Western New York, alongside regions across the country, faces healthcare disaster due to the dysfunction of America’s privatized healthcare system being accelerated by federal cuts and state inaction. The Buffalo chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has run a campaign for over a year, Back Off BNP, researching, educating, and organizing WNY residents around the collaboration of local hospital systems, health insurers, and major corporations in the Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP).
“Quality healthcare is not just a necessity for us and our kids, it is a human right. It’s unacceptable that we live in fear of insurers, or of bosses dangling healthcare benefits like a carrot over our heads.“
The campaign seeks to publicize the chamber of commerce’s political influence in favor of private capital and corporations in the state, and against the solution of universal healthcare in New York state, legislation called the New York Health Act (NYHA; NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7590 and Assembly Bill A7897). DSA calls for an urgent focus on NYHA this 2026 legislative session as premiums for WNYers skyrocket to unsustainable amounts due to commercial health insurance plans seeking to offset Medicaid cuts and the effects of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill.
“Private health insurers, such as Independent Health, are being empowered to deny therapeutic and rehabilitative services to patients through arbitrarily and automatically requiring prior authorization. They make massive amounts of money to deny healthcare, get in the way of treatment, and I see them inflict cruelty and desertion on stroke and traumatic brain injury patients,” said Olivia Colgrove, co-chair of the Buffalo DSA Healthcare Committee that organized the picket and a speech-language pathologist. The issue referenced by Colgrove has received high-profile coverage in The Guardian, focusing on Kaleida (whose president and CEO sits on the board of BNP).
“We have been volunteers sounding the alarm on the rollback of what little public healthcare still exists, and the crisis that expansion of the role of private insurers in these programs represents. Trump’s second term is already showing how fragile a system based on private insurance is,” said Moira Madden, co-chair of the Buffalo DSA Healthcare Committee and emergency mental health caseworker. “It’s past time for urgency in the movement for universal healthcare on the state level (e.g. NYHA), as a way to protect against this worsening dysfunction. January 2026 begins a new state legislative session, and a new opportunity for public advocacy and oversight of anti-NYHA lobbyists.”
“Quality healthcare is not just a necessity for us and our kids, it is a human right. It’s unacceptable that we live in fear of insurers, or of bosses dangling healthcare benefits like a carrot over our heads. I am proud to stand with Buffalo DSA, as our campaign and chapter fight for the New York Health Act,” said Adam Bojak, Buffalo DSA member and candidate for state assembly in district 149.
On January 8, 2026 the Buffalo Niagara Partnership will be presenting their lobbying agenda for the year to their political allies at the Jazzboline restaurant in Amherst, from 4-7pm. Buffalo DSA has once again been organizing their membership, sympathetic organizations, and the signatories to their Back Off BNP campaign so far to picket the event and BNP’s longstanding role in opposing the NYHA solution to the healthcare crisis that could be led by New York.
More on NYHA and BNP
NYHA would create statewide, universal, “single payer” healthcare, meaning if passed, all New Yorkers would be enrolled in a single, public insurance program. All services requiring a medical professional of the patient’s choice would be fully covered, without extraneous fees or the negative, profit-motivated intervention of a private insurer.
Buffalo DSA has long rallied around NYHA’s passage alongside like-minded groups and unions statewide, based on its positive projected outcomes for workers’ rights, families, and individuals in all stages of life in New York, as well as the state’s health systems. NYHA, according to the organization, would provide $80 billion in savings over 10 years, as a self-sustaining program through the state’s progressive tax structure. Per their research, New York would not need to cut any essential or existing social programs to fund NYHA, and would create ~150,000 new jobs in the public sector, with retraining for and rehiring of current private insurance workers. Public hospitals would benefit from a higher reimbursement rate, which would lower chances of hospital closures, improving health outcomes for New Yorkers.
The corresponding legislation for NYHA has stalled over the course of several sessions, in part due to lobbyists like the Buffalo Niagara Partnership; the region’s most-utilized health insurers hold leadership on the BNP board and the organization enjoys close ties with local politicians. As Buffalo DSA states in its report on NYHA Opposition, the BNP’s Memorandum of Opposition against these bills, and its membership in an untraceable campaign called “Realities of Single Payer” are examples of their lack of care for the region’s residents. “The way the BNP has wielded its power to lobby against universal healthcare is cruel and unacceptable,” said Madden. “Everyday working people, who outnumber the executives of the BNP, deserve a healthcare system that works for everyone. Anti-NYHA lobbying only serves to enrich the insurance and health system executives on the leadership board.”
Western New York residents are encouraged to visit Buffalo DSA’s campaign website to learn more about the New York Health Act and sign the organization’s petition. Those interested in volunteering for further campaigning are encouraged to contact the chapter; the group says no previous campaign experience is required.
Buffalo DSA, Inc. is a member dues funded and member-directed not-for-profit in the State of New York. Democratic Socialists of America believe both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few. Join Buffalo DSA by visiting buffalodsa.org.
Madison Area DSA unequivocally condemns the illegal and unprovoked bombing of Caracas and kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
This is not an “intervention” against “narcoterrorism” or in favor of democracy, as the Trump Regime claims. It is a blatant act of war in pursuit of resource control and hemispheric dominance, and it sends a message to Latin American and other governments around the world: submit to American imperialism or you’ll be next.
This escalation, while shocking, represents the logical culmination of decades of economic, diplomatic, and covert war by the US against Venezuela, and a return to the norms that characterized the darkest era of US aggression in Latin America that occurred under the auspices of the Monroe Doctrine. It is the latest installment in the pattern of American imperialist violence and regime-change policy that has played out many times over in every corner of the world.
The actions of the United States, in every previous imperialist war and now in Venezuela, clearly violate:
The UN Charter and the fundamental principle of national sovereignty;
International law against war crimes;
The right of all peoples, including the Venezuelan people, to self-determination.
The liberal establishment has once again failed to fight back against the illegal and barbaric acts of the Trump Regime. Rather than recognize the fundamental injustice of imperialism and seek to dismantle it, prominent Democrats have focused on procedural gripes. Rather than condemn the attack, they complain that Trump failed to obtain Congressional approval. This ignores the blatant illegality of the bombing and kidnapping, and the inhumanity of America’s policy towards Venezuela in general. Their responses lay bare the inherent incapacity of neoliberal hegemony to oppose fascist tendency.
As Democratic Socialists, we recognize the true motives and intended effects of the Trump Regime’s escalation:
Seizure of Venezuela’s sovereign oil wealth and the transfer of that wealth from the Venezuelan people to private American companies;
Geopolitical control over the Western Hemisphere through the destruction of Venezuelan resistance to US hegemony and the further dissuading of any other Latin American government from insubordination to Washington and the interests of foreign capital;
The destruction of Bolivarian socialism and any other alternative to neoliberal capitalism.
We therefore demand, not simply a return to liberal norms, but rather:
An immediate end to all hostilities;
The return of President Maduro and First Lady Flores;
The lifting of all sanctions and other forms of economic warfare;
Reparations for lost Venezuelan life and property, both national and private;
An end to the Monroe Doctrine and US interventions that violate other nations’ sovereignty;
Prosecution for war crimes of any US government personnel who planned or executed this illegal military action;
The immediate release and exoneration of any and all individuals detained and arrested on American soil for protesting the bombing and kidnapping, in violation of the First Amendment;
Unconditional amnesty for all current and future Venezuelan immigrants and refugees in the United States in response to the United States’ violent treatment of their homeland.
To the working class of the United States, we say: This war is not in our name. It is waged by a capitalist oligarchy that exploits us and that, while bombing innocent civilians abroad, also bombs our communities with austerity, police violence, and neglect. The billions spent on this criminal adventure are stolen from our healthcare, our housing, our schools, and our climate future. The Venezuelan working class are our siblings and allies in the global class war, and we stand in solidarity with them and all victims of U.S. imperialist wars.
ICE has become a primary tool of oppression for the fascist Trump administration, expanding rapidly beyond its preexisting role in the US where it has long terrorized, separated, and economically attacked our immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeker neighbors.
Today, the agency added murder of peaceful observers to this heinous portfolio, gunning down a Minnesotan legal observer in her car for daring to try and keep eyes on them. The federal government, already comfortable with blatant lies, has cooked up false claims to justify this killing. This shouldn’t be a surprise, and it’s only going to get more common the more this tactic works for them.
We cannot trust any so-called accountability measures put in place for these people. But we also shouldn’t give up hope. We, the working class of the US, outnumber ICE, the bureaucrats deploying them, and their capitalist enablers put together, many times over.
This is a threat to everyone’s freedom and safety, not just in our own country, but worldwide, in all the countries our imperialist leaders see only as potential sources for profit. There is a clear connection between attacks abroad and brutal repression at home. It must be met with unity and purpose. Protests are not enough!
We need to bombard our elected officials with phone calls and other messages insisting they defend their constituents and abolish ICE. We need to be ready to respond when our neighbors are attacked or abducted. And we need to harness our greatest weapon – the labor power of the working class on which the capitalist system depends for its existence – in opposing ICE and their puppeteers.
ROC DSA is working to become the hub for these efforts. If you want to support, consider getting involved with the Tax the Rich campaign, Electoral Working Group, City Vitality Working Group, Labor Working Group, or International Solidarity Group as avenues you can use to take a stand. Remember that an injury to one is an injury to all.
Triangle DSA condemns the US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores. As socialists, we can clearly see this for what it is – an imperial ploy to seize oil resources and destabilize the Bolivarian Socialist government of Venezuela. The American oligarchy acted with impunity, laying the precedent that any nation that does not submit to profit-seeking interests will face unjustified military aggression.
On Saturday, TDSA members showed up alongside our comrades in PSL, other local organizations, and members of the public to protest this act of terror on civilians in Caracas and the escalation of the US’s ongoing war against Venezuelan sovereignty.
The fight for socialism is necessarily international and anti-imperialist. The destructive path of domination and state terror by the US both in Latin America and the Middle East will bring nothing but suffering to innocent people in the global south and increased profits to the ruling class. This is a path to global ruin that can only be brought to an end by socialist revolution.
By organizing within the imperial core, we stand with the workers of the world in a shared struggle to end imperialism, neocolonialism, and war, and to establish a new international order based on relations of solidarity, equality, and cooperation. Join DSA in demanding No War with Venezuela!
Wednesday, January 14 (6:45 PM – 9:00 PM): DSA SF General Meeting (Kelly Cullen Community, 220 Golden Gate Ave)
Thursday, January 15 (5:30 PM – 6:30 PM): Education Board Open Meeting (Zoom)
Thursday, January 15 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM): ICE Out initiatives orientation (Zoom & in person at 1916 McAllister St)
Saturday, January 17 (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): HWG Food Service (Castro St & Market St)
Sunday, January 18 (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM): SF EWOC Flyering (TBD)
Monday, January 19 (6:30 PM – 8:00 PM): Homelessness Working Group Regular Meeting (Zoom & in person at 1916 McAllister St)
DSA Winter Formal
Ring in the new year with your comrades at the DSA San Francisco Winter Formal on January 9th from 6:00-10:00 PMat The Make Out Room (3225 22nd St), featuring musical performances by DSA’s very own Solo Efectivo, Jolie&Friend, and the Dirty Twenties.
We will have light bites, a photo op with Karl Marx himself, a special DSA cocktail with $2 of proceeds going to the chapter, and a cookie exchange (SIGN UP HERE)! Dress code is holiday attire/semi formal.
A $5 donation is suggested and can be sent to @DSASF on Venmo but absolutely no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please be sure to RSVP HERE and bring all your comrades!
Social housing effort kicks off!
It’s official (provisionally): Our chapter has a Social Housing Provisional Working Group! Unlike privately owned housing for profit, social housing would be permanently decommodified and affordable. And unlike most nonprofit-run affordable housing or existing US public housing, its operation would be democratically controlled by residents.
At our late-December meeting, we made progress toward consensus on principles for social housing. Once that’s finalized and voted on by the chapter, we plan to start building a public education and electoral campaign to bring social housing into reality in San Francisco — building on previous DSA SF accomplishments, 2020’s Prop K and Prop I.
You can help! Join us at an upcoming Social Housing Provisional Working Group meeting. Note: the next one is at an irregular weekend time, but we will usually meet on Tuesday evenings.
Sunday, January 11, 2:00-3:00pm at 1916 McAllister or on Zoom(RSVP here!) Tuesday, January 20, 6:00-7:00pm at 1916 McAllister or on Zoom Every other Tuesday thereafter!
And if you’re an active DSA SF member, feel free to ask questions or propose ideas in the #housing channel on Slack, or the Social Housing category on Forum! (New member without access to Slack/Forum yet? Ask your onboarder!)
SF EWOC Flyering
The DSA SF Labor Board’s charter has a goal of increasing EWOC leads by 200%—come and help us increase San Francisco’s union density! This monthly event is to flyer based on previous strategizing sessions. Sessions will alternate biweekly with the flyering events. The next flyering event is Sunday, January 18 (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM). We’ll walk around, post flyers and do other canvassing work, and end with a casual social (since socializing is organizing!).
You don’t need to be a volunteer or organizer with EWOC to attend. EWOC (Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee) is a project of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) and DSA working to build a distributed grassroots organizing program to support workers organizing at the workplace.
To learn more about the work EWOC does, come by the DSA SF office to pick up a copy of Unite and Win or tune into the EWOC SF Chapter meetings every 1st Monday at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Reportback: No Appetite for Apartheid Consumer Canvas
The Palestine Solidarity and Anti-Imperialism Working Group had a great turnout at the last NA4A (no appetite for apartheid) consumer canvas of 2025! We were able to collect 45 signatures from consumers around the Ferry Building. Though it was a little rainy we were still jolly and cheerful and caroled an original NA4A song :blush: They’ll be many more events like these in 2026 to get involved in!
Behind the Scenes
The Chapter Coordination Committee (CCC) regularly rotates duties among chapter members. This allows us to train new members in key duties that help keep the chapter running like organizing chapter meetings, keeping records updated, office cleanup, updating the DSA SF website and publishing the weekly newsletter. Members can view current CCC rotations.
Interested in helping with the newsletter or other day-to-day tasks that keep the chapter running? Fill out the CCC help form.
After a crushing year under the Trump administration, the US left had little to celebrate at the end of 2025. The Israeli government continues its ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, ignoring global protests and a ceasefire reached with Hamas. The US is ramping up its attacks on Venezuelan sovereignty (most recently culminating in the kidnapping of its President Maduro). Millions of Americans are facing huge health insurance rate hikes as Congress failed to extend ACA tax credits. ICE continues its thuggish offensive against immigrant communities across US cities, and so much more. Needless to say, working class Americans and leftists were sent reeling backward last year, with one of the few bright spots being the victory of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in NYC’s mayoral race; his campaign’s popularity with everyday people reflected in its ability to amass an army of 100,000 volunteers. It’s no surprise, then, that Mamdani’s inauguration on January 1st brought tens of thousands from across New York and the country, to pay witness and celebrate perhaps the one good thing the left achieved in 2025.
Usually, the swearing in of a major US city’s new mayor receives at least some attention in national news outlets, especially NYC’s mayor. But, the hype around and attention paid to Mr. Mamdani’s ceremony was turned up to a whole new level rarely seen for a municipal politician. As the new public face of a whole generation of American leftists, there are millions across the US who have invested a lot of hope in him successfully attaining most, if not all, of the major points of his affordability agenda. People who have never set foot in NYC are excited for the prospects of what his administration can achieve during this dark reactionary era in American politics. In many respects, Mamdani’s inauguration wasn’t just for his mayoralty, it was the inauguration of a hopeful and resurgent left wing entering 2026.
The total number of people attending and tuning into Mamdani’s inaugural events, including a nearby watch party, blew the roof off other recent NYC mayoral inaugurations. As comparison, at Bill de Blasio’s first inauguration it’s estimated that 5,000 people attended. For Eric Adams’ inauguration, held in Times Square, roughly 20,000 people showed up for the festivities. And while Mamdani’s City Hall Park ceremony was capped at 4,000 tickets, roughly 40,000 morepeople RSVP’d for the inaugural watch party, and hundreds of thousands more across the globe tuned in to live broadcasts of the event. People traveled from all over, from as nearby as Connecticut and as far away as Texas, just to be a part of what felt like a historic moment for the left. And, while everyone was ostensibly there to celebrate Mamdani officially entering office, it felt as though the moment was bigger than just one man. It was a watershed moment for a movement, the lifting of some of the weight on peoples’ shoulders caused by the last twelve months of Trump’s reign of terror.
Speakers at the event reflected this broader wave of hope. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez set the day’s progressive tone by noting that NYC chose “courage over fear,” and “prosperity for the many over spoils for the few.” Imam Khalid Latif, Director of the Islamic Center of New York City, led attendees in a prayer that hammered on the theme of justice for all, not just the few. He noted that Mamdani’s socialist victory depended not on some abstract faith, but on the active agency of volunteers, workers, and every day residents working hard for change; with a reminder that leadership exists to serve residents, not to rise above them. “Let justice not be a slogan, but a structure. Let equity not be a promise, but a practice. Let policy be shaped by compassion, and budgets reflective of our values.” A poem by Cornelius Eady kept the crowd enraptured as he spoke about NYC as a sanctuary for the marginalized and alienated, calling on listeners to keep imagination alive.
After the swearing-in of the city’s new Comptroller and Public Advocate, there was a noticeable nod to labor when the chosen musical interlude was a live rendition of the famous labor anthem “Bread and Roses,” performed by Lucy Dacus. Then, in the final lead up to Mamdani, Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered what has become a standard of talking points for progressives and leftists in the US. He spoke about how it isn’t radical but rather the only decent thing to do to demand structural changes like affordable groceries, universal healthcare, and for wealthy corporations and elites to pay their fair share in taxes, with the last demand getting attendees on their feet chanting “tax the rich!”
Finally, Zohran Mamdani delivered his 22 minute speech, acknowledging that his agenda would be a grand undertaking, but that “the only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.” He also struck a unifying tone at times, declaring he wanted to bring people from different backgrounds together. “And if for too long [New York] communities have existed as distinct from one another, we will draw this city closer together. We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. Because no matter what you eat, what language you speak, how you pray, or where you come from—the words that most define us are the two we all share: New Yorkers.”
But, alongside this theme of unification and being a mayor for all New Yorkers, Mamdani also made sure his audience, and those elsewhere listening from home, knew where he stood politically without apology. “We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe. I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.” This line earned a pop from the crowd, and a brief chant of “DSA!” (Democratic Socialists of America, a political organization to which Mamdani belongs).
It’s this kind of unabashed defense of his political beliefs openly to the left of establishment parties, coupled with its ability to amass a ground-up operation involving 100,000 volunteers, that has earned Mamdani so much respect amongst working class voters. And it’s this kind of message that makes his inauguration one for an entire movement of US socialists, not just his administration. It was a coming out party for the entire US left, a reignition of a flame that had felt dimmed and endangered for over a year. Here was a successful politician, a socialist, elected the executive of America’s largest city standing before hundreds of thousands, both live and tuning in, declaring that not only will he not apologize for his political positions, but that they are the correct positions to meet the current moment.
Mamdani’s inaugural event was a great feeling for generations of Americans who had started to feel resigned and depressed about the reactionary lurch of American politics. And, to be sure, those feelings still exist as long as Trump-ist elements keep their iron grip on federal levers of power. But the inauguration of this one glimmer of hope in NYC represented the inauguration of an entire movement that has been praying and agitating for change. A representative from the millennial class of new politicians coming up on the scene, making a splash on national politics and planting the flag of democratic socialism in the heart of America’s largest city. There is a long road to go, and undoubtedly Mamdani’s administration will meet with a mixture of successes and failures. But for one day on January 1st, 2026, it felt like the engine of America’s left wing was primed and roared back to life. Will it be able to keep itself going and advance the movement forward, or will this prove to be yet another false start?
The Pinellas County chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America condemns in the strongest terms the United States’ disgraceful military assault on Venezuela and reported kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, early on January 3, 2026. This outrageous act represents a grave escalation of U.S. intervention in Latin America and a blatant violation of national sovereignty and international law.
The use of military force to seize a sitting head of state and his partner and transport them abroad for trial is a horrendous act of aggression, and should not be tolerated. It mirrors the 1989 invasion of Panama and reflects a deeply imperialist approach to foreign policy that prioritizes domination and resource control over diplomacy, peace, and international norms. It risks triggering widespread instability across the region, exacerbating humanitarian crises, and further eroding trust in international institutions.
For decades, successive U.S. administrations have leveraged sanctions, economic pressure, diplomatic isolation, and covert operations to undermine Venezuelan self-governance, producing humanitarian suffering and political instability while seeking to control the country’s vast oil and mineral resources. The United States’ long history of interference in the region reflects a pattern of imperial domination rather than any genuine concern for human rights or democratic governance.
The Pinellas County chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America demands an immediate end to this assault and respect for Venezuelan sovereignty. We urge Congress to assert its constitutional authority and halt further unauthorized military engagements abroad. We call on the United Nations to convene an emergency session to address this breach of international law. We call for the removal of all U.S. military forces from Puerto Rico and an end to the colonial use of the island as a military outpost just miles north of Venezuela. We also call for the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro Moros from U.S. custody and for the dropping of all charges raised against him in this illegitimate indictment by the United States government. Lastly, we implore anyone who is incensed by this news to mobilize local and national pressure campaigns to oppose sanctions, military intervention, and economic coercion as tools of U.S. foreign policy.
We stand in solidarity with Latin American grassroots movements resisting imperialism and advocating for regional autonomy, peace, and justice. The United States must abandon its imperial approach and support just, democratic, and peaceful solutions determined by the people of Venezuela and the broader Global South.
This article represents the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of The Detroit Socialist or Metro Detroit DSA as a whole.
Public Domain political cartoon by N.S. Puette. Original caption: “Europe: You’re not the only rooster in South America! Uncle Sam: I was aware of that when I cooped you up!”
Armed conflict between states is the highest form of class warfare. In the case of two imperialist nations, the ruling classes of each nation are competing for the division of the world, using the working classes of both nations as expendable pawns. The victory of either one is a victory for imperialism writ large, and a loss for the working classes of both nations. A victory for the working class is achieved only through the defeat of both of their respective imperialist governments. This is the general logic behind the practice of revolutionary defeatism. But this does not apply to conflict between an imperialist nation and a non-imperialist nation. In that situation, victory for the non-imperialist nation is a victory for all working people everywhere, including for the working people of the imperialist nation. The latter situation is clearly what we are finding ourselves in with this conflict between the US and Venezuela.
There are endless debates and discussions that can be had over the state of Venezuelan society. One can make arguments either for or against it being a “socialist” state. One can argue all day over whether Maduro is a “dictator.” Both of those discussions are interesting, but are completely irrelevant to our practice as socialists in the United States. Since we live and struggle within the (albeit declining) global imperialist hegemon, our attitude towards armed conflict by our government must be one of total opposition. There is no righteous war that can be waged by the United States on behalf of capital, no prism or lens through which we can look at aggression on the part of our state as anything other than imperialist, full stop.
Over the coming hours, days, and weeks, our government (and in particular, the Republican Party) will attempt to portray the capture of Nicolas Maduro as liberating the Venezuelan people. We as socialists must be able to see through this, and loudly declare it as a lie. The only liberation that comes from imperialist war is the liberation of capital. In his address on January 3rd, just a few hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump confirmed that his administration’s intention was the direct occupation and control of Venezuela. As he has alluded to elsewhere, the immediate course of action of that administration will be to liberalize access to the Venezuelan oil reserves. Foreign investment, spearheaded of course by the US, will liberate Venezuelan oil from its captors, freeing it to be profited off of by capitalists. The imperialists will repeat ad nauseum that Venezuela’s oil is now in the hands of its people, but the only Venezuelans who will benefit from this are those willing to betray their country for profit.
Statements by prominent opposition figures make this trajectory unmistakably clear. Maria Corina Machado, who famously won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize (which Trump hilariously took as a direct snub to himself), has openly declared her commitment to privatization and market liberalization should she be installed as leader. Her vision for Venezuela includes removing the state from the oil sector, opening markets, and privatizing national industries. While at this point, it seems that Trump is not interested in having her oversee the American occupation of Venezuela, these policies will undoubtedly be pushed by any administration that ends up in power in the country. These policies represent a wholesale reversal of efforts to assert national control over strategic resources — in effect, a reversal of the Bolivarian Revolution. This agenda is imperialism, distilled to its essence, and promises Venezuelan workers renewed exploitation and dependency on the US.
One wonders how newly inaugurated Zohran Mamdani will handle this situation. In 2020, Maduro was indicted in New York’s Southern District, and if he goes to New York for arraignment and eventual trial, Zohran and our comrades in the NYC chapter will be in a particularly difficult position. He said in his inauguration speech that he would “govern as a democratic socialist.” What does a democratic socialist do when an ostensibly leftist foreign head of state has been abducted by the federal government and is facing charges in the city they are governing? Will he use his position to protest against the actions of the Trump administration? Will he show solidarity with the people of Venezuela? I have faith that he will try and that his heart is with Venezuela, but he is already in a nearly impossible situation, only a couple days into his term.
The choice facing socialists is stark. We can either accept the narratives offered by imperial power — debating which foreign leaders deserve our sympathy — or we can remain committed to a materialist analysis that centers class struggle on a global scale. Opposition to US imperialism is the minimum requirement of socialist politics. The presidency, by its very nature, lends itself to personal dictatorship. Even the most hands-off of presidents (Coolidge and his ilk) still have near limitless power within easy reach. The presidency has gathered more and more power to itself over the past century, and the ideal of the separation of powers (already a fiction at our nation’s birth, but hidden under a veil of democratic norms and “good-faith” governance) has been rendered a comfortable, if quaint myth. The president can start a war on his own initiative (with 90 days to deliver Congress a fait accompli), can deploy troops on American soil, and can even abduct a foreign head of state.
Political power is ultimately a question of force, and who can exercise it. Therefore, if the presidency is now capable of wielding every form of direct state violence, what can he not do? What can Congress or the Supreme Court do but offer a sternly worded rebuttal? The solution to this is to finish Reconstruction: to demand full democratization of the state, the abolition of the imperial presidency, of the Supreme Court, and of the oligarchic Senate, and the empowerment of a new representative body, directly elected by the people, holding full legislative and executive power. This is the foundation of the Democratic Socialist Republic.
MJ is a member of the Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America.
Are you interested in becoming the best organizer you can be? Do you want to expand socialism here in Milwaukee, but are unsure of where and how to start? Have you been involved but feel like the project did not go anywhere? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Milwaukee Socialist Organizer Class is for you!
This nine-week program will focus on holistically teaching you to be an unstoppable organizer who builds socialism, changes hearts and minds, and impacts our city. You will learn direct action organizing, as defined by Organizing for Social Change: Midwest Academy Manual for Activists, in which we organize actions, campaigns, and tactics to “1) win real, immediate, concrete improvement in people’s lives . . . 2) Give people a sense of their own power . . . 3) Alter the relations of power.”
Interested individuals will apply (Click here, due by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27), be interviewed, and enter the program if selected. DSA membership is not required to participate, but is encouraged.
This education program will be a combination of in-person events with virtual events if necessary. Each unit will be roughly a week, with a weeklong break in the middle of the program. Each unit will consist of classroom-style instruction in the unit topic (no more than 2 hours, which will be in-person on Tuesday nights from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.), field work in organizing (which will be at least 3 hours and consist of having conversations, moving people to action, and building infrastructure for a strong socialist movement involving several types of campaigns), and time for personal reflection. Each participant must commit to the entire program and, unless excused, attend every unit instruction and field work session. Missing more than three classes and field work sessions may result in removal from the program.
This is the seventh time this program has been offered, and it is back by popular demand! The three instructors have updated and revised the course to make you even more prepared to lead in socialism.
Time commitment per week:
Unit instruction: 2 hours
Organizing work: 3 hours
Miscellaneous tasks: 1 hour
Total time per week: 6 hours
Weekly Schedule
Class will be conducted on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. and held in-person at Zao MKE, located at 3219 E Kenwood Blvd, Milwaukee, 53211.
Field work will be held at regular intervals over the week, with options to organize at several points during the week:
Start of nine-week program (class held, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.), held at Zao MKE, located at 2319 E Kenwood Blvd, Milwaukee, WI 53211
February 10:
Class will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
February 17:
Class will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
February 24:
Class will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
March 3, 2026:
Break
March 10:
Class will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
March 17:
Class will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
March 24:
Class will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
March 31:
Class will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Units
Each unit helps to answer the question: What is organizing?
Welcome: What is organizing?
Get to know participants and instructor
Define scope of class and intentions
Determine goals and desired outcomes
Organizing is one-on-one Conversations
Learn the seven-point organizing conversation
Practice the conversation and its elements
Organizing is building the committee and the campaign
The importance (or not) of the committee
Power Mapping the campaign
Strategy Chart
Organizing is holistic productivity
Traction versus distraction
Time management and its importance
The Reverse Calendar
Overcoming blocks to action
Organizing is a mindset
Acknowledging hurdles and setbacks
Failure is a great option
Develop a practice to keep you going
Organizing is raising money and managing it
Why money is OK
How to bring energy and money to your campaign
The basics of campaign budgeting and finance
Organizing is communications
What does “messaging” mean?
The power of media
Writing workshop
Organizing is bringing it all together
You’ve got momentum—now what?
Recap of unit themes
Reviews
Here is what previous students have to say about the Milwaukee Socialist Organizer Class:
“[Before the class] I had no idea about the actual work of organizing. Now I feel confident that I would be able to become a leader in a campaign setting . . .”
“I loved the practical application of socialism . . . [and] I loved the far-reaching application of some of the class content.”
“This is a great way to move into the world of socialism. . . thank you so much for offering this course”
“This [class] is a great first step for anyone looking to start organizing . . .”
“I radically grew in my comfort around being upfront and simply being able to approach a complete stranger with a potentially controversial topic.”
“New organizers and experienced organizers can benefit from this class.”
“Generally speaking my confidence level just interacting with people about socialism has gone through the roof. I have been given a phenomenal overview of how to organize and I feel confident that I can find out what works best for me in the future.”
“It was great to grow as an organizer within the confines of a welcoming community/instructor.”
“I feel more confident organizing outside of an electoral context.”
Meet your instructors:
Alex Brower
Alex Brower is a labor leader, socialist organizer, and Milwaukee’s 3rd district Alderman as a DSA endorsed elected official, serving on the City of Milwaukee Common Council. Professionally, Alex has been the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, which organizes union retirees, in addition to other organizing roles with UFCW, SEIU, WisDems, and Wisconsin Jobs Now. In his organizing work, Alex has saved jobs from privatization, helped workers win a union voice on the job, defeated a temp agency, organized against a proposed iron-ore mine, helped bring comprehensive sex education to Beloit Public Schools, and won workplace healthcare for many uninsured MPS Substitute Teachers. As an MPS substitute teacher and former Milwaukee Rec. Department instructor, Alex brings a host of experience teaching others. Alex has also been a candidate for Milwaukee City Comptroller and School Board, running both times as a socialist.
Ian Gunther
Ian is a union leader, experienced socialist organizer, and has filled many positions in the movement over the last ten years. After becoming one of the founders of Milwaukee DSA, he started leading canvasses for the early Medicare For All campaign on behalf of the chapter. He was elected to the chapter Executive Committee four times, in positions of Treasurer, At-Large, and Outreach Officer where he helped build up the capacity of the local movement. In August of 2025, Ian had the honor of serving as a DSA National Convention chair, facilitating thirteen-hundred nation-wide delegates through intensive debate over the national strategy of DSA. Ian also co-founded MSOE YDSA before graduating with an Electrical Engineering degree. Ian now works for the City of Milwaukee Water Works, and in his capacity as the Chief Steward of AFSCME Local 47, has led the city union to its first victory in over a decade, acquiring raises above cost of living for all general city employees. Ian is excited to bring his years of experience to mentoring new socialist organizers.
Andy Barbour
Andy currently serves as a chapter co-chair of Milwaukee DSA. His DSA involvement began in the spring of 2023 as a regular volunteer for the Power to the People campaign, Milwaukee DSA’s now three-year-old campaign to replace We Energies with a publicly owned utility. After sharpening his organizing skills through regular canvassing and phone banking, he became a leader in the organization and has been closely involved in many DSA campaigns and projects. He’s been a consistent organizing force throughout his entire involvement in DSA. Andy currently also serves as chair of the Power to the People Working Group, though he’s previously held half a dozen other leadership roles in the chapter. Notably, he previously acted as deputy campaign manager of Alex Brower’s successful campaign for Common Council, where he oversaw the entire field operation.
The Trump Administration has started an illegal war against Venezuela. This is a nakedly imperialist war to install a US puppet government that will give Venezuela’s oil resources over to […]
are especially new-member-friendly!
Tuesday, January 6 (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM): EWOC Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing Training (1916 McAllister St)
Education Board Open Meeting (Zoom)
DSA Winter Formal 
DSA Winter Formal 
