphill multi-year battle.