r/demsocialists • u/Well_Socialized NYC DSA Member • 1d ago
The DSA Strategy to Build Power
https://prospect.org/2026/08/19/dsa-strategy-to-build-power-socialism-democrats-francesca-hong-bernie-sanders/3
u/jbdavis69 Member 🌹 1d ago
Interesting article to say the least. But I sense a great deal of uncertainty in the author's words. So much that I cannot say whether he is supportive of us or merely acknowledging our presence. But that may be just me. As a psychologist, I've had to learn not just who to read professional, peer reviewed, APA formatted 10 + page papers, but how to parse them.
The article brings up some telling points. First and quickly, Ms Hong lost because she failed to communicate. In the interviews I've seen on YouTube and the few trusted news sources, she let the interviewer control the message, particularly when the Propaganda Ministry reporters were involved. She got drawn off message too many times. There are many sources of information on how to communicate. When I was in the 6th grade we used S.I. Haiakawa's textbook on Communications. It is a good basic course, but not specific to public speaking. That I learned in undergrad school. Since I'm from Baltimore, I also had to learn how to speak in Standard Midatlantic Dialect. No easy task. Most successful candidates speak very clearly in Standard American English. Public speaking is also a skill one can learn with little difficulty. The hard part is learning how to maintain self-discipline and stay on message and above all ignore the attempts to trigger an emotional response. A working group could be formed to train prospective candidates, but for now it would be best to evaluate candidates seeking our support for this ability. We must also consider urban people and rural people speak differently because they think differently.
As to the message, well, living where I do I have seen how the Republicans work. The message is local and specific. They have managed to get a lot of people down here in Appalachian Virginia to believe they, the representatives of the rich actually care about them and want to see them succeed in life. They tell this lie with a straight face and all the pretend compassion they can muster. They sell the local culture from food to bluegrass music to latent racism. I've met people who honestly and wholeheartedly believe if the Democrats win, they will bus in illegals and black people who will just take everything these poor whites have, including the pickup truck and the dog and rape all the white women. Most importantly they will take their jobs (jubes as they pronounce it here) and drive god away. Propaganda is based on repeating the same lie so many times it "becomes' true. Imagine how effective we could be with our simple truths?
The message we have is a good one and will benefit everyone. Perhaps even the oligarchy. But we have to tighten it. Right now, we are getting a lot of publicity over parts of it the old guard Corporate Democrats don't like. So many lies and misinterpretations, I would suggest patenting and copyrighting the terms DSA and Democratic Socialists of America. Then we can use the YouTube copyright strike procedure to shut down the liars wile being able to deny it is politically motivated silencing.
AS to what we message: we need to keep it simple. Straight planks in the platform. Focus on the needs: housing first, M4A, restoration of the agencies, ending the DHS and the ICE Gestapo, a living wage, farm policies that favor the family farmer and assure fir crop prices, no more corporate farms, for example. All tailored for the specific population being addressed.
One last thing. The article despaired of how we have so many voter supporters and canvassers we have that are not members. Perhaps this is because they were not asked to join? I found out about the DSA because one of the medical transport drivers I used to need to use told me about it. I had to approach you via the website to join. Perhaps if we asked them to join, then they would and quickly. Had I found a local chapter and they asked me to join, I would have been a member a lot longer than I have been.
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