cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/49686846

The Democratic Socialists of America has released an updated platform that calls for a sweeping remake of the political system, including eliminating the U.S. Senate and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which the organization has publicly advocated since 2018.

The revised “Workers Deserve More” platform says the country’s political institutions must be rebuilt from the ground up, said Michaela Brangan, a North New Jersey DSA member who helped write the platform.

The platform’s language calls for replacing the president and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress. The socialists argue that these changes would curb concentrated power in Washington and create a more democratic system.

...

DSA leaders say they are trying to convert that momentum into a broader influence on national debates and that any candidate the group endorses must support the platform.

The updated platform opens with warnings about war zones across the Middle East, the spread of detention camps and data centers, rising temperatures and soaring costs of basic goods. It argues that a “billionaire class” is dividing workers and fueling desperation.

It describes a world in which “the bosses” are carrying out a plan visible in images of conflict abroad, in the construction of detention facilities at home and in the rising cost of living.

The party says workers are being pitted against one another and displaced by artificial intelligence, leaving people “desperate and miserable” as capitalism turns toward right‑wing authoritarianism. It says both major parties serve “the same criminal class of billionaires and war profiteers.”

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DSA’s vision includes a significant expansion of the House once the Senate is eliminated.

Ms. Brangan told members on a Tuesday conference call that the Senate is “more loyal to itself and their donors than their own constituents.” She argued that enlarging the House would move the country closer to what she described as a more representative democracy.

“The Senate is an anachronism, and it’s completely idiosyncratic to the United States,” Ms. Brangan said. “This has been around for over 200 years, and it’s not working.”

She said a House expansion would be a step toward “a true democracy.”

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Beyond institutional overhauls, the platform lays out a broad set of policy goals: imposing wealth taxes on the richest Americans and corporations, canceling student debt, establishing a 32-hour workweek, granting blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants, enacting “Medicare for All,” providing universal childcare and a pledge to position the organization at the forefront of the fight for transgender rights.

On foreign policy, the platform calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an end to U.S. military and economic aid to Israel.

The platform also includes a “feminism for all” plank that calls for queer liberation, an end to gender‑based violence and bans on sex discrimination. It opposes restrictions on abortion, childbirth, gender expression and gender transition.

The document casts the DSA mission as building a working‑class political force capable of drafting a new constitution and creating what it describes as a democratic socialist republic.

It says some demands may be achievable under the current system, but “complete victory” will require building a new society from the ground up.

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[–] 59 points 1 week ago (2 children)
  1. This is from a right-wing rag, the Washington Times.

  2. Their full platform has many more items; the Washington Times has chosen one they think will enrage their base and one that they think their base will laugh at. You can read the full platform here.

  3. Since the title focuses partially on Congress, their Congressional reforms are [in order]: Replace the two-party system with a multi-party democracy. Expand the House of Representatives, implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections, and abolish the Senate.

  4. Since the title also focuses on ICE, their abolish ICE proposals include: End ICE detention and deportations and punish federal agents' brutality. Legalize migration, grant amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status, provide a path to citizenship for all permanent residents, and end visa caps and quotas.

  5. Some of their other goals:

  • Extend full voting rights to all permanent U.S. residents and restore the right to vote for incarcerated people and people with criminal convictions. Establish statehood for Washington D.C. and recognize the right to self-determination for all U.S. territories and colonies. Expand and protect voting rights and end voter suppression.

  • get rid of lobbyists, dark money, and Citizens United, and publicly finance all elections. Abolish the Electoral College. Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.

  • Establish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries to ensure democratic control and accountability to the people. Enact aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations to spend on public goods and infrastructure.

I don't agree with all of their goals, and I don't see a path to get others accomplished, but I like the fact that they're trying to actually fix the system instead of just trying to get along within it.

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