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DEEGAN ON LA—-The upcoming June 2 Primary election has its own version of an “affordability” issue. At this moment’s snapshot of a distressed city it’s clear that a valid question is can we afford to continue to elect serial politicos that no longer fit the needs of the city, or champion socialists as a solution to the city’s problems?
Which would be the greater gain or failure?
The Democratic Socialists of America are hoping to seat another DSA-LA backed candidate in the council chamber where a few socialists have already won seats in the slow march to a hoped-for socialist council majority within the next few election cycles.
Under our “weak mayor” system, where real power is held by the fifteen council members, the political strength and leadership of the city is with a council seat.
The serial, status quo politicos that populate City Hall have gone a long way to reducing LA’s status as an effectively run city. The ensconced political power structure has led us badly, for example:
- In the very recent past, several council members have been arrested by the Feds and some have been incarcerated on corruption charges.
- The city has directed over one billion dollars at a homeless problem that appears to be institutionalized and permanent.
- The obfuscation and difficulty of determining the exact truth about how City Hall was prepared for the tragic Palisades and Eaton fires last January 7 may rival the challenge for truth faced by the Warren Commission in trying to determine who assassinated JFK.
- The hard fought and won increase in the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers is suddenly facing a claw-back, led by the (non-socialist) LA City Council President.
- Affordable housing and social justice sound like new words in the City Hall vocabulary that some of the officeholders have never heard before.
None of these shortfalls were instituted by the socialists, who have their own version of how the city should be run.
How the socialists fail or succeed will depend on how they set boundaries for their agenda to maintain voter and resident support. “Pushing the envelope” is the colloquial term; “shifting the Overton window” is what political scientists call it.
The Overton Window, aka “the window of political possibility”, is a concept created in 1990 by Joseph Overton to describe the range of possibilities considered acceptable by the majority of the population at a particular time.
Circumstances matter. A socialistic idea that may not have been acceptable yesterday is one that voters may be comfortable with today. The threading of the needle by the socialists as they assume more political influence in LA will require them to radicalize voters to get them to vote for socialists but then shift to a more central, more acceptable political posture once elected.
To be effective, tolerance and acceptance are critical to the movement of the window in which political change can be effected without the electorate saying a politico has gone too far. This is where the socialists have to be agile.
Top requirements for the local socialists, ones that candidates must agree to in order to get DSA-LA backing, are:
- Identify as a Democratic Socialist
- Pledge not to take corporate, real-estate, fossil fuel, or police union donations.
- Use your office to draw attention to issues affecting the multi-racial working class.
- Fight for universal programs that benefit everyone, paid for by taxing the rich and recapturing the wealth generated by workers.
- Demand socialism in our county.
But, not so so fast for the socialists. In a reverse steamroller effect, controlled by the powerful political engine that runs City Hall, until they have a working majority of council seats the socialists will need to somewhat flatten and bend to the political status quo which the current placement of the Overton window still favors.
(Tim Deegan is a longtime civic activist and columnist whose Deegan on LA feature has been a staple of CityWatchLA for over a decade. With a focus on Los Angeles city politics and neighborhood issues, Deegan brings thoughtful analysis and grassroots perspective to every column. His work highlights the voices of local communities and the impact of City Hall decisions on everyday Angelenos. He can be reached at [email protected].)
