Towards Power has just released its voting guide, where the caucus advocates voting no on both resolutions I have proposed. I want to preface this by saying I respect their position, and their desire to resolve organizational shortcomings and center campaigns as part of an effective program. That being said, there are a number of points in the document that I take issue with and would like to refute. They also oppose a number of other motions worthy of support(R2, R20, and A1), but I don't want to speak for the authors of those items so I will only be addressing my own resolutions here.
The document makes three claims in regard to the national coalition(R3); that there are no suitable partners, that we should wait to see what leadership wants to do, and that the whole party coalition strategy is "unuseful for building socialism". As per the lack of suitable partners, there are many potential member-based allies(SAlt, PSL, CPUSA, GPUSA, SPUSA, IWW, BSiA, BRAF, SRA), just to name a few, with hundreds of thousands of combined members. In terms it not being useful, building allies with fellow Leftist organizations is very useful, in terms of coordination, and sharing information and resources. Surely actions could be more effective if we combine resources, increasing impact and reach. Simplifying issues such as ballot access addressing the difficulties of splitting votes+resources between multiple socialist parties, I would say it also does meaningfully grapple with the realities of electoral work. Their claim of this being a coalition with no cause is also moot, the campaign for Black lives and racial justice is specifically mentioned in the text of the document. That was the primary inspiration for this resolution.
We are the most powerful single socialist organization in the country and were largely uninvolved(at the national level) in the largest direct action and opportunity for racial justice in half a century. How many opportunities to further the cause of justice and to prove our worth as an organization must pass us by before conditions are considered sufficiently "organic"? Which brings us into the final point, I see central leadership as having a specific role, to give executive efficiency, and coordinate with knowledge and expertise. They still should answer to their membership, and my resolution gave a fair amount of room for leadership to execute as they see fit. I too would like to see our leadership take initiative in driving change and the movement, but they have not done so yet, and I refuse to sit on my hands until they do.
Regarding the international resolution(R4), I agree that the YDSA is not in a position to declare a new international right now. That is not the point of the resolution, but to discuss and consider international cooperation on the scale that is necessary. The capitalists have their internationalism, we need ours. The resolution does not waste precious resources, but encourages through the NPEC and generally, a discussion as to what such an international would be like. By trying to get a YDSA member on the internationalism committee, we are trying to get YDSA and DSA working together on the project of internationalism, hopefully the main body would take up the issue too and we could have an organization-wide discussion. Seeing as how this is the YDSA convention, and so most resolutions affect YDSA specifically, I don't see how this resolution in particular is splitting the issue of internationalism. I agree the final task of establishing international coalitions is the job of the Internationalism Committee, the resolution doesn't say or imply otherwise. This is us, as a democratic body, sending the issue to their desk. The resolution and the discussion of a new international would help give body to the concept of what a such a project would be like, similarly to how discussions of building an independent party have progressed over the past year.
CORRECTION(07/30): I was informed Towards Power is not directly tied to the Collective Power Network caucus, although they appear to be allied.
Note: A thank you the friends and comrades at the new Revolutionary Power caucus, who have been very helpful and submitted friendly amendments(they are behind the well-received amendment to put a YDSA member on the Internationalism Committee) to both of my resolutions. This is the third post I have written leading up to the convention, for those who want more details on the coalition strategy I compiled all three articles into a pdf attached below.
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