The North Star caucus is seen as the repository of the old-timers who founded Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), kept it barely alive through dark times for decades, and who now find themselves thrust aside by the new kids on the block, chiefly radicalized refugees from one of the Bernie Sanders’s campaigns.
“Socialism” and the other books that followed were better, I think. The SDS episode was shameful and the Port Huron statement has aged relatively well.
I met MH once and what a dud! It was around 1970 at some talk he gave at UCLA. The then local hen mother of LA radicals. Long time CPer then turned social democrat Dorothy Healey went with me. After his unremarkable talk Dorothy asked if I enjoyed it as much as she had. I gave her a different answer than she expected. I said, you know, Dorfman I find it amazing that someone who calls himself a socialist of any sort in this year of 1969 Would somehow get through an entire speech at the University of California, and not have the word Vietnam cross his lips, that was it for me. Maybe it was generational or whatever but at that time when I was a 19-year-old radical, facing the cops, and the draft, and the university bed, eventually expelled me I thought this guy was just an old fart. Lol. I readily admit to never have read his supposedly seminal book and I don’t think I missed anything because I read so many others on the topic that were just great about four years later probably 1973 or four after I came back from Chile Dorothy briefly recruited me to join the local NAM. Talk about a mismatch! Everybody, in that particular chapter of Nam was more or less a contemporary of hers and we’re all ex CP. not only was there a 50 year old age difference between me and the others but they didn’t do anything except sit around and talk. Almost immediately the issue of whether or not the organization should merge with DSOC or not came before us. I didn’t wait around for the merger. I was mostly best described as a libertarian, communist or leftist, a well educated anarchist, very aware of stalinist defiguration of Marxism and I just could not see myself being part of some new organization that was made up on the one hand of old former Stalinists and bye almost equally old liberal Democrats are social Democrats whatever DSOC Considered itself to be and as Robert De Niro says in the movie Casino and that was that. The new organization became the DSA. If I’m not incorrect, your current description of it fits my impression. That whatever is left of the old guard and whatever their politics might be, they are probably fairly rational, or very rational social Democrats, while the young faction seems to be very confused. I find the antics of the GSA international committee to be a palling in their kowtowing to dictators like Daniel Ortega and President Maduro. But when these young folks visit, they is supposedly socialist paradises. They of course are treated as great foreign dignitaries, and it makes them feel really important until they get back home when they find they’re just marginal leftists. Good post, Max.
I met Healey when I did her radio show. We liked each other, and I've been distant friends with her son ever since. The bulk of DSA are what I would call idealists or moralists. They determine the ethical position, typically near-utopian, and define politics as adherence to that position, come what may. Though there is also inconsistency. Quite a few have managed to get elected to office, where that doesn't work. So it's a mix.
Oddly enough, I think I read every book he wrote except The Other America. I followed him around like a puppy dog.
I have one or two others. I should probably dive into one.
“Socialism” and the other books that followed were better, I think. The SDS episode was shameful and the Port Huron statement has aged relatively well.
I met MH once and what a dud! It was around 1970 at some talk he gave at UCLA. The then local hen mother of LA radicals. Long time CPer then turned social democrat Dorothy Healey went with me. After his unremarkable talk Dorothy asked if I enjoyed it as much as she had. I gave her a different answer than she expected. I said, you know, Dorfman I find it amazing that someone who calls himself a socialist of any sort in this year of 1969 Would somehow get through an entire speech at the University of California, and not have the word Vietnam cross his lips, that was it for me. Maybe it was generational or whatever but at that time when I was a 19-year-old radical, facing the cops, and the draft, and the university bed, eventually expelled me I thought this guy was just an old fart. Lol. I readily admit to never have read his supposedly seminal book and I don’t think I missed anything because I read so many others on the topic that were just great about four years later probably 1973 or four after I came back from Chile Dorothy briefly recruited me to join the local NAM. Talk about a mismatch! Everybody, in that particular chapter of Nam was more or less a contemporary of hers and we’re all ex CP. not only was there a 50 year old age difference between me and the others but they didn’t do anything except sit around and talk. Almost immediately the issue of whether or not the organization should merge with DSOC or not came before us. I didn’t wait around for the merger. I was mostly best described as a libertarian, communist or leftist, a well educated anarchist, very aware of stalinist defiguration of Marxism and I just could not see myself being part of some new organization that was made up on the one hand of old former Stalinists and bye almost equally old liberal Democrats are social Democrats whatever DSOC Considered itself to be and as Robert De Niro says in the movie Casino and that was that. The new organization became the DSA. If I’m not incorrect, your current description of it fits my impression. That whatever is left of the old guard and whatever their politics might be, they are probably fairly rational, or very rational social Democrats, while the young faction seems to be very confused. I find the antics of the GSA international committee to be a palling in their kowtowing to dictators like Daniel Ortega and President Maduro. But when these young folks visit, they is supposedly socialist paradises. They of course are treated as great foreign dignitaries, and it makes them feel really important until they get back home when they find they’re just marginal leftists. Good post, Max.
Excuse the spelling errors, and the typos, this old radical prefers to dictate to the iPhone, rather than use my fat fingers!
I met Healey when I did her radio show. We liked each other, and I've been distant friends with her son ever since. The bulk of DSA are what I would call idealists or moralists. They determine the ethical position, typically near-utopian, and define politics as adherence to that position, come what may. Though there is also inconsistency. Quite a few have managed to get elected to office, where that doesn't work. So it's a mix.