One of the big reasons I became a social democrat and supported Bernie and AOC in the first place was because I was tired of CIA coups and unjust wars in the middle east. I've been speaking with Marxists in DSA and they are telling me that there's no way to end imperialism democratically, we either need a revolution or the collapse of the US Empire entirely. To be honest the deep ideological division of the US between the left-liberals and the fascists makes it seem like the dissolution of the union is not far off. I have zero confidence that a Marxist-Leninist government would end imperialism because the Soviet Union kept its eastern and central european satellites in its sphere of influence against its will, and no Polish person would ever say the Soviet Union was "anti-imperialist." But I am starting to wonder if a socdem President (someone like AOC) would manage to do all the things I want like end CIA coups, end wars in the middle east, lift the Cuba embargo and recognize Palestine, or if it's just wishful thinking on my part.

As the right wing populist Finns Party won the election, they started implementing austerity and anti-immigration policies. Due to austerity, they collapsed in polling to half what they were when they won. The Finnish Social Democrats (SDP) argued against austerity and the anti-immigration policies.

However, this year, the SDP decided to become more anti-immigration (despite their polling rising and Finns Party collapsing). Due to this, the salience of immigration started rising leading to Finns Party rising again and the backlash has led to SDP falling and VAS (Democratic Socialists) rising.

There was no need for the SDP to go anti-immigration, they were riding high and Finns Party falling.

Since western nations have industrialised, union membership rates have declined as people shift from unionised blue collar jobs to white collar jobs. Would it be possible to awaken the middle class and have them unionised, because I think unions should become more powerful in the economy and the loss of blue collar jobs do not help this.

I'm at the belief that liberalism isn't what the US needs right now we need universal healthcare, a bigger social safety net, more worker and consumer protections etc. I also believe we need to do something about foreign labor underclasses especially illegal immigrant underclasses I'm not asking to approve of ICE or anything but is no else bothered by Liberals looking at this underclass used to undermine labor and to have cheaper exploitative labor and ask who will pick the crops for a penny and dime instead of questioning the class power structures at play here?

I don't necessarily disagree with everything from the liberals I actually do think we need to cut red tape to address the housing crisis. I am pro NATO, pro west (although western multilateralism not US imperial hegemony) and especially pro Ukraine. But at the same time I don't think they confront capital enough and while I am not against trade the liberal theory of interdependency even with hostile powers will deter wars has been fatally proven wrong and also caused a loss of economic sovereignty and put countries in a trap alongside their apologia for sweatshops and undercutting of labor.

Look maybe I've just been unlucky with my experiences but I've seen liberals acting very toxic to those to the left of them maybe the approach to seek pragmatism is wrong but they treat those who wish for candidates with more progressive solutions as idealists and treat them as insignificant and not worth being catered to but then blame them if they lose an election for not voting. More and more of the opposition to republicans are becoming to the left of liberals many people are unhappy with both parties this should put into the question the lesser strategy as just because and many others are willing to vote for the lesser evil not make things worse doesn't millions won't and I can't say I blame them perhaps it is time for outreach of more left wing people.

But are we simply just reaching the limits on how pragmatic we could be with the liberals or is there something more nefarious with them with how they act to those further left?

Thanks to the D'Hondt system employed in Spain, and the fact that constituencies are based on provinces, rather than autonomous regions, the number of seats in each district can vary widely nationwide, making it difficult for voters on the left to assess how exactly to maximise the return for their coalition, particularly given the failure to agree united tickets thus far. That said, taking regional considerations into account, this seems the best strategy for now:

2-4 Seat Constituencies: There are no fewer than nineteen of these, largely in rural areas where Spanish is the only language spoken, with exceptions in Álava (Basque Country), Lleida (Catalonia), and Lugo and Ourense (both Galicia). In practically all of these, only the PSOE can win seats, but in Álava, Bildu are the strategic option, and similarly Esquerra are locally strong in Lleida.

5 and 6 Seaters: These are fourteen diverse constituencies ranging from Andalusia to the Basque Country and Catalonia, so as such, the electoral landscape varies considerably. That said, most of them remain only friendly to the Socialists, apart from Castellón (Compromís), Cordoba and Huelva (Adelante Andalusia), Guipuzkoa and Navarre (Bildu), and Girona and Tarragona (either Esquerra or Sumar).

7-8 Seaters: There are ten constituencies here - Asturias, Granada, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Zaragoza (Sumar), A Coruña and Pontevedra (BNG), Balearic Islands (Més), Bizkaia (either Bildu or Sumar), Cadiz (Adelante Andalusia) and Las Palmas (Nueva Canarias).

10-16 Seats: In Alicante and Valencia, the local party Compromís has seats in both constituencies, while following the recent Andalusian elections, Adelante Andalusia is currently in the ascendant in Málaga and Sevilla. Sumar's seat is the most precarious in Murcia.

Barcelona and Madrid: Barcelona has no fewer than 32 seats, with Sumar holding 5 and Esquerra on 4 - as such left voters can opt for either, with the latter having incorporated the local branch of Podemos into their slate. As for Madrid, that now has 38 seats, with Más Madrid looking like they will be the standard bearers of the alternative left on this occasion.

Title’s pretty explicit, do you have any good book recommendations to understand social democracy better?

one of the biggest factors that keeps me between socialism and social democracy is the foreign exploitation factor. what i mean by that is companies under social democracy may make their products in a foreign country (like China) to increase their profits, and that involves exploiting foreign workers. My question is, how would you face that issue? Do you think it’s something that can be outlawed or at least restricted in order to make sure that foreign workers don’t work insane hours and get pa fairly; or is it a more intrinsic issue?

Feel free to send responses to the following to JonHoch87@aol.com

Hey!

I’m putting together an article about how DSA members can push back against the disproportionate influence of tankies in the organization. I was hoping to interview you for the piece. Unfortunately, with three young kids, I can only do email interviews now. If you have time, please send me answers to the attached questions. I will likely submit the resulting article to a variety of outlets, including CounterPunch, where I’m published regularly.

Best,
Jon Hochschartner 

1. What’s your name? Can you provide a one paragraph biography of yourself that includes a description of your involvement in the Democratic Socialists of America?

1. One of DSA’s two co-chairs belongs to Red Star caucus, which supports various dictatorships, past and present, as positive examples of real-world ‘socialism.’ There have been reports that members of the International Committee have tried to develop connections with the Chinese Communist Party and, as part of this effort, have sought to downplay the mistreatment of groups like the Uyghurs. For those of us who are genuinely democratic socialists, what can be done to limit the influence of authoritarian ‘socialists’ in DSA — short of purging them, which I fear could provoke a damaging split? What caucuses should we support? What organizational reforms should we back? Is there anything else we should do?

2. Is there anyone else you think I should interview on this topic? Can you pass this message along to them or provide me with their email address?

In the online Chinese-language political sphere, it seems like there's only room for two extremes: either you're fully on board with all the government's policies, or you're an anti-China American nationalist nutjob who's fully on board with US imperialism's crusade against China.

Why can't we criticize oppressive policies in Xinjiang and Tibet, while simultaneously standing on China's side against the US (the single most destructive imperialist regime in history)? Why can't we be both patriotic and empathetic towards the concerns of populations with legitimate concerns about this current government (including Taiwanese people)? Why do we have to pick between two extremes?

Many fear that talking about oppressive policies will embolden the pro-US extremists, when in reality not talking about the problem is what strengthens the US and its shills. They want China to be this evil oppressive place, and the current policies give them ammunition. Wouldn't it be better if they didn't have that ammunition?

Besides, if you're truly patriotic, you should want to preserve China's diversity. Mass immigration of Han people to ethnic minority regions combined with restricting minority language education will inevitably result in the extinction of minority cultures, much like how Sinitic languages are currently going extinct. Is one bland Mandarin-speaking monoculture across the whole of China really so desirable? Does diversity not add to China's cultural richness? How would we feel if Japan succeeded in Japanizing "Manchukuo"? How can we expect Uyghurs and Tibetans to not support separatism, when their cultures will be extinct in 200 years under the current system? Let's put ourselves in their shoes and ask ourselves how we would feel if our language was disappearing. If the US were doing this to Puerto Rico, we would all rightfully call it settler-colonialism.

And those who are truly patriotic shouldn't talk with glee about harming other Chinese people on a certain nearby island through embargoes or invasions. We are rightfully angry at the US for its brutal invasion and subsequent decades-long starvation embargo of the DPRK, and at the Americans whose selfish nationalism led them to support these atrocities, and in doing so have become monsters. Let us not become the monsters we're fighting against. Human beings should be put before abstract geopolitical goals. Let us ask ourselves if anyone on both sides of the strait actually stands to benefit from a pointless war.

Finally, I want to reaffirm that I'm 100% on the Chinese side when it comes to our struggle against the world parasite which is the US. There's no one who hates the US more than I do. But I also want a democratic China in which all sections of the population have a voice in politics, not just a certain subsection of the population. These positions seem incredibly reasonable to me, yet it seems like I'm politically homeless. Does anyone feel the same way?

I see Third Way conflated a lot with Neoliberalism especially on this sub and I haven’t yet figured out how to see it that way.

So even for those of you that do see it that way, how is it both similar and different to both Social Democracy and Neoliberalism?

State owned enterprises. Is too leftist for social democracy?

how to refute this argument

This is a follow-up to my previous post from several months ago. I'm revisiting it to see if there have been any updated thoughts or opinions since then. I realize this is still early, but I'd still like to know.

Regardless, this discussion has come to be due to what is happening with the current state of the Democratic Party and its current trajectory to the White House. After, while the House was already likely to flip, the Senate has a real chance of flipping as well. Now whether that happens or not is dependent on the voters thems themselves. But the fact that it is a real battle for control of the Senate says a lot in itself. SO PLEASE VOTE!

Nevertheless, I will repeat the same question as before:

Who would you want to see as a potential 2028 presidential candidate?

Any will do, but given the current voter mindset for change, best aim for someone who is Progressive, or someone whom progressives can tolerate

I point this out as I personally do not see any Established Democrats who could win in a rapidly developing partisan world. For example, Gavin Newsom is someone who has clearly gotten his name out there in several international conventions and is known to be the first fighter against Trump after the redistricting battle. And yet, he is still not seen in a favorable light by most people, including in California. As such, while they may have some of the most funding, they will most likely not win, as "Trump bad" won't be enough for 2028. People are now more than ever hungry for real change and stability.

That said, and a special thanks to not_ezraklein, I will bring up a few notable names from the previous post, and wanted to see what some of y'all opinions of these names are:

• Beshear
• Ossoff
• Pritzker
• Van Hollen
• Murphy

Personally, I would love to see an AOC presidential ticket, but she may do more good as a Senator replacing Schumer.