On December 2nd, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)’s National Political Committee declined to expel New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman from the socialist organization. This decision capped a weeks-long debate within DSA over how to respond to Bowman’s “yes” vote on funding Israel’s anti-rocket Iron Dome system and his participation in a recent J Street trip to Israel/Palestine. Beyond the specific issue of how DSA should respond to Bowman’s divergence from the group’s line on Israel/Palestine, the controversy highlighted broader ideological and strategic questions: What’s the relationship between electoralism and the struggle for Palestinian rights? How should the left should relate to liberal Zionist groups like J Street? In this episode, Senior Reporter Alex Kane, Editor-in-Chief Arielle Angel, Assistant Editor Mari Cohen, and Fellow Dylan Saba discuss the Bowman debate and the questions it raises for the left.
Articles Mentioned:
“Jamaal Bowman’s Trip to Israel Sparks Debate in DSA Over Electoral Strategy” by Alex Kane
“The Resilient Fiction of the Two-State Solution” by Joshua Leifer
“Can Minneapolis Reimagine Policing?” by Nathan Goldman
“The Taming of Anti-Zionism in the United States” by Steve Salaita
“No, DSA Shouldn’t Expel Rep. Bowman” by Hadas Thier
Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”