2023 National Convention Report-back
Adapted by California DSA from a report by Faye W. for the SF delegation
Overall, both participants and observers agreed that the convention reflects the fact that DSA has matured as an organization. The meetings ran smoothly and were largely focused on debate and resolving political conflicts collectively. As a whole, though there were some disappointments (and what those disappointments were differed from person to person and faction to faction), the mood leaving the convention was largely positive.
Key Political Debates
This convention focused heavily on questions regarding the structure of the national organization, electoral strategy, labor strategy, internationalism, and how we support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction movement and our anti-Zionism work. The bulk of this report will focus on debates regarding these issues and how they were resolved. However, there were many other issues the organization has broad and sometimes universal or near universal support on. I want to start by highlighting these, because we are an organization that still agrees with each other at least as much as we disagree.
Consensus Points
The Housing Justice Commission Consensus Resolution, naming Bud as DSA’s official mascot, renewing the National Activist Conference, revising the public platform to add support for railroad public ownership, and developing an editorial board to oversee the organization’s publication all passed unanimously as a part of the consent agenda. In addition, the Green New Deal Campaign Commission Consensus Resolution, the Multiracial Organizing Committee Consensus Resolution, the YDSA Consensus Resolution, a recommitment for fighting for immigrant rights, a national campaign around fighting for trans and reproductive rights, a directive to focus local electoral work on school board campaigns, and the Growth and Development Committee Consensus Resolution all passed with overwhelming support. Even more, all these passed with more than two thirds majorities except for the Green New Deal Campaign Commission Consensus Resolution, which passed with 63% in support.
Organizational Structure
Arguably, organizational structure was the main theme of the convention. Some organizational restructuring had broad support, such as the previously mentioned creation of a member-led editorial board to lead our publication management or the National Political Committee (NPC) recommendation to divide the Secretary-Treasurer position on the Steering Committee. In addition, there was broad support for establishing a Democracy Commission, which the 2023 convention delegates will elect in the coming months. The Commission is tasked with studying how our national organization is structured, researching how other similar organizations worldwide operate, and ultimately providing recommendations on how we should change our organizational structure to align with best practices. This resolution passed with almost 90% in favor, demonstrating a strong desire for an investigation into the national organization’s structures, practices, and processes.
Democratize DSA
The Democratize DSA Constitution and Bylaws amendment was maybe the most contentious debate on the floor at the national convention. Democratize DSA – sometimes referred to as “MegaNPC” – was another in a series of attempts over the several past conventions to introduce structural changes to the national structure in response to broad dissatisfaction with how the NPC operates. The amendment would have changed the size of the NPC from an 18 member body with 17 total votes to a 51 member body with 51 votes. A floor amendment reduced the proposed number to a 35 member body with 35 votes, which was the number in the final proposal the delegates ultimately voted on.
Proponents of Democratize DSA argued that they believed the problems with the NPC stem from capacity problems, which a larger body could ameliorate. Opponents argued that the issue with the NPC was not capacity, but the lack of any avenue for membership oversight over the NPC between national conventions, which a larger body would not necessarily resolve. As a constitutional amendment, it needed at least a two thirds majority to pass. Democratize DSA ultimately failed with 62% in favor and 38% against.
National Co-Chairs
Another major change this national convention introduced was approving a member resolution that instated full-time, national co-chair positions for the NPC. National convention delegates will elect these co-chairs from the recently elected NPC members by November. In the future, NPC candidates will run for the co-chair positions directly.
This change was one of the closest votes registered during convention, with 453 in favor and 437 against – a margin of 16 votes.
Ongoing Sites of Political Disagreement
Though the final Electoral, Labor, and International Committee Consensus Resolutions all passed with over a two thirds majority, they staged debates through their amendment processes that have recurred over the past few national conventions and will, in all likelihood, return in future conventions.
Electoral
Party-building pathways and strategies were the main question debated within the Electoral Consensus Resolution. The convention approved an amendment to the consensus resolution that outlines a path for party-building. It rejected a proposal that established censure mechanisms for DSA-endorsed elected officials and DSA members in elected office who contravene the organization’s public platform and stated positions. This amendment failed 59 to 41%. However, the question of if and how the organization should censure DSA-endorsed elected officials and DSA members in elected office was reprised through a member resolution later on as well. The convention divided the question on a member resolution directing electoral work to vote on a section that required the NPC to censure DSA-affiliated elected officials who endorse, support, or campaign for centrist elected officials. This vote failed much more narrowly with 419 for and 438 against – a margin of 19 votes.
Labor
The Labor Consensus Resolution featured debate over two amendments. One contrasted building up the democratic structures of unions themselves against a strategy focused on allowing relationships with existing union leadership. Opponents argued that the latter would have redirected DSA labor work toward union leadership; proponents argued the amendment simply removed language that blocked organizing with leadership. The other proposed paying NLC co-chairs and requiring wide distribution of NLC survey work. The convention rejected both amendments.
International Committee
The single amendment to the International Committee Consensus Resolution would have directed the International Committee to focus on smaller worker parties, to the detriment (according to the opposition) of the International Committee’s current work building relationships with a wide array of worker parties. Moreover, the opposition to the amendment emphasized that the committee does already build relationships with small workers’ parties, but the amendment would require they do so sometimes to the exclusion of other larger worker parties. The amendment failed with 64% against and 36% in favor.
BDS Working Group and Anti-Zionism
Probably the most controversial and maybe the most public topic the convention addressed was the future of BDS and anti-Zionism organizing. The votes were close, and several questions remained outstanding because the convention did not reach certain agenda items, including the Anti-Zionism resolution, due to lack of time. As such, the question is still somewhat outstanding.
National Political Committee Recommendation #8
The NPC introduced a recommendation last minute, past their own deadline, that would dissolve the BDS Working Group and create a BDS subcommittee under the International Committee. Though the move made sense structurally, many people opposed the recommendation, because they saw it as a punitive measure against the working group. In addition to violating convention rules by missing their own deadline, the recommendation was introduced without consulting either the BDS Working Group or the International Committee. The recommendation passed narrowly with 472 in favor and 439 against – a margin of 33 votes. Though the recommendation passed, it is impossible to interpret this vote as a referendum on the situation in any way. In addition to how narrow the vote was, the reasoning behind both support and opposition to the recommendation were widely varied and often not directly about the specific issue at hand. Those in support voted in favor due to a spectrum of reasons from active hostility to the BDS Working Group to sympathy for the Working Group but still voted in favor of the structural change because it made practical sense. Some of those in opposition voted against in order to reject the punitive nature of the proposal; others opposed for procedural reasons, seeing the recommendation as violating agreed upon process timelines.
Agenda and Member Resolution #12
Member Resolution #12 (MR12), which reaffirmed the organization’s Anti-Zionism work, could have offered a more explicit referendum on the position of the broader membership on this issue, but it unfortunately did not come before the convention to discuss for time reasons.
Originally, MR12 was not agendized. A broad coalition of caucuses introduced an agenda amendment during the agenda approval process, which moved a few items to the consent agenda and, therefore, freed up space to place MR12 and several other items onto the agenda. This amendment passed, which made it the first time in the past few conventions that an agenda amendment attempt was successful. Even so, due to time, MR12 did not reach the floor for discussion and was referred to the incoming NPC to resolve.
That said, though the issue was not resolved on the floor, the incoming NPC is largely considered to be far more sympathetic to the BDS Working Group than the previous NPC, not least due to the election of Anti-Zionist Slate candidate Ahmed Husain. It is likely that both the implementation of NPC Recommendation #8 and the final decision on Member Resolution #12 will proceed with less conflict between the BDS Working Group and the NPC than the previous NPC term.
National Political Committee Elections
Ahmed Husain, Denver, Anti-Zionist Slate
Alex Pellitteri, NYC, Bread & Roses
Amy Wilhelm, Seattle, Marxist Unity Group
Ashik Siddique, At-Large, Groundwork Slate
Cara Tobe, Louisville, Groundwork Slate
Colleen Johnston, Denver, Socialist Majority Caucus
Frances Gill, LA, Groundwork Slate
John Lewis, New Orleans, Red Star
Kristin Schall, At-Large, Bread & Roses
Laura Wadlin, Portland, Bread & Roses
Luisa M., Portland, Independent
Megan Romer, At-Large, Red Star
Rashad X, Lakefront, Marxist Unity Group
Renée Paradis, East Bay, Socialist Majority Caucus
Rose DuBois, Maine, Groundwork Slate
Sam Heft-Luthy, San Francisco, Red Star