Philadelphia’s political machine, the Democratic City Committee, endorsed a challenger running against Philly DSA-endorsed incumbent Elizabeth Fiedler for State Representative in the 184th district. Just a month ago, we learned that the City Committee had done the same to Philly DSA’s other endorsed incumbent, Rick Krajewski.
🚨 GM ALERT: Our next General Meeting is on May 7 at noon, at the First Unitarian Church with a virtual option. RSVP here. We are two weeks away from the deadline to submit resolutions and bylaws amendments! Please email them to [email protected] by 11:59pm on Saturday, April 23 with the subject line "RESO." See all past resolutions, bylaws amendments, and reports here. For further instructions on resolutions and amendments, see the first section of our standing rules here.
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Meanwhile, GOP and establishment Dem-backer billionaire Jeffrey Yass swooped in with big donations to Rick’s opponent, and the opponent of Philly DSA-endorsed challenger Paul Prescod. Jeffrey Yass is Pennsylvania’s richest person and the largest source of funding for GOP campaigns in PA.
Disturbingly, Rep. Fiedler’s challenger also sympathizes with the GOP. Mike Giangiordano has retweeted and replied in support of Republicans from Mitt Romney to Betsy DeVos and the Trumps.
The City Committee rarely fails to endorse incumbents, let alone endorse their challengers — the message from the Democratic political machine in Philadelphia is clear. They would rather partner with Republicans than support incumbents fighting for working people. Philly DSA’s endorsed candidates threaten the ruling class, and they are fighting back the way they know how. That means we have to fight back the way we know how: with people power.
Sign up to canvass, donate to our PAC, and talk to your friends, coworkers, family, and neighbors about what’s at stake this election season and how they can get involved. If you want to talk with another Philly DSA member about how to have these conversations, email [email protected] or post in #electoral-committee on Slack. These conversations are how we organize, how we build movements, and how we win.
*Shout out to Philly Power Research for their extensive research and extremely helpful tweet threads on Yass. Find much more on their Twitter.
In other news, Councilmember Helen Gym has introduced new legislation that would require all facilities operated by the School District of Philadelphia to replace water fountains with hydration stations by June 2025, eradicating lead in Philly public school water. You can fight to protect students and staff by contacting your councilmembers to urge them to pass this legislation, using this toolkit from the Green New Deal for Philly Public Schools Campaign.
On the calendarUnless otherwise specified, all events are held via Zoom.
Upcoming Paul Prescod CanvassesThe Democratic primary is just over a month away, and that means we need all hands on deck to get Paul Prescod elected! Check out our upcoming canvasses and sign up:
We’re running out of time to talk to voters. If you’ve been wanting to get involved in the campaign, the time is now!
Communications Committee Meeting, April 18 at 7pm
Join us to discuss better integrating communications with chapter work, spreading the socialist gospel, and more.
Political Education: What is Libertarian Socialism? April 20 at 7pmDiscuss the tenets of libertarian socialism and how to organize society democratically, free from capitalism and coercion.
Ben Fletcher Campaign Meeting, April 21 at 7pmWork with comrades across the city on a mural to commemorate Ben Fletcher and the legacy of interracial labor organizing in Philadelphia.
Philippine Society and Revolution with AnakBayan, April 22 at 7pmJoin us to learn about the history of the Left in the Philippines. This will be an interactive training session with the organizers from AnakBayan, a Philippine left-wing youth diaspora organization.
View the full calendar.
Updates from the branches
BuxMont Media & Communications Committee Meeting, April 19 at 6pmMedia & Communications Committee meetings are perfect for those interested in graphic design, website maintenance, social media, newsletters, content creation, and apparel! All are welcome 🌹
Delco DSA General Meeting, April 20 at 7pmDiscuss campaigns and chapter business. All are welcome!
View all BuxMont events or all Delco events
This week in unions
To get involved: If you’re interested in supporting workers who want to organize, organizing your workplace, supporting workers and unions taking collective action, or in building relationships with rank and file union members and leaders, email [email protected].
In solidarity,
Philly DSA
http://www.phillydsa.org/
“I have declared war on the rich who prosper on our poverty, the politicians who lie to us with smiling faces, and all the mindless, heartless, robots who protect them and their property.” - Assata Shakur
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