Description
Book SynopsisIn his latest book, veteran socialist writer Kim Moody provides a masterful analysis of the political impasse which has shaped the rise of a new socialist movement in the United States: recurring economic and political crises, sharp inequality, state violence, and climate catastrophe proceed apace as the right ascends across the world, while the US political scene remains defined and dominated by two capitalist political parties. Moody situates the historic electoral campaigns of Democratic Socialists such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as the growth of organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America, in this context, and incisively assesses the revived movement's focus on electoral strategies.
Offering an important account of left attempts to intervene in the American two-party electoral system, Moody provides both a sobering historical corrective and an alternative orientation for the future, arguing that the socialist movement should turn its attention toward a politics of mass action, anti-racism, and independent, working-class organizing.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
1. The Impasse
2. “Upward“ and Rightward
3. The History and Future of the 2020 Elections
4. The New Social Democratic Nostalgia: Class, Race, and “Coalition Politics”
5. The Politics of Winning: How Mass Action Brought Victory
6. Reversing the “Model”: How Will the Millions Get Organized?
7. A Season of Inflammable Materials, Economic Dislocation, and Political Instability
