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OPINION: Progressives should stop co-opting the label of socialism – The Student Life

Sam Hernandez PO 24 argues that progressives should not call themselves democratic socialists if they still support capitalism. (Courtesy: Spencer Platt via Getty Images)

Over the course of the past few years, progressive politicians like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of Congress The Squad have increasingly adopted the label of democratic socialist as a way to differentiate themselves from their more moderate counterparts. However, their policies have little to do with the actual political thought of socialism, and this misapplied label does nothing but hinder political discourse for everyone involved.

For the purposes of this article, I will be using the term progressives for those who label themselves as democratic socialists, though I understand that not all progressives identify that way.

Although there is a wide array of socialist thought regarding the precise definitions of socialism, the basics generally agreed upon include the abolition of capitalism, private property, the profit-motive and commodity production. Socialism is inherently anti-capitalist, and involves worker ownership of means of production land, factories, stores, etc. The term also entails an overhaul of how and why we produce things; under socialism, workers produce for the common good of the community rather than to generate profit for capitalists.

At its core, socialism strives to turn control of the means of production over to the workers and society as a whole.

For Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives, democratic socialism is the implementation of the welfare programs and social safety nets common in Western European and Scandinavian countries. I have no qualm with these policies, and in fact support pretty much all of them, but labeling them as socialist is a detriment not only to these politicians but also to actual socialists.

While the policies of progressive so-called socialists are admirable, they are distinctly not anti-capitalist, instead aligning with an ideology called social democracy. At most, these policies can mitigate some of the structural harms of capitalism such as perpetual poverty of a subset of the population, which is often disproportionately made up of already marginalized groups, rampant climate destruction and the abuse of human life in the name of profit and make the system more bearable; however, they do not undermine the system itself.

Even if progressives were able to accomplish all of their policy objectives, and we had universal health care, free college and a higher minimum wage, capitalism would still reign supreme. Private property would still exist, as would commodity production in the name of profit generation.

Sure, the outcomes for many people would be far more positive than they are now, but the workers would still lack ownership of the means of production, and the fundamental capitalist-worker dynamic central to capitalism would remain unchanged.

Theres still work to be done on educating Americans on what socialism entails, but theres fortunately a myriad of resources such as YouTube videos and podcasts actively dispelling the American misunderstanding.

Part of the reason for the adoption of the label of democratic socialist was because right-wing media and political opponents were going to call them socialist anyways, so by embracing it, progressives sought to disarm political opponents. However, as a result of the decades of McCarthyism and Red Scare propaganda in the United States, the term socialism is tremendously loaded in mainstream political discourse, evoking imagery of the USSR, Cuba and bread lines.

While much of this fear was and is manufactured by Western media and the U.S. State Department as an outcome of the Cold War, it nonetheless poses a challenge to progressives who now have to constantly clarify their ideological position, repudiate these associations and distance themselves from how much of the American public sees socialism.

Moreover, political opponents have an even easier time fear-mongering about how within the far left, radical socialists of the Democratic party are trying to take over America.

Furthermore, for those of us who embrace actual socialist politics, progressives are excluding socialist politics from the political conversation. Because these progressives are seen as the far left by many Americans, they impose a left-most limit on acceptable political positions, to the exclusion of anti-capitalist strands of thought like Marxism and anarchism.

By making socialism simply about giving people health care and expanding safety nets, socialism is stripped of its anti-capitalist message in popular perception, making the propagation of anti-capitalist ideas more difficult than it already is. Capitalist media and political parties both of them already ingrain the structures of capitalism within the fabric of our institutions and our collective thought, such that questioning capitalism is seen by many as inconceivable, and progressives co-opting revolutionary language and labels entrenches capitals power even further.

To make our politics less confusing, and expand the horizons of political discourse beyond capitalism as a whole, progressives should identify as the social democrats they are. In doing so, they stop obfuscating the crux of real leftist politics and make room for more solutions to the issues facing our society.

Sam Hernandez PO 24 is from San Antonio, Texas. He would love it if you would give this podcast a listen or this set of pamphlets a read.

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OPINION: Progressives should stop co-opting the label of socialism - The Student Life

Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver | TheHill – The Hill

Progressives are increasing pressure on President BidenJoe BidenSupreme Court will hear Boston bomber's death case if the Biden administration lets it The Hill's Morning Report - Biden tasks Harris on border; news conference today Democrats face questions over agenda MORE to support a waiver for COVID-19 vaccine patent protections at the World Trade Organization (WTO), arguing the move is crucial for helping lower-income countries fight the coronavirus.

The push features leading Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups calling on Biden to take action, but the White House has not made clear its position.

The Biden administration has an obligation to reverse the damage done by the Trump administration and reestablish our nations global reputation as a public health leader, said Rep. Rosa DeLauroRosa DeLauroOvernight Health Care: Senate confirms Levine for HHS, first openly transgender official | Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver | Former Operation Warp Speed chief fired over sexual harassment allegations Conservative group escalates earmarks war by infiltrating trainings Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver MORE (D-Conn.), head of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersOvernight Health Care: Senate confirms Levine for HHS, first openly transgender official | Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver | Former Operation Warp Speed chief fired over sexual harassment allegations Briahna Joy Gray: Progressives 'covering for the failures of the Biden administration' on minimum wage The Hill's Morning Report - Biden leans heavily into gun control MORE (I-Vt.), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, released a video calling on Biden to support the proposal.

We need a peoples vaccine, not a profit vaccine, Sanders says in the video.

The effort is fiercely opposed by the pharmaceutical industry, including key vaccine makers like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

At issue is a proposal before the WTO, led by India and South Africa and backed by more than 50 other countries, to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. Proponents argue it would enable lower-income countries to ramp up their own manufacturing and help address severe shortages outside of the richest countries and benefit every country by cutting down on the ability of new variants to develop as the virus spreads.

Opponents argue patent protections are needed to incentivize innovations, like the record turnaround time in developing COVID-19 vaccines. More broadly, they say the waiver wouldnt solve existing problems given that vaccines are complex to make and there are already voluntary efforts to take advantage of manufacturing capacity in other countries, without resorting to stripping patents.

A spokesman for the U.S. trade representative said the administration is exploring every avenue to coordinate with our global partners and are evaluating the efficacy of this specific proposal by its true potential to save lives.

But the Biden administration is facing pressure from some of its major allies, making the push hard to ignore.

In the House, DeLauro is leading the effort along with Democratic Reps. Jan SchakowskyJanice (Jan) Danoff SchakowskyHillicon Valley: House lawmakers fired up for hearing with tech CEOs | Zuckerberg proposes conditional Section 230 reforms | Lawmakers reintroduce bill to secure internet-connected devices Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver House lawmakers fired up for hearing with tech CEOs MORE (Ill.), Earl BlumenauerEarl BlumenauerProgressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver Bottom line White House defends marijuana policy after report of staffers targeted for past use MORE (Ore.) and Lloyd DoggettLloyd Alton DoggettProgressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver House passes bills providing citizenship path for Dreamers, farmworkers House Republican takes part in hearing while driving car MORE (Texas).

They are working on a letter to the administration in support of the waiver, with more than 60 lawmakers signing on so far.

Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiThe Hill's Morning Report - Biden tasks Harris on border; news conference today Senators to unveil bill banning permanent Capitol fence GOP lawmakers blast 'morally reprehensible' Democratic probe of House race MORE (D-Calif.) has also privately expressed support for the waiver, Schakowsky said.

I dont usually speak for the Speaker, thats for sure, but she has said so many times now that she has talked to the administration and she is fully in support of this waiver, Schakowsky said during a press conference at the end of February. There are so many voices now getting to the president that I still feel optimistic that the right thing can be done by the United States.

Pelosis office declined to comment.

The effort is also backed by a wide array of outside groups, including Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, also backed the idea in a Guardian op-ed this month.

Of the 225m vaccine doses that have been administered so far, the vast majority have been in a handful of rich and vaccine-producing countries, while most low- and middle-income countries watch and wait, he wrote.

Experts say Americans are at danger, too, if the virus continues to spread in other parts of the world, given that new, dangerous variants can develop.

Mindful of COVID variants from Brazil and South Africa, to stop this deadly virus, we need widespread immunization everywhere around the globe, not just in the wealthiest countries, Doggett said.

Others, however, argue that while the waiver effort may be well-intentioned, it would not be effective.

Because of the technical complexity of manufacturing coronavirus vaccines, waiving intellectual-property rights, by itself, would have little effect, Rachel Silverman, a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed last week. It could even backfire, with companies using the move as an excuse to disengage from global access efforts.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America wrote a letter to Biden this month opposing the waiver, arguing it would not speed up production of vaccines.

Intellectual property is the foundation for both the development and sharing of new technologies, the group wrote. Perhaps more than any other time in history, society is seeing and benefiting from the innovation supported by intellectual property.

Instead, the industry points to voluntary licensing agreements that companies have entered into to share vaccines, such as AstraZeneca partnering with the Serum Institute of India to produce 1 billion vaccine doses for low- and middle-income countries.

The Biden administration has highlighted steps already taken by the U.S. to increase global vaccine access, like funding for Covax, the World Health Organizations vaccine initiative, and an agreement announced with Quad countries the U.S., Australia, Japan and India to provide funding to help produce 1 billion vaccine doses.

While emphasizing those efforts, Adam Hodge, a U.S trade representative spokesman, also left the door open to supporting the waiver.

The top priority of the United States is saving lives and ending the pandemic in the United States and around the world, he said. This includes investing in COVAX and working with partners, as we announced with the Quad, to surge vaccine production and delivery. As part of rebuilding our alliances, we are exploring every avenue to coordinate with our global partners and are evaluating the efficacy of this specific proposal by its true potential to save lives.

The administration is engaged in detailed technical discussions about the merits of the proposal with both developed and developing countries, an administration official said.

The members of Congress pushing for the waiver say they have not received a clear response from the White House. Part of the issue is that U.S. Trade Representative Katherine TaiKatherine TaiWhite House defends Asian American representation Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver Duckworth, Hirono vow to oppose Biden picks over diversity concerns MORE was only confirmed last week.

We have not gotten like a flat no, Schakowsky said in an interview. But, she added, we have not seen any movement.

Blumenauer said he plans to speak with Tai about the issue.

I think theyre being cautious, he said. There are lots of moving pieces and they need cooperation with the industry, with the various companies.

But backers say theyre not giving up.

Were going to keep at it and keep at it and keep at it, DeLauro said.

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Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver | TheHill - The Hill

Briahna Joy Gray: Progressives ‘covering for the failures of the Biden administration’ on minimum wage | TheHill – The Hill

Briahna Joy Gray, the former press secretary for Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersOvernight Health Care: Senate confirms Levine for HHS, first openly transgender official | Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver | Former Operation Warp Speed chief fired over sexual harassment allegations Briahna Joy Gray: Progressives 'covering for the failures of the Biden administration' on minimum wage The Hill's Morning Report - Biden leans heavily into gun control MOREs (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign, called out progressive lawmakers on Wednesday saying they have essentially been covering for the failures of President BidenJoe BidenSupreme Court will hear Boston bomber's death case if the Biden administration lets it The Hill's Morning Report - Biden tasks Harris on border; news conference today Democrats face questions over agenda MOREs administration on the $15 minimum wage effort.

Gray told Hill.TVs Rising that she wants more transparency from progressive lawmakers about why the $15 minimum wage did not make it in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, saying Democrats treated the Senate parliamentarian ruling as an insurmountable obstacle.

If I had my druthers, I would like the progressives in Congress to be a lot more clear and honest about whats going on there,Gray said. Because as it is, they are effectively, whether or not they are intending to, covering for the failures of the Biden administration and maintaining the fiction of Oh, we can try again down the line.

Without getting rid of the filibuster, theres really nothing thats going to change, she added. And this was really the best shot at getting a much-needed, sorely, sorely needed policy that really could have helped the long-term standing of the Democratic Party and made the prospect of the upcoming midterms a lot less dire.

The minimum wage provision was ultimately not included in the American Rescue Plan after the Senate parliamentarian ruled thatthat such a move would not work under special budget rules to prevent a filibuster.

After the ruling, the White House said Biden was disappointed but vowed to respect the ruling, despite progressive calls for the administration to overrule it.

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Briahna Joy Gray: Progressives 'covering for the failures of the Biden administration' on minimum wage | TheHill - The Hill

Progressives aren’t giving up fight for $15 minimum wage, say legislation must be passed this year – Fox Business

House Armed Services Committee member Ro Khanna argues the current minimum wage of $7.25 is not something Americans can survive on and a hike would improve productivity in the workforce.

Progressives Friday pushed for a $15 minimum wage, saying Democrats owe theirconstituentsa living wage this year, and if they don't deliver, it could cost them at the ballot box in 2022.

"We need to pass a $15 minimum wageby the end of the year, [and] it has to be part of must-pass legislation," said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

Khanna organized a press call Friday with many progressiveDemocratic lawmakers, union leaders and activists who demandedthe $15 minimum wage despite setbacks earlier this year.

The wage increase passed the House in February as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, but the minimum wage provision was stripped out in the Senate due to parliamentary rules and lack of support from moderate Democrats.

PELOSI SAYS DEMS 'WILL PERSIST' ON $15 MINIMUM WAGE, DESPITE FAILURE TO GET IN COVID BILL

"The time is now," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib,D-Mich. "We have control of the House, the Senate [and] the presidency. My residents are tired of waiting. They cannot wait any longer for livable wages."

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., questions CDC Principal Deputy Secretary Dr. Anne Schuchat as she speaks before a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on lung disease and e-cigarettes on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/And

Raising the minimum wage to $15 would impact nearly 32 million workers, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. The majority -- or 59% -- of those who would benefit are women. The impact would be felt especially on women of color, who disproportionately work in low-wage jobs.

Activists saywomen, especially women of color, delivered the White House to President Biden and turned Georgia blue to give Democrats control of the Senate. Now they are counting on the wage increase for a lifeline, the Democrats say, after they've already been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

It's really important for us to recognize what the expectations of working people, particularly women and women of color are, and it's important for us to make sure that we're getting everything that we were promised,"saidRachel Carmona, executive director of the Women's March. "Because if we cant deliver a $15 minimum wage for women, then I'm not sure that women are going to deliver votes in 2022.

President Biden backs the $15 wage, but the challenge will be inthe Senate that is evenly split with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans.

The progressives were preaching a whatever-it-takes approach to get the wage hike through, from overruling the Senate parliamentarian in the future or getting rid of the filibuster to require just a simple majority to advance legislation in the Senate.

BERNIE SANDERS AMENDMENT FOR $15 MINIMUM WAGE FAILS IN SENATE IN LONGEST VOTE IN HISTORY

Earlier in March, when Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., forced a vote on whether towaive budget rules to insert the $15 minimum wage back into the coronavirus bill, he lost support from his own party.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., questions former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, D-Mich., as she testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a hearing to examine her nomination to be Secretary of Energy, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 on

The federal minimum wage has not increased in more than a decade, although a growing number of states have voted to adopt their own wage increases.

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Raising the minimum wagefrom $7.25 to$15 an hour by 2025 would cost the economy about 1.4 million jobs and would lift 900,000 Americans out of poverty, according to arecent analysisby the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

FOXBusiness'Megan Henney contributed to this report.

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Progressives aren't giving up fight for $15 minimum wage, say legislation must be passed this year - Fox Business

Union president: Amazon’s ‘progressive workplace’ claims are ‘outrageous’ and ‘tone deaf’ | TheHill – The Hill

Stuart Applebaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), on Thursday said that Amazons claims that it is a progressive workplace are outrageous and tone deaf.

Hill.TVs Rising host Saagar Enjeti asked Applebaum what he made of a recent public spat between Rep. Mark PocanMark William PocanBattle heats up over Pentagon spending plans Overnight Defense: 50 House Democrats urge Biden to 'significantly' slash defense budget | Blinken, Austin put China on warning | Pentagon could extend Guard mission at border 50 House Democrats urge Biden to 'significantly' slash defense budget MORE (D-Ill.) and the Amazon News Twitter account.

The online squabble was sparked when Amazon's CEO of Worldwide Consumer Dave Clark tweeted, I often say we are the Bernie SandersBernie SandersOvernight Health Care: Senate confirms Levine for HHS, first openly transgender official | Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver | Former Operation Warp Speed chief fired over sexual harassment allegations Briahna Joy Gray: Progressives 'covering for the failures of the Biden administration' on minimum wage The Hill's Morning Report - Biden leans heavily into gun control MORE of employers, but thats not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace."

It's so outrageous, it's nonsense and it demonstrates how tone deaf Amazon is about what their own employees feel and think, Applebaum said. What Amazon is saying is, If we give people a $15 wage that gives us license to treat them any way we want to to disregard their health and safety to dehumanize them.

Applebaum argued that Amazon could not call itself a progressive workplace when taking into account its extraordinarily high turnover rate.

[Workers are] saying we can't take it no matter how much you pay us, he added.And let me also point out about pay ... that what Amazon pays is less than the median wage in Alabama, It's less than what workers get at other warehouses represented by the RWDSU in Alabama."

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Union president: Amazon's 'progressive workplace' claims are 'outrageous' and 'tone deaf' | TheHill - The Hill