So You Wanna Be a Socialist? In Seattle, You've Got Options
A few weeks ago, tenants’ rights activist Jon Grant announced that he’s running for City Council this fall as a Democratic Socialist. Although he is not, technically speaking, a member of any political party — the affiliation is more a kind of “shorthand to describe my values to voters,” he says — his second-time run for a Council seat is couched in the belief that, in Seattle, anyway, “it’s not enough anymore to be an establishment Democrat.”
The events of the past year, and especially of the past few months, seem to echo that sentiment. November 8, 2016, was an enormous day for socialists everywhere, as those who’d long opposed the then President-elect rushed to take a stand.
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), for instance, has nearly tripled its membership since November, making it now the largest socialist organization in the country — not to be confused with the International Socialist Organization, which, according to the Seattle chapter’s website, is the country’s “largest revolutionary organization” (emphasis ours). The two groups have an active and engaged Seattle base, and yes, Seattle DSA membership “has exploded over the past year,” says local DSA member Andrej Markovčič. “Like locals all over the country, we’re seeing an incredible enthusiasm for socialist politics.”
Socialist Alternative (SA) — the party that helped elect socialist Councilmember Kshama Sawant in 2013 — has also seen its ranks swell. “People’s interest in getting involved in mass movements in general, and socialism in particular, really has increased since 2011,” says Ted Virdone, an SA member for the past 18 years and a staffer in Sawant’s office. “The start of the Occupy Movement was a real turning point there,” followed by “a huge acceleration since this election.”
Read more: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/so-you-wanna-be-a-socialist-in-seattle-youve-got-options/
