DSA on Dem Party betrayal

Of course socialists would say the Dem Party betrayed us in the infrastructure deal. And the lone 6 progressives who voted against it are right. That's because they are right.

Holding the Line on Build Back Better

November 12, 2021

On November 5th, the House of Representatives passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package (BIF) by a narrow 228-206 margin, relying on the votes of 13 Republicans for passage. After progressives spent months holding the line and refusing to pass this right wing bill until the superior Build Back Better (BBB) bill was passed, this can only be described in one word: betrayal.

Democrats have spent the year promoting BBB’s benefits for working people, while DSA members fought tirelessly to ensure indispensable climate funding and key pieces of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act were included. But with this vote, it’s clear only six Democratic members of the House are willing to actually fight for us: Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, who all voted NO on BIF. We applaud their NO vote.

The BIF is not, as touted, an “FDR-style” public works bill. It is a bundle of GOP-approved giveaways to corporations, including the fossil fuel industry, with a net negative climate impact. BIF’s use was as leverage. While the rest of the party gave up any leverage they had to pass legislation that would support the working class, these six remained firm. The fate of the hundreds of millions of working people depending on BBB’s social programs is now up to the handful of conservative Democrats who oppose them.

If the BBB does pass in any form, it will not be due to the backroom dealings of the establishment, but building on the principled stance of the six representatives who refused to give in, morally or strategically, following the lead of organized movements. DSA stands with these representatives, which include all four DSA members in Congress, as this bloc continues showing their commitment to fighting for working people. 

DSA is committed to growing this bloc by winning elections at every level of government and building mass working class power through powerful campaigns that can take on the ruling class. Organizing gets the goods, and as strikers around the country are showing, the goods are long overdue.