cas | nyc-ydsa

nyc-ydsa co-chair, she/her

here to larp for a good time, not a long time

[Liberalism made me impotent @stolperson]

A lot of young communists are brought up fully submerged in identity politics so their approach to communism becomes: inventing it as an identity and then forming their politics around said identity.

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

this whole saga has been so weird, a scientific marxist being a scientific marxist shouldnt warrant this type of response, even if theyre being aggresive about it lol

[PK Gandakin 🪿 🚩 @pkgandakin]

In what world is what Omar posted expulsion worthy

[insurgent mizuki ⦻ ☭ @insurgentmizuki]

DSA poster: socialism is when unicorns yayayayayayyyyyy :)
YDSA poster:

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

the fact that this is true AND the fact that DSA is still majority white is a major issue, and something that requires organizing outside electoral politics

[Jacobin @jacobin]

Black and Hispanic voters continue to be the most likely demographic groups to self identify as democratic socialists.

31% of black voters and 23% of hispanic voters identified as democratic socialists in exit polls by CNN and NBC — consistent with the NYT’s September poll.

[🦇 la exploradora 🕸️ @Missy_dee811]

It's impossible to talk about the cost of living in NYC because people who live outside the city and outside the country have such a skewed view on how much people are earning.

9% earn $35,000-$49,999 and 10% earn $150,000-$199,999

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

like we have a fuckin world to win baby, act like it

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

students, even student organizers, dont even recognize the true possible extent of their power

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

i dont want to "beat" the dsa right -- i want to win socialism. if dsa is the best vehicle for that, which i think it is, then its up to us to out-organize them, educate our comrades, and create new organizers that outlast us.

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

@stschrader1 school admins have always been cowards beholden to the forces that fund them, i dont think theyll ever bow without a sustained mass student movement

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

@petersterne god california needs to step up their game for counting ballots

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

YOURE WELCOME TEXAS

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

just cast 1,000 votes for james talafreako from my rent-controlled bushwick apartment while sipping an avocado toast boba matcha #VoteBlue

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

process of carcinisation but for every new york immigrant community eventually becoming italian

[Sam Grady🇺🇦🇵🇸🇺🇸🇹🇼 @SamGradyWrites]

They're becoming Italian.

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

what a fucking mess, for all of nyc-dsa's issues i would never imagine our electoral program being this in disarray

[Peter Sterne @petersterne]

Context on the NPC's vote on Nithya Raman:

DSA-backed Los Angeles City Council candidate Nithya Raman launched a campaign for mayor without telling DSA-LA leadership or her City Council colleagues. DSA was divided on whether to endorse because she had previously distanced herself from DSA over its anti-Zionist position, criticized BDS and sought endorsement from a pro-Israel group (which led to DSA-LA censuring her).

Some believed endorsing Raman would violate Resolution 22, which was passed at DSA's 2025 national convention and says that candidates who don't support BDS are ineligible for endorsement and those who actively oppose BDS or provide material aid to Israel and its lobby groups are subject to expulsion from DSA.

An effort to endorse Raman in the first round of the jungle primary did not receive enough votes to make it on the agenda. But once she made it to the run-off against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, a supermajority of DSA-LA members voted to endorse her. They believed that Raman had improved her position on Palestine, even introducing a City Council resolution calling for a ceasefire and an end to genocide, and was no longer opposed to BDS, so the endorsement didn't violate R22.

Many on DSA's National Political Committee still felt that endorsing Raman violated R22 and asked DSA-LA for proof that Raman now supported BDS, but DSA-LA had not explicitly asked Raman about BDS in its endorsement questionnaire. So the NPC passed a resolution saying DSA-LA should not have endorsed her.

Some on the NPC wanted to go further and try to force DSA-LA to rescind its endorsement of Raman. But others doubted that R22 actually gave the NPC the authority to overrule a chapter. During an NPC meeting debating which of these two paths to follow, DSA-LA produced a letter from Raman in which she said, "I believe the best way for working Angelenos to stand in solidarity with Gaza is through non-violent protest, legislative action, and diplomatic pressure, including BDS" but did not make new or specific commitments on implementing BDS if she were to became mayor. Some felt this put her in compliance with R22, while others did not. Voting on two resolutions representing each of these paths occurred the same night.

One resolution called for the NPC to vote on whether to force DSA-LA to rescind its Raman endorsement, unless Raman met with DSA-LA membership and national DSA leaders by Oct. 31 and committed to supporting BDS. It was supported by the internal DSA groups that are most critical of Raman (Springs of Revolution, Marxist Unity Group, Red Star and Libertarian Socialist Caucus).

The other resolution called on Raman to meet with DSA leaders and explain her position on BDS by Nov. 30 (as well as for the NPC to organize a pro-BDS membership campaign) or else potentially face a vote on her expulsion from DSA. This resolution was considered the less severe one and was supported by other groups on the NPC (Groundwork, Socialist Majority Caucus, Carnation, Reform & Revolution and most of Bread & Roses), who saw it as an alternative way to resolve the issue after the election. If Raman didn't win the election, then the whole thing would be moot.

Unexpectedly, both resolutions passed.

On Oct. 31, Raman did not attend the meeting of DSA-LA membership on her BDS position, so the NPC held a vote on Nov. 1 to decide whether or not to try to force DSA-LA to unendorse Raman a day before the election. Had the vote succeeded, DSA-LA would likely have not complied with the NPC's demand, and then the NPC could have tried to punish them if the chapter continued to use any national assets or tools during the length of her possible mayoralty.

In the end, the vote was 14-13 against trying to force unendorsement. So Raman will remain endorsed by DSA-LA, and the NPC won't try to punish DSA-LA for continuing to back her.

Raman could still face a potential expulsion vote in January, if she wins the mayoral election and does not commit to supporting BDS. But it's unlikely she would actually be expelled, since that would require a vote of at least 2/3 of NPC members, and fewer than half the NPC supported disendorsement this weekend.

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

if theres one thing i learned while ydsa organizing its that you need to put men in their fucking place or else theyre just gonna keep being weird

[Lael @BerryLemonPi]

every time I hear more details about the creepy men who wrecked our ydsa chapter i want to throw up even more. wdym you tried to sleep w half a dozen new fem members get me a barf bag

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

honestly one of the most fun parts of being in the dsa, i love democratic deliberation and parliamentary procedure its so cool and awesome

[dare - ydsa ncc gamer caucus @Anphoria]

It's so funny that the left and the right of DSA consistently every few weeks will either go from being the biggest defenders of the NPC when they get what they want to being "RAAAAHHH THE NPC IS EVIL AND IS GOING TO DESTROY US".

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

its really that simple. we have no loyalty to the democratic ballot line, it must be a temporary strategy until we are strong enough to from a ballot line that can contest in the general and in legislatures

[HaHa Nice🇵🇸🌹📦🔆🌱 @HaHaNice101]

people in DSA who believe we can reform the DNC: let this be proof we should be squeezing them dry and then breaking away from this vile institution. if they do it to El-Sayed, they will do it to socialists. there is no reforming this.

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

this is what i mean by ydsa organizers are always playing on hard mode, student organizing is on a *tight* long-term and short-term schedule

[james is YDSA Co-chair 🫀 @b3rryjm]

as a dsa member u shouldn’t be weird & paternalistic towards ydsa if you haven’t had to replace most of your core leaders every year so your chapter can sustain itself long term :)

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

each socialist gets two days of libbing out and thats primary day and election day, no more, no less

[cas | nyc-ydsa @casipunera]

one of the (many) reasons i remain in (y)dsa is its sheer accessibility for trans people to ascend into leadership. its functionally impossible for trans people to become leaders in many political organizations

[Peter Sterne @petersterne]

@PyrrhaF6 DSA is the most pro-trans political formation in the country, and it’s not close.