Red Star

All the Rules of the Art: The Struggle for Good Governance in DSA

zenith volume 2

All the Rules of the Art: The Struggle for Good Governance in DSA

Sam H-L. and Megan R. The crisis of leadership represented by the DSA National Political Committee’s handling of the Bowman Affair early last year has evolved into a slow-burn generalized crisis of governance for DSA. Conditions of general political stagnation nationally have accelerated contradictions within DSA’s organizing structure,

A New Generation of Liberal Imperialists Finds its Voice

zenith volume 2

A New Generation of Liberal Imperialists Finds its Voice

Joseph H. In the early days after 9/11, the Left, such as it was, was split. One camp, staunch anti-imperialists, opposed U.S. military action from the instant the planes hit the towers, and continued to do so throughout the long, bloody wars that ensued. The other camp, the

California DSA, One Year On

zenith volume 2

California DSA, One Year On

Sam H-L. Over the course of 2021, DSA chapters across the state ratified bylaws to form a statewide organization, California DSA. Chapters elected delegates, who held their first statewide meeting on February 18 and elected leadership for the year (I was elected and am currently serving as the Secretary). One

The Recession Does Not Have to Happen

zenith volume 2

The Recession Does Not Have to Happen

Andrew T. An enormous round of layoffs has begun in the U.S. economy: over 200K tech workers have lost their jobs since 2022. This is despite the fact that most economic indicators are positive – or at worst neutral – and the supply chain shocks of both COVID and the Ukraine

A Brief History of Red Star

A Brief History of Red Star

For members of DSA San Francisco who have been in the chapter for several years, Red Star is probably a familiar name. However, there are many members of DSA, or people who are part of the broader socialist or communist left, who are not members of DSA San Francisco, so

How Red Star Works

How Red Star Works

Caucuses and ideological currents within and around DSA take many forms. They include tight cadres or loose affiliations of members based on various ideological poles, as well as independent or “inside-outside” formations that seek to direct DSA while also maintaining some remove from it. Many formations within DSA advocate for

DSA as a Placeholder

DSA as a Placeholder

By Michael S. Red Star has previously written [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qyCCLfy335UWUzrUSR-c7-Awkl97dKNN/view] on the need for a party of, by, and for the entire working class to house and democratically facilitate the movement towards socialist transition. In our 2020 strategy zine we wrote “we’re not

Sectarians, Sheepdogs, and the Center

Sectarians, Sheepdogs, and the Center

By Nate W. Something is changing in this country. Millions of Americans, for the first time, have found themselves drawn away from the liberal mainstream ideologies that dominate the Republican and Democratic parties and are looking towards socialism for answers to the problems that plague the United States. From online

Organization Is Our Principal Task! On Socialist Electoral Work

zenith volume 1

Organization Is Our Principal Task! On Socialist Electoral Work

By Sam H-L DSA caucuses have spent endless time squabbling at the national level about “the break” from the Democrats: when this break should happen, and how clean it should be. Regardless of where you stand, the question remains the same: what should our relationship to the Democratic Party be?

The Future of Work looks a lot like the Past and Present of Work

The Future of Work looks a lot like the Past and Present of Work

By Joseph H. The creation of the proletariat, the wage-laboring working class, is the definitive characteristic of Capitalism. As capital is accumulated, the working class grows, a mutually reinforcing process that powers the dynamo of Capitalism. The number of people exploited in this manner, and the extent of the exploitation,

Failed Techno-Utopias

Failed Techno-Utopias

By Cara H. Living in the Bay Area means constantly being promised a better world by tech CEOs and venture capitalists, while simultaneously being constantly confronted by the failings of capitalism via astronomical rents, massive homelessness, and the failure of public institutions. If this better world is coming, heralded by

The Coming Rupture and Our Tasks

The Coming Rupture and Our Tasks

> I am told that there is no danger because there are no riots; I am told that, because there is no visible disorder on the surface of society, there is no revolution at hand… This, gentlemen, is my profound conviction: I believe that we are at this moment sleeping on

Burning Questions in a Burning World

Burning Questions in a Burning World

Making the Most of the Revolutionary Situation That Isn’t By Eugene Violet > We must not turn away from the truth: we do not yet possess the capacity for revolution, otherwise we would have seen a unified mass movement come out of the remarkable revolutionary energy of the past decade.

Announcing Zenith, a Journal from Red Star

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Announcing Zenith, a Journal from Red Star

Late last year, Red Star decided to solicit pieces from our membership to compile into a journal. Today, we are excited to announce Zenith, an occasional journal from Red Star.

caucus statements

Fight the War Machine at Home!

In the past weeks, a lengthy escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine devolved into armed conflict as Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. DSA and socialists in the US must maintain an anti-imperialist stance to prevent further catastrophe.

Jamaal Bowman and DSA’s Crisis of Leadership

This past December 2, DSA’s National Political Committee released a statement [https://www.dsausa.org/statements/on-the-question-of-expelling-rep-bowman/] in response to growing calls from membership to discipline Rep. Jamaal Bowman [https://jewishcurrents.org/jamaal-bowmans-trip-to-israel-sparks-debate-in-dsa-over-electoral-strategy] for a recent string of votes to provide over $4B in military aid to Israel. In

Red Star San Francisco: 2021 DSA SF Convention Guide

Red Star San Francisco: 2021 DSA SF Convention Guide

On June 12th and 13th, DSA SF will hold a chapter convention where we will vote on our first-ever chapter priorities, consider bylaw changes, and elect National Convention delegates and new chapter leadership. We believe DSA SF needs a political program that improves its organization and commits to specific courses

Statement on the National Rage Against the Killing of George Floyd:

March from the Port of Oakland with the ILWU Longshore Union for Juneteenth, in Oakland CA. June 19th, 2020. Photo by Mícheál Madden.The murder of George Floyd on May 25th by Minneapolis PD was an intolerable act that is still having repercussions across the nation, and is setting the

In Defense of "Zombie Marx"

In Defense of "Zombie Marx"

“There is no royal road to science, and only those who do not dread the fatiguing climb of its steep paths have a chance of gaining its luminous summits.” -Karl Marx, Preface to French Edition of Capital Volume I Fellow DSASF member Alex Biancardi recently posted an article on Medium

labor theory of value

Labor Theory of Value Part 2

The Labor Theory of Value and Surplus Value

labor theory of value

The Labor Theory of Value and Surplus Value

The key to understanding the nature of the capitalist economy, according to Marx, lies in understanding the nature of the commodity.

Revolution in the Time of COVID-19

Revolution in the Time of COVID-19

COVID-19 has thrown the capitalist order into crisis. The Sanders campaign has been defeated. Once the quarantine lifts, where do we fight?

Statement on Bernie Sanders' Endorsement of Joe Biden

Bernie Sanders’ endorsement of Joe Biden is a disappointing but predictable outcome of an insurgent left-wing campaign conducted within the auspices of the Democratic Party. Bernie’s candidacy was a once-in-a-lifetime, near-perfect alignment of factors that turned the unthinkable into the immediately possible. However, even with so many aspects of

A People's Recovery From COVID-19

A People's Recovery From COVID-19

One of the best-known bits of apocrypha [http://www.notable-quotes.com/l/lenin_vladimir.html] in the Marxist canon, attributed to Lenin (and likely paraphrased from The Chief Task of Our Day [https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1918/mar/11.htm]), came alive this week: “There are decades

Onward to a Workers' Party

As it now seems that each passing Tuesday may bring further confirmation that Bernie Sanders will not be the Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential race, a particular era of left organizing is coming to a close. Bernie’s 2016 presidential run, which sparked new life in the US left,