What could a socialist on a U.S. town board accomplish?

[DekuScrub]

I'm originally from a small town in the United States. It's the kind of tiny place where I think personal connections with voters could trump their ideological suspicion of socialism. For people who know more about local governance, what kind of change could be enacted from a town board?

[QueerVanguard]

Just like Socialism in one country can't work, neither can Socialism in one hick town. Its International or nothing. Sorry but that's the name of the game.

[DekuScrub]

that seems like silly ultra-leftism to me.

[The Disillusionist]

Just like Socialism in one country can't work, neither can Socialism in one hick town. Its International or nothing. Sorry but that's the name of the game.

This is true, but in my opinion, it's also one of traditional socialism's biggest flaws, perhaps it's fatal flaw. Personally, I lean more towards anarchism than statism. Anarchism, or social libertarianism, is more conducive to smaller-scale, community based activism in my opinion, and has been successful in those types of communities.

I think that the key to creating positive community change as a social anarchist is to work to change the society itself by contributing programs and systems that allow people more freedom. Turn local government decisions into real community decisions, allow the community to work together and unite. Focus on people rather than corporate/capitalist structures, and create socialist programs that give the people greater economic security to be independent. You can't expect to create real change by getting into a position of power and ordering people to act like you want them to, it takes work on a foundational level.

[Delusional Kid]

Well there is Kshama Sawant of the Socialist Alternative party in Seattle. She's done a lot of good work for the 15 now and anti shell campaigns, which are good and all but whether here success advances socialism in America is debatable. I myself believe that even though she can be considered reformist, she has helped the socialist movement in the US by getting attention and achieving popular support for a socialist party In Seattle.

[G4b3n]

Are you a worker? If so, start in your workplace.
Are you a student? Start organizing fellow students who wish to be allies.
But voters are a lost cause. Complete waste of time.

[John Nada]

I'm originally from a small town in the United States. It's the kind of tiny place where I think personal connections with voters could trump their ideological suspicion of socialism. For people who know more about local governance, what kind of change could be enacted from a town board?Even if you were just a liberal Democrat, there's not much you can do. IMO for all practical proposes the US shouldn't be regarded as democracy in the parliamentarian sense. The US is effectively a de facto one-party state. There nothing "ultra-leftist" about it.

If a socialist got elected to the town board, it should be a platform for socialist ideas, possibly get in some progressive reforms if possible. Bring attention to issues affecting the environment, marginalized minorities, LGBTQ people, women and workers. Point out the hypocrisy and reactionary tendencies of the Democrat-Republican Party. Educate the masses about Marxism. Think strategically.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I think running for a town board is a bit of a "shortcut" - looking to make change on organizing passive ballot-box participation.
It seems to me that it would be a better use of resources to attempt some sort of alternate form of self-organization - general meetings of tenants, or that sort of thing. Plausibly this sort of organization could eventually mean people decide to elect a lefty town board, but in any case, building the self-organized capacity is the point.

[DekuScrub]

to be more specific about my question. Could something like a $15 minimum wage be enacted at that town level? If not, what's the smallest level of government it can be enacted at? What kind of specific reforms could a town board enact?

[SonofRage]

I'm originally from a small town in the United States. It's the kind of tiny place where I think personal connections with voters could trump their ideological suspicion of socialism. For people who know more about local governance, what kind of change could be enacted from a town board?

You should look into Murray Bookchin's writings on "Libertarian Municipalism." for some ideas. If you insist on going down this path, I think that's probably a useful approach. The book The Politics of Social Ecology: Libertarian Municipalism (http://www.amazon.com/POLITICS-SOCIAL-ECOLOGY-Murray-Bookchin/dp/1551641003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435767635&sr=8-1&keywords=libertarian+municipalism) is a short but good read on it.

[mushroompizza]

You probably couldn't do anything "socialist" but you could maybe do some good, like feed hobos or plant trees.

[cyu]

If the rest of the town has been capitalist for a long time, and you're just plugging yourself into the existing system, you shouldn't expect too much. If past capitalists were "forward-looking" then the way the entire system is set up is intentionally designed to ensure future capitalist rule, and be able to neutralize the occasional "anti-capitalist invader".

Proposing laws, showing up to vote, all of that is just going through the motions of operating within a system that supports capitalism. I wouldn't say all of that is useless, but the main thing that will make you different is that you'll have a political platform. The things you say will get more attention than both traditional pro-capitalist officials (since they'll be little different than the hundreds before them) and anti-capitalists who do not hold political office (since there's no particular reason for the media to cover them) ...as for why the media never covers anti-capitalists unless they manage to make it into political office, well, that's part of the system capitalists have set up to protect themselves, isn't it?

[BIXX]

You probably couldn't do anything "socialist" but you could maybe do some good, like feed hobos or plant trees.

"Feed hobos they said. It'll be wonderful, they said."

[Neomadmonkey]

There isn't too much I don't think. You could try to put things in place that bring the community together. The idea of community is dying, so we need people who can bring that back. Maybe start a community garden, or do things that require people to work together. Show people that cooperative living outweighs looking out for oneself.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

I think a lot of the point of socialists trying to get elected into parliamentary bodies isn't so much to use those parliamentary bodies to somehow 'vote in' socialism or whatever but rather to act as a support for broader movements outside the parliamentary prism and a line of defence against attempts by the bourgeois parties from 'legitimising' their crackdowns on radical movements and generally just annoying anti-socialist politicians by being as uppity as possible. So if you're a socialist elected in isolation from the movements of the working class (or if there's virtually no working class movements regardless) then it largely becomes pointless. As long as you don't have a movement whose whole aim is 'winning elections' as opposed to 'building the movement for socialism', of course.

[DekuScrub]

For some reason my replies seem not to be showing up. Or not showing up until hours/days after I post them. I don't get it. Am I on some kind of probation?

[GiantMonkeyMan]

For some reason my replies seem not to be showing up. Or not showing up until hours/days after I post them. I don't get it. Am I on some kind of probation?
In order to avoid having spam/trolls clogging up the board, you have to make 10 posts that are vetted by an admin/mod before you can post normally. It generally depends on if admins are online at the time how quickly your posts show up.

[DekuScrub]

In order to avoid having spam/trolls clogging up the board, you have to make 10 posts that are vetted by an admin/mod before you can post normally. It generally depends on if admins are online at the time how quickly your posts show up.

Oh ok, thanks.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

like feed hobos
What about tramps and bums?

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I'm originally from a small town in the United States. It's the kind of tiny place where I think personal connections with voters could trump their ideological suspicion of socialism. For people who know more about local governance, what kind of change could be enacted from a town board?
In order to enact change, you'd need to have fellow board members to ally with as well as some popular support. In the case of Kshama Sawant, her biggest success, the minimum wage issue, came because there was a growing struggle by workers and progressives on the city council also came around to supporting the issue.

[John Nada]

to be more specific about my question. Could something like a $15 minimum wage be enacted at that town level? If not, what's the smallest level of government it can be enacted at? What kind of specific reforms could a town board enact?Smallest level $15/hr can be enacted is one workplace via strikes:).

It depends on the state. Some states have their own supremacy clause where the state minimum wage may override local and city governments. Same with other laws.

Have you just talked to people and asked what they think? You and people around you are going to know more about local conditions and demands than anyone here. Perhaps a construction project that's going to destroy wildlife, police acting like police, businesses treating workers like workers(as in shit:lol:), corruption, potholes and streetlights that are broke, worker's councils for more civic participation;)?

I think local elections have more potential in the US than federal elections. However, the local offices should be more a reflection of a broader movement in the streets, rather than someone getting elected creating a socialist movement or worse the movement in itself being about elections. Making it about the latter is a symptom of being conditioned to US politics where it's only about elections(in a system designed specifically for capitalists, why it's lasted so long), and not setting up dual power outside the government that's complemented by elections.

Are you working with anyone on this potential campaign for town government? If it's just for a job in the town government, great. But if the intent is to help for a revolution in the future(it has to be for socialism), there's not much one can do alone. Can't spell socialism without social.:)

[DekuScrub]

to be more specific about my question. Could something like a $15 minimum wage be enacted at that town level? If not, what's the smallest level of government it can be enacted at? What kind of specific reforms could a town board enact?

I think it's kind of revealing about how little the left has explored the possibilities of electoralism that no one really seems to know the answer to these questions. That's not a specific dig at anyone here. I've asked these questions in a bunch of different places hoping to get an answer without success.

[DekuScrub]

Smallest level $15/hr can be enacted is one workplace via strikes:).

It depends on the state. Some states have their own supremacy clause where the state minimum wage may override local and city governments. Same with other laws.

Have you just talked to people and asked what they think? You and people around you are going to know more about local conditions and demands than anyone here. Perhaps a construction project that's going to destroy wildlife, police acting like police, businesses treating workers like workers(as in shit:lol:), corruption, potholes and streetlights that are broke, worker's councils for more civic participation;)?

I think local elections have more potential in the US than federal elections. However, the local offices should be more a reflection of a broader movement in the streets, rather than someone getting elected creating a socialist movement or worse the movement in itself being about elections. Making it about the latter is a symptom of being conditioned to US politics where it's only about elections(in a system designed specifically for capitalists, why it's lasted so long), and not setting up dual power outside the government that's complemented by elections.

Are you working with anyone on this potential campaign for town government? If it's just for a job in the town government, great. But if the intent is to help for a revolution in the future(it has to be for socialism), there's not much one can do alone. Can't spell socialism without social.:)

Nvm my previous post, which seems to be stuck in moderation hell, about no one answering my questions. You at least gave it a good shot! Thanks. And fwiw, the whole running for town board thing is purely hypothetical. I'm more curious about what the possibilities of local electoralism in general. Like even something as simple as a school board...what can be accomplished from there? I don't know. But I'd like to.

[Comrade Jacob]

You can do fuck all.

[#FF0000]

I think it's kind of revealing about how little the left has explored the possibilities of electoralism that no one really seems to know the answer to these questions.

The Left has a pretty huge history of engaging in electoral politics, though. And what you're talking about has been done in the US before, with the "Sewer Socialists" in the midwest in the early 20th century. They ran on "good governance" platforms and worked on projects like improving local public services, modernizing sanitation systems and power station, cleaning the neighborhood, etc.

I don't understand the question though, "what could a socialist on a town board accomplish". In terms of reforms, they could accomplish the same thing that any moderately left-of-center liberal could accomplish -- and little else unless there's great public pressure for greater reforms. And, if that were the case, who needs a socialist mayor in the first place?

[DekuScrub]

[QUOTE=#FF0000;2840694]The Left has a pretty huge history of engaging in electoral politics, though./QUOTE]

I meant the modern left.

[cyu]

should be more a reflection of a broader movement in the streets, rather than someone getting elected creating a socialist movement or worse the movement in itself being about elections. Making it about the latter is a symptom of being conditioned to US politics where it's only about elections(in a system designed specifically for capitalists, why it's lasted so long), and not setting up dual power outside the government that's complemented by elections.


Well said - if Bernie Sanders is just about Bernie Sanders, then it will probably end up being about as disempowering as waiting for Syriza to save Greece.