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Christopher Albertyn's avatar

Thanks for the interview, Hamilton. Good to be building alliances between labour and progressive community leaders. I want to make a more general comment about left political leaders. My experience here in Canada, and I believe the same is true in the US, is that a small group of activists lead the progressive party (or the progressive wing of the Democratic Party), and then their outreach to the community is to ask for their vote and their money. Support us! is what they ask for. That, in my view, is completely the wrong approach to building a progressive movement. It frustrated me so much once, that, in reply to another request for money, I wrote back (never receiving a reply) that there'd be no more money unless someone, once, asked me for my views on some topic of political importance.

Like union organizing, there needs to be community organizing. Progressive parties should be building local committees in each local committee, and listening. Listening to what the people are actually concerned about, and involving them in the leadership of the local committee, and from their having their participation in the broader party. A successful left-wing political party needs grassroots growth of members who are participants in the decisions. There needs to be some fun in such participation - family events, and entertainment perhaps, but some joyful possibility for engagement and participation.

At present, the Democratic Party is indistinguishable from the Republicans in this sense: they are run from the top, there is virtually no actual local organization, and all they want from us is money and our vote. If the left is ultimately to dominate and lead the Democratic Party - whether through DSA involvement or some other progressive party, it must be founded on local community involvement - and not just meetings to hear what the people have to say - but actual organization. I didn't hear a lot of that from Mamdani, though I suspect he would not oppose these ideas.

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Lewis Grupper's avatar

Excellent interview!

Run Mamdani Run!!!!!

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