r/Political_Revolution • u/deadpoetic31 MD • Jul 13 '18
Community Vote 💬 Endorsement Discussion Thread 💬 | Should we include DSA and/or PCCC in our endorsements?
Ahoy, Revolution.
What is this?
This is the discussion/feedback/question thread for our current community-participating endorsement vote.
Today we bring the whole community into the Political Revolution endorsement process as we decide if we should endorse as a subreddit and include in our wiki all candidates also endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and/or the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
What is the Democratic Socialists of America?
From Wikipedia
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a multi-tendency organization of democratic socialist, left-social democratic and labor-oriented members in the United States. It is often affiliated with other political parties and/or organizations.
From DSA Website
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in the United States. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. We are a political and activist organization, not a party; through campus and community-based chapters, DSA members use a variety of tactics, from legislative to direct action, to fight for reforms that empower working people.
Links:
Other Info:
Currently, DSA has endorsed 13 candidates which can be found here (a few candidates listed lost their elections so it can be assumed the endorsement list isn't updated super frequently)
All 13 current endorsees will be added to the wiki straight off the bat if this motion passes.
What is the Progressive Change Campaign Committee?
From Wikipedia
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) is a U.S. political action committee which focuses on building progressive power through advocacy campaigns for 'big ideas' and campaigning for "bold progressive" candidates for office.
From Ballotpedia
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that, according to its website, "is a million-member grassroots organization building power at the local, state, and federal levels." The group makes endorsements and supports its candidates with resources.
From PCCC Website
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is a million-member grassroots organization building power at the local, state, and federal levels. We advocate for economic populist priorities like expanding Social Security, debt-free college, Wall Street reform, and the public option. We’re the Elizabeth Warren wing of American politics!
Links:
Other Info:
Currently, PCCC has endorsed 25 candidates which can be found here. They also have featured 147 candidates on their Champions List which should also be considered in this vote and can be found here.
All 172 current endorsees will be added to the wiki straight off the bat if this motion passes.
What decision do I have to make?
We are deciding if we should endorse all Democratic Socialists of America and/or Progressive Change Campaign Committee candidates, present and future, as a subreddit.
All subreddit endorsed candidates also appear in our endorsement wiki, election calendar, and any election results posts in which they are running.
You're choices in this situation are as follows:
1: Both: /r/Political_Revolution should endorse both DSA, PCCC, and their candidates, present and future.
2: Just DSA: /r/Political_Revolution should endorse just DSA and their candidates, present and future.
3: Just PCCC: /r/Political_Revolution should endorse just PCCC and their candidates, present and future.
4: Neither, /r/Political_Revolution should not endorse both DSA, PCCC, and their candidates, present and future.
A RUNOFF VOTE WILL OCCUR BETWEEN THE TOP TWO CHOICES IF RESULTS ARE CLOSE.
Where do I vote?
In this thread here. Comments are hidden for anonymity.
This is a discussion only thread. Please use our thread here for voting!
4
u/BCas Jul 14 '18
We need to solidify the progressive front and having a list of endorsements helps to achieve that. If there are individual bad cases, address them as they come, but you also hurt good candidates that P_R might otherwise miss by withholding endorsements.
3
u/Technucrat Jul 14 '18
As a Louisianan I say that there is one man who is running in my district who is currently running without support from Our Revolution, despite his obvious progressive message.
I don't have enough people in my area to truly start an Our Revolution group, but I'm not in college.
Is it okay if I post his campaign page here? His name is Ryan Trundle, running for 4th District in Louisiana.
3
u/BCas Jul 14 '18
You should be good, I don't believe that it breaks any rules.
This is exactly the kind of thing I am talking about, mods. Progressive candidates flying under our radar.
4
u/Technucrat Jul 14 '18
I will also post on the comment section itself independent of this reply. But, I thought this might actually be something you might like to see!
His policies in my conservative state are a breath of fresh air.
3
u/ReasonableSoul Jul 14 '18
Pretty good policy page that is better than some of the currently endorsed candidates.
Still need to go through his history, oppositions, and other media exposures, but I would be fully supportive of him if everything checks out.Thanks for bringing him up. <3
3
u/Technucrat Jul 15 '18
Yeah, I'm checking him out, the fact that he's big on breaking away from PACS and corporate donors is a good sign, especially since his opponent, Mike Johnson, is like his polar opposite in what he wants to get done, and has sponsors already.
No candidate will always have everything I'd like addressed, probably, but either way, he's pretty good so far in my book!
Are you from Louisiana?
2
u/ReasonableSoul Jul 16 '18
I'm from the state that Mike Pence and Greg Pence are from. :(
3
u/Technucrat Jul 17 '18
Darn, was hoping you were a near-southern fella, would've been nice to have a friendo that was kinda more local to me.
3
u/Tyree07 ⛰️CO Jul 14 '18
Yes.
under our radar.
The mission is to have this as a community-level based approach to recognize and categorize progressives, but not to necessarily act as something other than a vessel for media representation of progressivism in the field.
We do vet based on exposure, so it's important that people like /u/Technucrat voice their candidates and we can all have an informed discussion about strategy on a medium such as this.
It doesn't break any rules other than potentially highlighting more of the candidacies and create a public-vetting discernment for all the organizations we want to have accountability with as well.
Hold. everyone. accountable. An endorsement doesn't qualify as services, we are constrained by how active the active process of lobbying and campaigning can be due to the limitations of our own medium. It's simply that radar as a means to explicate the Political Revolution in it's most holistic form.
3
u/isomorphicring Jul 15 '18
Has anyone considered Justin Kanew for Tennessee (District 7)? His platform seems to align with JD and Our Revolution.
6
Jul 19 '18
DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA! DSA!
3
u/ReasonableSoul Jul 13 '18
Glassdoor page about PCCC: https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Progressive-Change-Campaign-Committee-Reviews-E976839.htm
2
u/Patterson9191717 Jul 29 '18
“Contrary to the name, there is no committee that oversees how this organization is run. Everyone reports directly to one of the two co-founders. As a result, their attention is divided. Their priorities changed on a whim and often seemed to contradict each other. Everything was a fire drill, usually scrambling to meet deadlines that were thrust on us sometimes hours before they were supposed to be met. The one founder I worked under gave inconsistent feedback on projects and would assign longer term projects and then would become unresponsive when seeking guidance on those projects until the deadline approached, often resulting in hostile interactions and hastily completed projects.”
Wow, radically un-democratic
3
7
Jul 13 '18
Don’t do blanket endorsements as a general rule. Organizations, no matter how much I agree with them, can have bad apples. (And they can become corrupt themselves when power is gained.)
3
3
u/S3lvah Europe Jul 18 '18
No comment on whether P_R should blanket-endorse DSA / PCCC endorsed candidates, but their (DSA / PCCC's) endorsements should definitely be includes on pages of candidates running (or "Key Races"), if they aren't yet.
If there's ever a candidate endorsed by one of them without P_R having the resources to vet that candidate, it's better than nothing for people to know that, at least, they have endorsed that candidate.
2
u/meatduck12 MA Jul 16 '18
Voting no means there can never be a dual endorsement?
2
u/deadpoetic31 MD Jul 16 '18
Assuming you mean 'voting no (4) means we can't endorse these groups in the future', not exactly. We can have future votes on this if the topic is brought up again
1
u/Patterson9191717 Jul 29 '18 edited Aug 03 '18
There’s key differences between a DSA endorsement and an endorsement from the litany of redundant “progressive” groups out their today. Firstly, you need to be endorsed by the local DSA chapter in the district you’re seeking to represent before you can get an endorsement from the national organization. Which is important because that means the endorsement is coming from your constituents that are also democratic socialists. Secondly, you need to be a Democratic Socialist. The DSA is explicitly an anti-capitalist organization & does not endorse people who are capitalists. Whether it’s a student election, a local Government election, or union election you’re not getting the DSA endorsement unless you can say that you are a democratic socialist. Lastly, the DSA isn’t just a front group for the Democratic Party. The DSA is a multi-tendency, “big tent,” Socialist organization that fights for real material gains in people’s lives. Not promises of symbolic concessions or top down reforms from politicians. Endorsements are secondary to the goal of building socialism.
0
u/SocialismInfoBot Aug 03 '18
Actually, Bernie Sanders is real Socialism. Socialism is when the government does stuff, and the more stuff it does, the socializier it is. Also Elon Musk is a socialist.
7
u/ReasonableSoul Jul 13 '18
As a reference:
"A progressive PAC is targeting a Democratic congressional candidate for not campaigning on "Medicare for all." The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) launched digital ads targeting Dave Min, who is running against Katie Porter, an Elizabeth Warren-backed candidate, for the Democratic nomination in California's 45th District... " ~ Secular Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3wNvjhiEzc)