For Unity, not Unanimity: Palestine, Jamaal Bowman, and DSA
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The militant Chicago Teachers Union leader Karen Lewis asked us to judge our work by three questions: “Does it unite us, does it build our power, and does it make us stronger?'” The push to expel U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman from Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) does none of these three things.
We support DSA’s commitment to Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) on the state of Israel and are critical of Bowman’s actions—both his vote to fund the Iron Dome and his participation in a J Street trip, the purpose of which was clearly to legitimize the administration of Prime Minister Bennett in the eyes of liberals in the United States. And we also believe expelling Bowman would be a Pyrrhic victory for its proponents and a defeat for DSA as a whole.
As socialists, our concern is with making material progress towards justice, not simply with messaging about what justice is. Forcibly expelling an elected official whom DSA helped put in office may seem like an act of power, but it reflects weakness, not strength. Strong movements can shift allies and comrades towards their positions. Expelling Bowman could send a strong signal about our position on BDS, but it will not provide any material aid to the Palestinian cause. Left anti-Zionist organizations in the US and Palestine have not asked DSA to sever our relationship with Bowman, and many are continuing to work with Congressman Bowman to move him towards a more just position. Members should understand that this action would not necessarily be embraced by those leading the work as productive or strategic.
Instead, it would be a performative act that will only create a dynamic with elected officials and movement leaders that can always drive them away, but never bring them closer to our position. Our power to move (or remove) elected officials comes from the organizing we do in their districts, but this conversation is not being driven by the members of DSA on the ground there. Most calls for expulsion have come without any discussion or even acknowledgement of any path that could lead to reconciliation or to healing the harm caused by Bowman’s actions. As members of an abolitionist organization, we find this troubling. Holding someone accountable in this organization should not mean writing them off forever.
If the National Political Committee (NPC) expels Bowman, it would be an undemocratic rebuke to DSA's highest decision-making body, our biennial convention. This year, 1,200 delegates representing 90,000 DSA members met to consider the question of whether DSA's platform should be binding on members in CB 8 and resoundingly rejected it by a vote of 338-637. If the NPC bows to chapter leaders passing resolutions calling for an individual member from a different chapter to be expelled for violating the platform—resolutions that in many cases were passed without any debate or discussion at membership meetings—they would be undermining DSA's democracy and setting a dangerous precedent.
DSA has already criticized and distanced ourselves from Bowman’s actions, which is appropriate. While workers strike, historic legislation fights for life, and the climate justice movement faces COP26, DSA leaders are forced to focus on an internal matter at the expense of external organizing. This will make our members and the public question who is DSA struggling against: the ruling class or itself.
Akron DSA
Heather Hillenbrand
Alyssa Figueroa
Dominic Grossi
Eric Morris
Jefferson Hodge
Ben Gifford
Carl Kelemen
At-Large Members
Jonathan Smucker
Alexander Hernandez
Nathan Arries
Daniel Benjamin Bailey
Justin Mayhugh
Christopher Nagy
Galen Herz
Ben Lorber
Chris Fletcher
Dr. Jeffrey J. Wilkinson
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Preston Meyer
Antonio
Michael Stanford
Thomas Sutherland
Kevin Chavis
Jonah Birch
Luca D'Agruma
Derek Graham
Dalton Randall Herriott
Liam Hunt
Tom Edminster
Gerard Moran
Richard Bryant
Atlanta DSA
Jose G. Perez
Barbara Joye
Chad Steacy
Austin DSA
Mike Nachbar
Skyler
Beau Ballard-Wood
Don Jackson
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Jackie
Bob Cash
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Matthew Parker
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Keegan G.
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Henri Alphonse
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Harry
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Sean M. Estelle
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Martin Savino Mazzei
Alec Hudson
Angela Janusz
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Nicholas F.
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Dan Berger
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Akshai Singh
bishop chui
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Keith A.
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Austin
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