Mia Casesa

Comic artist, tea connoisseur, and proud toy poodle mom.

[Kshama Sawant @cmkshama]

Jacobin magazine, the principal mouthpiece of the leadership of the Democratic Socialists of America, today released a hit piece on Amazon labor leader Chris Smalls, @Shut_downAmazon.

It could be legit if Jacobin had had an honest critique of Smalls to clarify what class struggle unionist leaders should be doing. But the article is not that at all.

It’s a hatchet job against a leading labor activist who has refused to toe the line of the DSA and the business unionist labor leaders who give cover to the so-called progressive Democrats and to the Democratic Party as a whole, despite shocking betrayals by them against working people.

The crux of the real reason why Jacobin went after Smalls is contained in this sentence: “[Smalls] blames the two-party system for the state of the American labor movement…”

Smalls is spot on about this and the need to break from the Democratic and Republican parties. We need a new party of the working class.

The DSA leadership, on the other hand, sees giving cover to the Democratic Party as job number one. The Democratic Party is the party under whom the genocide in Gaza began and which engineered the breaking of the railroad workers’ strike — both under President Joe Biden. ALL Democrats in the House, including DSA star AOC voted to break the strike. The Democratic Party is one of the two most powerful capitalist parties in the world, and in no way represents working people or the oppressed.

Business unionist labor leaders are those who have made peace with the capitalist system and are driven by protecting their careers, which means placating the bosses, not organizing the rank and file against the bosses to win substantive working-class victories. Refusing to fight the bosses also means aligning with the parties of the bosses, like the Democratic Party.

The overwhelming majority of the labor leadership today is business unionist, with some crucial exceptions like Smalls. We need a reckoning in the labor movement.

Brother Smalls has put his life on the line for the antiwar movement in solidarity with the Palestinia people against the Israeli state’s genocide bankrolled by both the Democratic and Republican parties. Smalls went on a Gaza aid flotilla carrying food, baby formula, diapers and medicine in the context of catastrophic levels of mass starvation in Gaza. The flotilla was attacked by the Israeli military, who physically assaulted Smalls, and kicked and choked him.

In contrast, AOC has voted for the Iron Dome which is part of the Israeli state’s genocidal apparatus.

For having the temerity to expose AOC and other self-described “progressive” politicians, Smalls is called “narcissistic” by Jacobin, a term the magazine’s editors were apparently forced to retract after they got huge amounts of flak on all social media.

Personal attacks and character assassination like in this case are often used by the political establishment’s spokespeople as proxy for their real objections — in this case, the threat they feel from Smalls openly calling out the Democratic Party’s actual role.

The only way of rebuilding a militant labor movement is to pose a concrete threat to both the Democratic and Republican parties, which in turn requires a challenge to the business unionist labor leadership. That is the basis on which I won the nation’s highest minimum wage and the Amazon Tax during the decade I was the sole socialist on the Seattle City Council.

I am now running as an independent revolutionary socialist against genocidal Democrat Adam Smith. I am calling for an end to all military aid to Israel and an end to all weapons and tech for genocide and imperialist war. https://t.co/sh3zyhgTI7

[chlora septic @chlo58242]

most poor people can’t do that. most disabled people can’t do that. people without documentation can’t do that. single parents tied to custody orders can’t do that. abandon ship and leave the most vulnerable to be taken out alone isn’t a strategy to me either.

[Janice Hough @leftcoastbabe]

When Hitler took power in January 1933 he started opening concentration camps. Dachau was one of the first. It wasn't for Jews.
It was for the mass imprisonment (& murder) of political opponents. Including journalists.
If you're not afraid you're not paying attention.

[Alan MacLeod @AlanRMacLeod]

What stage of capitalism is this?

[Macroblock @sainimatic]

Is it just me or is it kind of bad that no one knows what's true anymore and we just end up asking LLMs who are known for hallucinating?

[microplastics rectifier @facetedcarapace]

The military literally takes the worst guys in every town, traumatizes them, and then sends them home to terrorize their communities as cops.

[Rick the rabble-rousing Luddite, 🚫AI @dreamosaurus]

Oh sweet karma. Microsoft staff using their own AI are unable to think for themselves.

[Ed Newton-Rex @ednewtonrex]

10/10, no notes

[More Perfect Union @MorePerfectUS]

The minimum wage just went up in 21 states, increasing the pay of 9.2 million workers by a total of $5.7 billion, according to @EconomicPolicy.

The federal minimum wage continues to sit at $7.25 as it has since 2009.

[Mia Casesa @CrescentBlush]

@MorePerfectUS Wow who could of seen this coming?

[Daniel Baryon @AnarkYouTube]

It is not more realistic to wait for some system collapse than to work toward revolution. Building revolution prepares us to actually weather a collapse, defend ourselves from reaction, and build a new society. Doomer pessimism is just a secular rapture cult.

[Daniel Baryon @AnarkYouTube]

I think that this is the product of a society structured by capitalist interests. Power structures want you detached, bathed in post-irony, disassociated from reality. Reflection and deep thought are a threat. If you don't take anything seriously, you will never revolt.

[Daniel Baryon @AnarkYouTube]

I talk about this with friends a lot. I am so tired of how our culture wants to make a joke of everything, wants to undercut every moment of seriousness or catharsis with a goofy meme or a bad pun. People are terrified of experiencing a moment of sincere reflection.

[𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑛⋆☭ @undrcvrbrothr]

The US could end homelessness, food insecurity and poverty tomorrow.

But that would benefit society, not the wealthy.

[Mia Casesa @CrescentBlush]

@TheMcKenziest Oh boy 🥲