Convention 2025 Platform

Build The Foundation to Raise the Roof

DSA’s greatest strength resides in Chapters, where hands-on democracy, face-to-face organizing, and connections with local workers create the conditions to recruit and develop committed socialist cadre. Red Star will prioritize efforts to Increase Resources for Chapters to provide the skills and funding necessary to organize in our communities, and Give Chapters a voice in National by bringing in elected leaders to make decisions in the national organization. We will support the Growth and Development Committee to connect chapters and leaders to one another and help chapters to build on chapter democratic practice, better share lessons from local organizing, and build strong, protagonistic socialists everywhere.

Fighting Fascism means Fighting the Duopoly

Fascism in the United States is a collaborative effort by both parties of the ruling class, the Democrats and the Republicans. We can’t look for allies in our struggle against Trump in the “Left Wing” of a capitalist Party; we have to create a constituency for DSA itself through class struggle in our communities. Red Star will Make DSA a political home for people radicalized by both the Trump administration and the failures of the Democratic Party, Solidify our position as a site of struggle for trans and immigrant communities under attack, Forge closer ties with abolitionist and anti-imperialist groups in the vanguard of the working class, Build an independent electoral base in the working class, Cut ties with the Democratic Party, and End empty endorsements that trail "left-wing" candidates.

A Positive Vision of Socialist Internationalism

Socialist countries are not our enemy, U.S. imperialism is. When we declare our opposition to nations that have won their revolutions and are under attack by our government, we undermine the internationalist movement we need to be a part of. To rebuild long-dormant international structures, we have to work to establish a sufficient basis of unity with our comrades around the world. Red Star will Build ties with socialist parties and governments abroad and make Strong internationalist education a core value of DSA.

In Electoral Politics, Organization is our Principal Task

Socialist power resides in the strength of our Organization, not in elected positions within the capitalist state. When we run electoral campaigns, we should keep our eyes on the revolutionary horizon, and make sure that our campaigns elevate class consciousness, recruit new members to DSA, train our cadre, build support for DSA within the local working class, and strengthen democratic practice within DSA. Red Star will Prioritize support for agitational campaigns through the National Electoral Commission and work with the National Tech Committee to Develop alternatives to Democratic Party tools like VAN and ActBlue that give our opponents leverage over our campaigns.

New Organizing is the Lifeblood of our Struggle

DSA’s place in Labor and Tenant organizing is on the front lines; we must Lead union drives among the unorganized, build worker organizations outside the NLRA in non-traditional industries, and Grow the tenant movement in working class neighborhoods across the country. While we should work within and alongside the unions and workers’ centers that exist now, they are not the principal organ of the working class; the Party is. Our labor and tenant organizing work should Prioritize building DSA. Our goal is to build a party that embraces and supports militancy through recruitment and development of protagonistic member-leaders, not to develop notionally “independent” organizations that are vulnerable to capture or subversion.  Red Star will Expand DSA’s involvement in EWOC and ETOC, provide More DSA resources for new organizing, and Develop salting programs by studying successful and unsuccessful efforts that our chapters have run.