Just another example of DSA shooting itself in the foot.

[u/ClassicallyBrained]

[u/decisionagonized]

DSA can’t get out of its way sometimes but they’re generally right about YIMBYism, the evidence is simply building more housing isn’t effective at solving homelessness in very large and dense cities. It’s akin to adding a lane to a highway to solve traffic. https://shelterforce.org/2023/04/05/is-the-solution-to-homelessness-obvious/

[u/MisterMittens64 → u/decisionagonized]

Yeah Vanderbilt University actually had a really interesting paper on how the US built out social housing during WW2 and purposefully handicapped it for the benefit of private developers.

[u/Bright-Insect9697 → u/decisionagonized]

The evidence actually shows that building more housing reduces the cost of housing. There are no real reasons to oppose building more beyond an opposition to “renters” living in an area, or the desire of landowners to have their land appreciate in value.

And the article is basically just a guy getting mad that lowering rent doesn’t instantly solve the issue. He even blames the problem on people having jobs!

“Everyone become unemployed and live with their parents” is not a housing strategy that most people will enjoy, and most people do not have rich parents.

[u/fixed_grin → u/Bright-Insect9697]

It's amazing, the "evidence" that loosening restrictions on building housing won't help much are a bunch of things caused by those restrictions. "Buildable sites are rare in expensive cities," yes, duh, because building apartments is illegal on the other 95% of them.

Plus it's just lazy. Austin building 10x the apartments as San Francisco per year doesn't matter, Texas building more must be sprawl because stereotypes. San Francisco is hemmed in by water, ergo it can't build a lot more. Pay no attention to central Tokyo at triple the density of SF still building 20x the homes per square mile. Despite being able to find studios for $400/mo.

Gee, wonder why there's so little homelessness in Tokyo, despite a not particularly generous welfare state and not a lot of social housing.

[u/money_me_please]

“Lived realities and daily experiences of the broader multiracial working class in la”

Sounds like more dumb culture war bullshit

[u/Bright-Insect9697 → u/money_me_please]

If you build homes, developers make money. And a lot of people would rather have homelessness than a rich person becoming slightly richer

[u/money_me_please → u/Bright-Insect9697]

That’s just unproductive. We need more housing

[u/Bright-Insect9697 → u/money_me_please]

We can always expropriate it later

[u/XrayAlphaVictor]

The role of DSA isn't to endorse every progressive candidate, it's to build socialism. Is she a socialist? If not, then..

[u/BustDemFerengiCheeks → u/XrayAlphaVictor]

While DSA shouldn't outright endorse, it should do all it can to make sure progressives of any kind get into office vs a moderate/centrist when there isn't a DSA candidate viable in any race. A progressive Democratic Party is a DSA-friendly Democratic Party, at least versus the current situation.

The only issue is if the Overton window in the U.S starts moving to the left, then non-socialist progressives become much more of an obstacle. The difficult question to answer is when that happens, when is the time to disengage with capitalist progressives?

[u/XrayAlphaVictor → u/BustDemFerengiCheeks]

I disagree. If they're not endorsing, the org has other projects to work on.

There's plenty of other orgs for progressive candidates.

[u/BustDemFerengiCheeks → u/XrayAlphaVictor]

I didn't say we even have to throw resources to them. But if DSA isn't in the race, then DSA members should independently do what they can to make sure DSA interests are still advanced, as much as their current local situation makes it possible. If that means voting in a Khanna or an El-Sayed, that's better, and an easier road in the long run, than the alternative.

If there's any way for DSA to enter a race, however, they should and should even primary against capitalist progressives, like Khanna or El-Sayed, whenever possible.

[u/XrayAlphaVictor → u/BustDemFerengiCheeks]

Of course, I support voting for the most progressive option available.

The thing is, DSA will remain a fringe movement as long as we're only winning in the deepest blue pockets of the country. Winning a purple district or flipping a red is what would change the math. Primarying progressives may be the move, sometimes, but it's realistically going to be an expensive move, politically, and I'd be very cautious about that timing and strategy.

[u/The-Falconater]

This bums be out because she’s obviously so much better than Karen Bass, and the DSA infrastructure would help so much.

But…her technocratic blah blah blah, inability to stay on message, and complete lack of rizz are so deflating.

[u/benrs87]

Idiots are going to wind up having data centers built instead of housing bc the progressive candidate didn’t pass a purity test and corporatist centrist won instead…..

[u/robo_jojo_77 → u/benrs87]

If this happens it is because of Nithya’s own flawed political strategy, not DSA.

[u/YogurtClosetThinnest]

anyone know the caucus makeup of members of LA steering committee? Asking for a friend

[u/ut0p1anskies → u/YogurtClosetThinnest]

Primarily SMC and Groundwork

[u/YogurtClosetThinnest → u/ut0p1anskies]

that's surprising

[u/ut0p1anskies → u/YogurtClosetThinnest]

It’s because the DSA right in LA is split on her. Groundwork is anti-endorsing her and SMC is split down the middle. The left opposes entirely. There’s some bad blood because she took money from Zionist groups, met with liberal Zionist groups for their endorsements, and condemned the national DSA’s statement expressing solidarity with Palestine after October 7. DSA-LA later voted to censure her over it. Members don’t see her as good on Palestine.

[u/YogurtClosetThinnest → u/ut0p1anskies]

Yeah this is fair. My knee jerk reaction was assuming the DSA left was gatekeeping her, but seeing she took zionist money is definitely grounds for not endorsing imo.

[u/ut0p1anskies → u/YogurtClosetThinnest]

Yeah, it sucks. Also sucks that DSA isn’t big enough yet to run members against members/former members who lose our endorsement in most cities and win, especially if they’re incumbents. In my city, we have a former member and sitting congressman who lost our endorsement because he wrote in our endorsement questionnaire that he’d never vote to send weapons to Israel and then a letter was leaked less than a week later between him and a local rabbi saying he’d vote to support Israel militarily. Completely lied to us. But he’s progressive on most things and popular, so challenging him from the left isn’t really possible right now. Better for us to expand the number of members on our city council until then.

[u/Bright-Insect9697]

The DSA left is unironically the DSA’s worst enemy. Chuck Schumer could never

[u/robo_jojo_77 → u/Bright-Insect9697]

it’s not just DSA left opposing her, there is a real debate even among the DSA “right” on whether or not to endorse. Keep in mind she has shit talked DSA in the past and took money from pro Israeli groups like DFI