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DSOC Convention: New Goals Set, EDITED by MICHAEL HARRINGTON

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DSOC Convention: New Goals Set, EDITED by MICHAEL HARRINGTON DSOC Convention: New Goals Set, EDITED BY MICHAEL HARRINGTON 3 Anti-Carter Mood March 1979 Vol. VII No. By David Hoffman SIGNIFICANT TURN TOWARDS INSIDE building a stronger Demo­ cratic Socialist Organizing Committee- with nearly twice Special Report: Budget, p. 5 the present membership in Whih: everyone decries the bare bones budget, 1980 and a renewed effort to few talk about a fully fleshed program to meet form a broad coalition of the human needs. Cushing Dolbeare shows where democratic left in .America- the money's going now, where it needs to go, came last month at the DSOC Fourth and how to get it there. National Convention. Elected to top DSOC leadership po­ sitions were the president of the Bronx Down, But Not Out, p. 9 International .Association of Machinists The South Bronx may never rise again, but (I.AM) and a leader in the .American it won't be for lack of trying. Maxine Phillips Hispanic community. talks to DSOC activists who put a confused Major organizational initiatives were scene in perspective. also adopted. These included beginning to explore merger possibilities with the 800-member New .American Movement Ailing Health Plans, p. 11 (NAM) ; local recruitment and a direct Does national health insurance suffer from mail drive to reach 5000 members by terminal inertia? Tim Smart looks at legisla­ '' .. the 'New Founda­ 1980; a major DEMOCRATIC .AGENDA tive proposals and makes a diagnosis. tions' of / immy Carter conference next fall around the theme of "A Program in Search of a Democratic are being constructed solely on empty rhetoric What's Left to Read, p. 13 Candidate"; and both before and after Sex and the Chinese communists. Lenin and that conference a nationally coordinated and phoney promises.'' the Italian communists. Latin .America and multi-city speaking tour by DSOC and the Socialist International. DSOC and Cold other democratic left leaders. Ronald Dellums War history. Ron Radosh samples some con­ Also discussed by the convention was a troversial analyses. possible presidential race in a few Demo­ cratic primaries by Harrington if the ele­ ments for at least a "minimally serious" A Socialist Plurality? p. 14 issues campaign could be assembled and Would a unified Europe be a socialist one? if no other stronger candidate such as Bogdan Denitch draws hopeful conclusions Kennedy has entered the race by summer. from a poll on the upcoming European Par­ In Harrington's words, "it remains an liament elections. open question and I leave the way open if no one else comes forward. I want us slogan learned in my youth, that 'I would to keep our eyes and ears open." not lead you into the Promised Land, for Winpisinger Is Vice-Chair In the final words of her closing ad­ if I could lead you into it, then others Newly elected vice-drnrs are Atlanta dress, Deborah Meier spoke not only to could lead you out.' theologian Michael Rivas, who chairs the the 150 delegates and 100 observers, she "We will meet again in two years as DSOC Hispanic Commission, and IAM spoke also to DSOC members and sup­ more nearly a movement than an organiz­ Preo;ident William Winpisinger, who porters everywhere. ing committee. That's not quite the Prom­ said-from the AFL-CIO meeting in ised Land, but it will have to do "Socialists must be political teachers," Florida that same weekend-"Sure, it's for now.'' she declared. "Not teachers in the sense unusual for the president of a major na­ of the traditional classroom, but rather For over three days in mid-February, tional union to accept a leadership role as guides, partners and fellow-explorers. DSOC raised the banner of democratic within a socialist organization. But these socialism-aided by an energetic local "It is what lies behind the Debsian arc not ordinary times. DSOC is working chapter-in one of the capital cities of for an economic system that puts human the oil-and-gas Sunbelt, Houston, Texas, needs above corporate profits, and I'm where the convention heard-the words of with them all the way." California Democratic Congressman Ron Following a convention decision to ex­ Dellums, "This is now a new historical pand the number of at-large seats on the I JITTERS moment, and we must emerge. national board and to elect eight men and To the Editor: "The American welfare state is indeed eight women to those seats, a serious at a point of bankruptcy, and the 'New I read with great interest Robert Le­ political campaign to win those seats took kachman 's discussion (January 1979) of Foundations' of Jimmy Carter are being place. Harrington termed this develop­ the Administration's anti-inflation poli­ constructed solely on empty rhetoric and ment ..a sign of the growing political phoney promises," thundered Dellums, cies. Everybody on lhe Left is disgusted strength of DSOC.'' The at-large mem­ the first avowed socialist to sit in the U.S. with the decision on the part of the Ad­ bers of the new board will form its execu­ ministration to use the poor and disad­ Congress since 1926 and a leading voice tive committee, which also includes vantaged as price stabilizers. for black Americans as well as a member DSOC's national officers. of DSOC. What I find terribly frustrating is the Elected to at-large seats were: (men) "As people who have courage and :tbsence of discussion in the leftist litera­ Greg Akili (San Diego), Harry Boyte integrity, we must now pick up our own (Minneapolis), Jim Chapin, Jack Clark ture regarding specific policies. I would banner and go to the American people love to see someone clearly list a set of and Frank Lugoviiia (New York City), with new alternatives," said Dellums, "to specific policies to deal with inflation Roger Robinson (Detroit), Jim Wallace recapture the economic wealth of the (Washington, D.C.), and George Wood that would not place an excessive burden nation as a whole." on the poor. (Champaign-Urbana); (women) Jeanne Throughout the Motel-Modern tacki­ Kettelson and Mary Roodkowsky (Bos­ Donald V. Fandetti ness of the Holiday Inn-whose roadside Baltimore, MD ton), Nancy Kleniewski (Philadelphia), sign prominently announced "Welcome Nancy Lieber (Sacramento-Davis), Mar­ Democratic Socialists"-delegates and ob­ jorie Phyfe (New York City), Trudy ••• servers actively joined both in plenary Robideau (San Diego), Nancy Shier To the Editor: sessions and informal caucuses to thrash (Chicago) and Cynthia Ward (Stony Just a note to tell you how much I like out crucial issues governing the direction Brook, Long Island) . the new format and new name of DEMO· of DSOC during the next two years. Five of the new board members­ CRATIC LEFT. It has a professional look, The national officers and at-large na­ Boyte, Robinson, Kettelson, Kleniewski is very snappy and ought to go far. tional board seats were decided. Michael and Robideau-joined in pre-balloting Frank Wallick HarringtQn remains national chair. Re­ sessions with at least one quarter of the Washington, D.C. named vice-chairs are Deborah Meier, convention delegates, all seeking to pro­ a New York City educator and activist, mote stronger emphasis within DSOC on Lette1·s lo the edito,. must be signed. Wt> UAW International Representative Carl explicitly "socialist" work. All their reserve the right Jo edit for clarity and Shier of Chicago, and Ruth Jordan of meetings were completely oix:n and no brevity. Please limit letters to leu than Washington, D.C., a leader in the Coali­ specific "left slate" emerged from what 350 words. tion of Labor Union Women. was first dubbed the "left-socialist cau- Michael Harrington DEMOCRATIC LEFT is published ten times a year Editor (monthly except July and August) by the Dem­ ocratic Socialist Organizing Committee, 853 Maxine Phillips Broadway, Room 617, New York, N.Y. 10003. Managing Editor Telephone: (212) 260-3270. Subscription rates: Sustaining $10 per year; Regular $5 per year; Jack Clark Limited income $2.50. Signed articles express Acting National the opinions of the authors. ISSN 0164-3207. Director Second Class Permit Paid at New York, N.Y. 2 DEMOCRATIC LEFT March 1979 local chapters is pledged. The resolution encourages explicitly socialist critiques to -·- be issued publicly by DSOC and through internal education, including the circula­ tion of a regular discussion bulletin of socialist ideas. The document also authorizes the hir­ ing of full-time national staff to coordi­ nate DSOC's youth section organizing and directs the board to create a Feminist Commission-on the model of the His­ panic Commission-at its next meeting. Finally, in a dialectical show of the resolution's extended reach, delegates approved sections committing DSOC to continue its coalition work within the Democratic Party while also appointing a committee to explore merger with NAM, whose national political secretary Richard Healey attended the convention as a special guest. Alex Spinrad (Wash­ ington, D.C.) criticized the prospect of National Chair Michael Harrington addresses delegates. a NAM merger, saying, "It's no secret that NAM considers itself to our left both in style and rhetoric," but the dele­ cus" and later- in order not to appear Resolution Charts Directions gates voted 91 to 10 to support steps factional or sectarian- renamed the "left. towards possible merger. socialist group." On the convention's final day, an or­ Throughout the convention, many Referring to an earlier conversation ganizational perspectives resolution, map­ other notes were struck-sadness, elo­ with Harrington, sociologist Bogdan ping the direction of DSOC until the quence and practicality. Denitch noted that "Michael doesn't next convention, was put before the Sadness, with the fond farewells ex­ think we need caucuses, but he told me delegates.
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