Socialist elected to Seattle City Council

[Redistribute the Rep]

Kshama Sawant, Seattle's new socialist City Council member, bears little resemblance to the conventional image of a modern U.S. politician whose appearance and policies are often burnished by legions of advisers and focus groups.

A small, whip-smart Indian-American woman in faded jeans with a makeup-free face, she holds a Ph.D. in economics and was an early participant in the Occupy protest movement.

Sawant is not shy about her left-wing party affiliation — despite America's modern habit of reacting with extreme hostility to the word "socialism," which is freely demonized on the right and treated with extreme caution even in progressive circles.


Any thoughts on this?

[Bala Perdida]

There's already a thread on the subject. People seem to feel indifferent about her.

[Per Levy]

http://www.revleft.com/vb/bourgeois-endorsing-sawant-t183779/index.html?t=183779&highlight=sawant

http://www.revleft.com/vb/kshama-sawant-has-t185010/index.html?t=185010&highlight=Seattle

there you have over 30 sites full of opinions on sawant and her victory. have fun.

[tachosomoza]

Be nice, people.

I personally like her and think it's a good precedent....well, not precedent (people who call themselves socialists or have socialist traits in their political makeup have been getting elected to various local and state offices in the US since the early 20th century) but she's just one woman playing American politics and her impact will be fairly limited from a practical point of view.

[Malesori]

I think it is very exciting.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

It's not the Seattle Commune or anything but I think it's a good sign that working people are fed up with the capitalist parties and are looking for an alternative, at least in the Pacific north west. She'll have a limited ability to affect change but hopefully she'll be able to support the organising of workers in Seattle by disrupting the bourgeois council's ability to clamp down on dissent etc and offer a favourable alternative opinion in wider media.

[BIXX]

It's not the Seattle Commune or anything but I think it's a good sign that working people are fed up with the capitalist parties and are looking for an alternative, at least in the Pacific north west. She'll have a limited ability to affect change but hopefully she'll be able to support the organising of workers in Seattle by disrupting the bourgeois council's ability to clamp down on dissent etc and offer a favourable alternative opinion in wider media.


I haven't investigated her much (prolly should) but I'm suspicious that she might just be a liberal democrat playing the "IM A SOCIALIST" card that so many liberals seem to love these days.

[Le Socialiste]

I haven't investigated her much (prolly should) but I'm suspicious that she might just be a liberal democrat playing the "IM A SOCIALIST" card that so many liberals seem to love these days.

Does this sound like something liberals would say, though:

“[If Boeing leaves], that will be nothing short of economic terrorism. . .The workers should take over the factories, and shut down Boeing’s profit-making machine."

Of course, I think socialists who operate from an electoral standpoint will find themselves limited in what they can realistically do. Therefore, in our present period, revolutionary socialists might possess the ability to transform their office into a hub for political activism, agitation, and education - while simultaneously utilizing these tools to engage in existing struggles and win meaningful reforms (Fight for $15, housing, labor disputes, etc). Whether they attempt to undertake such an effort has much to do with how they view elections within the context of the wider struggle and their own revolutionary perspective(s). Elections are only beneficial insofar as they possess the potential to aid in deepening and furthering the movement in the longterm, by making possible short-term gains and laying bare the limitations of the system. Sawant only won her seat a short while ago, but she's saying the right things. Time, and the persistence of struggles currently unfolding in the Pacific Northwest, will tell whether she'll follow through and put words into practice.

Edit - That said, Per Levy and others are right: we already have at least two different threads on this subject. Making another seems rather redundant.

[Prometeo liberado]

Just to add, the fight has to be fought on as many fronts as possible. Exploiting any weak spot and thus shaking the slumbering working class out of its right-wing malaise.

[riseupnow]

I haven't investigated her much (prolly should) but I'm suspicious that she might just be a liberal democrat playing the "IM A SOCIALIST" card that so many liberals seem to love these days.



Your suspicions are exactly right. Went through the same thing here in Philly. The left sounding liberals came out of the woodwork with the occupy movement.

They sound revolutionary and look revolutionary. When it came time to take part in a march and raise a revolutionary chant, and the chant you raised was one denouncing Capitalism,they fell silent and denounced you!!.

So, don't be fooled, a true revolutionary doesn't run for office.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Does this sound like something liberals would say, though:

“[If Boeing leaves], that will be nothing short of economic terrorism. . .The workers should take over the factories, and shut down Boeing’s profit-making machine."



Yes, it does. It sounds exactly like something a liberal trying to posture as a socialist would say, a statement without substance full of fake-radicalism.

[Le Socialiste]

Yes, it does. It sounds exactly like something a liberal trying to posture as a socialist would say, a statement without substance full of fake-radicalism.

This is too broad a generalization, I think. It's too simplistic. While I *critically* support Sawant's overall campaign, it remains conditional upon how she intends to utilize the tools and mechanisms at her disposal. The jury is still out, as far as I'm concerned. You'll have to substantiate your claim, because that's essentially what it amounts to.

I'd write more, but I'm on my phone atm. I'll contribute more once I have access to a computer. I will say I think statements like yours (and others) are grossly inaccurate, however.

[helot]

I'm assuming she's legit in her support of socialism... atleast at present. I fear that she'll become stuck between a rock and a hardplace and either result in her actions becoming one of defense of bourgeois institutions or complete marginalisation and thus rendering the campaign for her seat pointless in the first place.