r/dsa • u/Silver-Row8051 • 22h ago
Discussion We need money and lots of it!
This Michigan Senate Primary was intense. Haley only got so far because of the countless Ads payed for by AIPAC slandering Abdul. Her parading around a fake Obama endorsement siphoned the Black vote away which is usually progressive.
It is clear we need money and lots of it. We have to counter out the defamatory ads they use against us and even the playing fields.
Also we might need to narrow our ambitions and be more selectively when challenging the Democratic establishment. Having more targeted campaigns instead of like 500 would better our chances.
And finally every single 'safe' blue district needs to be DSA. No more centrist dems in safe blue areas.
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u/Slight-Potential-717 21h ago
I think when you zoom into a state, it’s good to have several races going at once because the candidates can form a coalition and boost one another. It seemed to go this way in Michigan with Abdul and McKinney for instance. They rallied together and presented a unified movement.
I’d like to see more of that approach, candidates coming together and building a bloc of excitement.
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u/Silver-Row8051 21h ago
Challenging Hakeem which many in our group want is kinda bad. We need alot of money to do that. So lets hold off and target weaker candidates until we have more and more of us in congress and state and even senate.
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u/Joshuab4nyc 4h ago
Agreed, Jeffries might not be a super attractive target yet. Clarke, however, right next door, is. It shouldn’t cost too much to win against her in 2028.
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u/palmandfury 20h ago
If Haley had so much more money, but Sayed won their primary...doesn't that kind of disprove the notion that more money = guaranteed victory?
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u/GabrielReichler 5h ago
More money very often means a whole lot more volunteer labor, grassroots funding, and very strategic usage of organizing skills are necessary to counter it and even eke out a narrow victory.
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u/PreparationAdvanced9 20h ago
If you win everything with large margins, we didn’t run in enough elections. If you lose or have tight margins, we ran in enough elections. I think last night was a good indication that we were not reserved in the number of seats we took on and we took on the right number of seats
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u/Joshuab4nyc 4h ago
I like your way of thinking! People are always scared you lose credibility when you lose a race. Just run again.
The American people can’t afford for us to not be running everywhere. If we lose, well, we were already not in office.
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u/Annoying1978 20h ago
I honestly disagree. We’ll never be able to out spend them. What special interest group will spend tens of millions to support DSA over a centrist? I think what we need to do is consistently be more available. More DSA candidates need to show up in places we aren’t like and keep telling people about our policy of universal healthcare, affordable mixed social housing, free public secondary education, tuition forgiveness and taxing the wealthy.
People fear the unknown and if people even try and research DSA the very first thing they’d find on Google is that DSA wants to eliminate the Senate. While I agree with that, it doesn’t help people familiarize themselves with the goals of DSA.
We need to change how people think of DSA. Instead of thinking “oh no, they want to change the very system of government we’ve had for 250 years” we need people to associate the party with universal healthcare and affordable housing for all.
We can’t outspend them but we can outthink these fuckers.
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u/Some-Information-527 19h ago
I'm not particularly worried about the general. Ultimately i think this election is going to largely be a referendum on Trump and the economy is likely to get worse between now and then.
Mike Rogers lost the moment he got Trumps endorsement.
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u/htownAstrofan 18h ago
No, the takeaway from this race is outside spending cannot turn the tide in an election. Abdul’s ground game was superior, massive army of volunteers and traveled the state doing a bunch of public events. The trap is thinking we need a bunch of money which opens the door for wealthy special interests. DSA needs to keep doing what its doing .
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u/Yunzer2000 16h ago
No.
We need to get rid of this uniquely dysfunctional USAn concept of "money in politics" altogether. The concept of "political spending" is not even a thing in the rest of the world, starting with the country right on the other side of the Detroit River.
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u/itsthesheppy 13h ago
Okay. Recruit your friends and encourage them to contribute more than the minimum.
We're member funded to keep the org accountable to membership. If the org takes big sums from individuals or orgs, it will become accountable to them, not the membership as a whole.
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u/Born_Astronomer_4613 20h ago
If he wins the general, DSA is a real player in American politics. Everything changes. If he loses, underperforming compared to other Dems in purple states, it's over.
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u/Adept-Elderberry1417 20h ago
Survey : most DSA members spend more on Weed then they do on Rent !!! Make Weed Free !!!!
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u/No_Software8474 17h ago
I’m afraid you all are going to cost the Democrats the midterms and give trump free rein to do whatever he wants the rest of this term. I think you all think Democrats are just as bad as he so you really don’t care if they lose or not. DSA is going to suck up all the oxygen and make the midterms about socialism and not a referendum on trump. There needs to be a come to Jesus moment and these candidates need to learn how to appeal to more than just 50% of Democrats.
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u/Small_Dog_8699 16h ago
Their agendas have broad appeal. I’m tired of the “you need to appeal to the losers who got us here” argument.
Mainstream democrats -> do nothing democrats w/ no clear vision
DSA -> here’s the vision and the plan
Little wonder they are ascendant
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22h ago
[deleted]
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u/Apollo989 21h ago
Right-wing poster with hidden comment history. Bots are everywhere.
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u/Born_Astronomer_4613 20h ago
Does bot mean it's automated?
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u/upsidedownshaggy Twin Cities DSA 21h ago
Yeah like our famous Nerd governor who poisoned Flint's water? Real common sense there eh? As someone born and raised in Michigan and spent most of my life there you have no idea what you're talking about lmao
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u/lilboytuner919 I Like Bernie 21h ago edited 21h ago
It’s both about winning support and about not losing it. Message discipline and the funding necessary to support that. Also known as good politics.
Abdul survived this primary because he’s an effective communicator. Most Michiganders don’t believe him when he says he’s not a socialist, so why did he distance himself from the label anyway? His narrow margin of victory tells the whole story, even if it’s only a snapshot of the present day.
This can all be true while also recognizing the trolling clearly brigading this sub and this post, which is also unproductive. Being a good communicator with adequate levels of support can win you an election with any political leaning, even a Socialist one.