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Mike Connolly to Democratic Socialists: You can't fire me, I quit
By adamg on Mon, 07/10/2023 - 8:01am
State Rep. Mike Connolly of Cambridge announced this morning he's resigning from the Boston branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, where some members were moving to kick him out for the temerity of working with, and sometimes even endorsing, some non-socialist Democratic elected officials.
The decision leaves the group with just one elected state rep: Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville. Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara is also a member, as are several Somerville city councilors and one Medford city councilor.
Last week, after the new leadership of Boston DSA introduced a motion to expel me from the organization, I expressed my intention to defend my record and fight to continue being part of the group.
The “charges” were, essentially, that I demonstrated a willingness to work with and support elected leaders and activists who are delivering results for working class and marginalized communities. I am guilty as charged, and proudly so.
The outpouring of support I have received is overwhelming, and a clear testament to the fact that progressives want elected leaders who deliver results. From my Cambridge and Somerville constituents, to my colleagues in government, to elected leaders and activists across the country, there was a profound and humbling show of support for me and for the simple truth that building broad coalitions in support of progressive goals is a necessity, not an abandonment of values.
The conversation that emerged about the necessity of building coalitions broader than our political base was very clarifying and it raised a critical question: Why continue with an organization whose new leadership has made it clear they oppose seeking common ground with state leaders or building broader coalitions to benefit working people? The answer, sadly, is there is no reason to continue with an organization that holds such beliefs.
I am proud of the work I’ve done as an elected leader and an activist, and I’m proud of all the members of the diverse coalitions we’ve built and worked with over the years. I will continue to work with and support leaders, irrespective of organizational affiliation or political faction, who put the needs of the people first.
As I continue to do this work, however, I will be doing it without any affiliation with Boston DSA.
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Comments
An embarrassment for DSA, a win for Connolly
Who's going to want or seek out an endorsement from DSA after this fiasco?
Political Groups
Many progressive groups would rather be politically powerless than compromise their principles. Being morally sacrament is more important than actually making incremental political progress on their goals.
Groups on the far right are generally more interested in political wins even if it means being hypocritical and/or bending their values. "Win now, policy later" is their slogan. As of late, that's been effective for them.
There's a 3rd viewpoint held by some groups on both extremes where they don't want to see things incrementally improve and instead hope things get so bad people rise up and completely replace the government, constitution and all. This idea is the most foolish of them all.
Congratulations
Congratulations for regurgitating a well-chewed centrist talking point. Can you cite your actual experience with "Many progressive groups" that supports your assertion? Include sources, please.
Scroll up, my friend
This UHub story is literally about a far left group rejecting one of their few elected members!
The point
"A far left group" is not "many progressive groups."
A tad obtuse….
Asking for evidence. What’s expected here, peer-reviewed articles?
I grew up hearing a lot about
I grew up hearing a lot about the socialist German Democratic Republic -AKA East Germany. There was nothing democratic at all about it.
This ideological purity test over rep Connolly's allegiance to a party with a similar name brings back bad memories.
Purity Tests are Pointless
After looking through an explanation of the "charges": https://theintercept.com/2023/07/07/boston-dsa-mike-connolly/ it seems to me Boston DSA leadership had some personal grudge against Connolly. If I were in the membership and wanted my group to remain politically viable, I'd demand the resignation of leadership.
Just an absolute own-goal by DSA, removing affiliation from one of the strongest progressive voices in a state house characterized almost entirely by faceless hacks toeing the corrupt party line of speaker-for-life Ron Mariano.
This article isn’t an explainer
And that’s okay, but don’t post it as though it is. It’s a press release.
Really?
It seems well-researched, and it literally explains point-by-point the Boston DSA's position and Connolly's explanation. I would love to hear the other side of this, what's wrong with what's written here?
I'll amend
I read it the first time you posted it a few days ago and I don't remember seeing any comments from Boston DSA, or even an acknowledgment that The Intercept had reached out.
I do see those now, but I still hold that the piece makes little attempt to interrogate DSA's side of the argument.
"Purity tests"
Indeed, especially when you considered that those who are accused of making them never claim that label. Instead it's been put on them by people like you who judge a certain standard as a "purity test". You're free to do so, but I have noted that many people making this accusation are comfortably secure in the very things that others are asking for, only to be accused by the comfortable folks of applying a "purity test".
tl;dr: "purity test" is a stupid phrase and anyone who uses it is suspect.
If the Shoe Fits...
Of course no one claims that term applies to their actions, because it has a negative connotation. But that doesn't mean it's not apt in this case.
The term has a pretty clear definition in the common parlance, and if the shoe fits...
Hilarious
That's a real knee-slapper, made in reference to a phrase that only came into common use (and even that's stretching it) within the past few years.
Comfortable people are always willing to label the needs and rights of others as optional, and lately to accuse those asking for them of "applying a purity test". It's transparently hypocritical and a real, real bad look.
What a clown.
I continue to be baffled why news organizations are running stories about this. It literally has no impact on anybody outside of DSA membership (and it's a positive for them). Much like he used his paper membership in DSA, Mike Connolly also used his potential expulsion as a political stunt to rally up area liberals (who are generally not members of DSA, don't know how DSA functions, and have different political goals than DSA). It's interesting how he refused to resign when quietly asked to do so in the past, but now chooses to do so after going on a week-long smear campaign of Boston DSA where he twisted the truth and told several straight up lies. Boston DSA made no public statements (because, like I said, it's an internal matter that has no bearing on anybody else), so all of the arm-chair quarterbacks getting outraged over this are going strictly on Connolly's skewed and dishonest story.
I haven't been an active member of Boston DSA in a while (although I've been active far more recently than Mike Connolly has), but they do a lot of great work organizing labor unions, organizing tenant unions, organizing mutual aid, and helping working people in all sorts of other ways. They are not just some advocacy group trying to collect elected officials as members like Pokemon cards. I hope ridding themselves of an opportunist who abuses their resources, endorses candidates running against the candidates that BDSA has voted to endorse, and smears them in the press enables them to be more effective in those pursuits.
but don’t you know socialism = fairies and cupcakes?
it is very strange when a political group decides to endorse candidates with whom they agree
/s
"Opportunist"
You mean effective progressive voice. The guy walks around with a DSA t-shirt and advocates for all the same things the DSA supports, just like non-purists like Bernie Sanders.
Yes, Boston DSA has done some good work, some of which I've participated in, and this just shoots themselves in the foot. Are people going to want to work with DSA in the same numbers after this counter-productive public display? I know I won't.
The guy walks around with a
Does that include the times he's endorsed candidates running against DSA endorsed candidates? As long as he's using DSA's brand to prop up his image as "the most progressive representative in the state" I guess that's ok though, right?
You keep saying this. HOW?? In what ways was his superficial membership in DSA helping them besides the $60 a year he paid in dues?
Are you under the impression that DSA courts elected officials to join up as a marketing ploy or something? They endorse and campaign for candidates who they can work with to advance a socialist agenda, not to get you to join.
Shooting themselves in the Foot
I basically agree with fellow progressive Jason Paramas here, and he's already written an essay so:
https://binjonline.com/2023/07/07/boston-dsa-faction-should-drop-its-cha...
You seem to be be telling me that Boston DSA instead just wants an ever smaller core of purists and is not trying to achieve a political agenda. If true, that's incomprehensible.
Who do you think contributes money and time to mutual aid societies? Just DSA members? Or some of your fellow progressives who support people you call "clowns"?
Oh jesus christ, man. You're
Oh jesus christ, man. You're not listening to a thing I've been saying. He hasn't worked with them since 2016 and has been actively working against them on several occasions. DSA hasn't maligned anybody here. Connolly has done all of the maligning. This was an internal matter that was only made public by him.
Thanks for putting words in my mouth that I definitely did not say.
We're done here.
I've been listening carefully
This is not an "internal matter." This is a public defenestration. You can't expel your most visible and politically powerful member like its just a matter of paperwork.
The question is
Are DSA's goals hurt or helped by having Connolly as a member? It would seem they are better off given he's been elected and is popular but {shrug}.
That definitely is the
That definitely is the question. And the answer is that it hurt them (no matter how shocking that sounds to people who are not involved with DSA). That's the whole reason why several members (not "the leadership" as Mike Connolly stated) introduced the motion to expel him and it was scheduled to go to a chapter-wide vote. That's all moot now that he resigned though and I hope this is the last we have to hear about this non-story.
If everything you say is true,
then DSA needs to get much better at messaging. You can respond that messaging isn't a core activity because it's nobody's business, etc., but the thing is, the only way DSA can grow support for the good work you claim they are doing, is by telling the story more effectively than their detractors. So far, doesn't look good for DSA. Whether it's bad comms strategy, or simply bad ideas, one way or the other, they don't appeal to many.
I agree. I understand why
I agree. I understand why they initially chose not to comment publicly on this, but I think they should have released some sort of statement after Connolly started smearing them in social, local, and national media.
Also a member
DSA seems to have no qualms with her, I bet. She's a victim of the system. You know, the system which requires a bare minimum standard to drive a car (get a license, don't drive into houses).
You’re forgetting
The system also took away the car seat for her child.
meh this is a corny take
we get on everyone for whataboutism