I just skimmed it but it seems like a pretty solid program. Hopefully it will be adopted by the convention, paving the way for delibification of the DSA and more work with the PSL and FRSO.
FRSO
Do they still exist (in a meaningfull way)? I remember a veeeery long time ago they had a bunch of their cadres arrested under terrorism charges after doing fundraising for the PFLP.
I really love their pamphlet Some Points on the Mass Line, everyone should read it.
Honestly I have no idea, I just threw them in because they do seem like a solid org with regards to their writing.
I see their folks out doing stuff with some regularity. Maybe not what they once were, but they still function.
That’s nice to hear.
I think they’re pretty regional. The closer to their HQ in Minneapolis, the bigger their presence.
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Both of these groups are Trotskyist. Reform and Revolution is an entryist offshoot of Socialist Alternative. Their members were not blessed by SA itself and ended up excommunicated (SA has some cultish tendencies). MUG has murkier intellectual origins but always manages to secure membership from the naive and/or opportunist, namely those newly disillusioned with electoralism or still tetheted to it through initiative campaigns or obviously doomed campaigns to get some unprinciplef lib elected.
It’s good if they make life unbearable for the more liberal factions in DSA (the loud large minority). But… they are Trots. There are hard limits on what they can accomplish due to being ignorant and straight-up wrong on basic Marxist principles, history, and contemporary geopolitics. As a reminder, the typical Trot position on Palestine is a belief in the mythical Israeli proletariat and easily coopted ceasefire rhetoric. They cannot have solidarity with the PFLP or even just Gazans directly. They only care about Palestinian Trots insofar as their own messaging is crafted.
So… temper your expectations.
Edit: as a reminder, MUG’s main political program has been to rewrite the US Constitution via a series of amendments. This is how in touch with reality they are.
As a reminder, the typical Trot position on Palestine is a belief in the mythical Israeli proletariat and easily coopted ceasefire rhetoric. They cannot have solidarity with the PFLP or even just Gazans directly. They only care about Palestinian Trots insofar as their own messaging is crafted.
I think MUG are the cosmonautmag.com people and that’s not their position at all
This is true, to am extent. But their origins hail from offshoots of offshoots of Trotskyists and it bleeds through regularly. For example, their reoeated platforming of Dan Lazare, ardent believer in the Israeli working class and repeater od Zionist narratives gussied up with Marxish language.
Definitely do temper your expectations. Nearly every MUG person I’ve ever met has bee milquetoast as shit, including parts of their leadership.
So much of this is just flat out not true, especially the stuff about Palestinian solidarity. It sucks that this is what is brought forward instead of engaging with the actual politics presented in the linked article.
In my chapter, MUG has been far and away the most effective tool towards anything like a party line, while still maintaining an actually functional democratic structure. As someone working every day to educate libs away from the background radiation based politics they have, I’m very grateful for them and hopeful for this formation.
This platform is literally a Trotskyist solidarity platform. Do you know what R&R is?
That’s a really uncharitable view, and absolutely not the stance of the MUG on Palestinian resistance. I’m p sure MUG are closer to orthodox Marxism than Trotskyism too.
It’s an informed view based on numerous personal interactions with MUG members, including parts of leadership. They are internally incoherent. They’ve adopted better lines, largely being dragged there by Red Star and circumstance, but as you can see they will gladly build a unity platform with explicit Trotskyists instead of the many ML factions. A unity platform that, again, aligns with their absurdly idealist and just plain silly “amend the constitution” plank.
Why does DSA always have concerning verbal lore (i know why, becsuse there’s no party line)
It has a bunch of factions and itself is an offshoot of American Trotskyism, once or twice removed. They constantly refer to beefs with nerds in the 70s and a faction that was created 1 year ago and “tankies” etc etc etc.
Step in the right direction
Very cool!!
Good, the thing about an organization having countless different sects, which lets face for a country as big as america is probably the way to go for a mass socialist party, is that it’s fucking pointless unless they group up at some point, especially in practical matters
