WHAT IS GROUNDWORK?
The Groundwork Points of Unity:
Groundwork is a group of DSA members organizing to change DSA into what we all want but don’t have: a force strong enough to meaningfully influence politics on the scale of the next presidential election, potential general strike, and whatever other national ruptures may come.
The only way to do so is to become a genuine, mass political party. An organization in the millions, that anyone whose values align with ours can easily hear about, understand, support, join, and learn to organize in. The kind that can transform and run nations.
We are in DSA to build DSA into a world-historic political force. Here is what we believe:
DSA Will Be The Party: DSA built the only mass socialist organization in the US because of things only DSA can do, not in spite of them. Our public reach, formal political power, and ability to turn ordinary people into organizers now give us the unique potential to build the mass party.
We Are Fighting The Clock: All decisions and analysis must start from our fundamental reality: the existential threat of the climate crisis, and the rise of fascist power. Urgency is not optional.
Build To Win, Win To Build: Our victories today are only as good as the battlefields they open tomorrow. We must prioritize organizing to unite divided sections of the working class, enable mass participation and recruitment into the party, and build the power for even bigger wins.
Seize State Power: Only the state can operate at the speed and scale to transform our economy from an engine of extinction to a tool of liberation. Giving up on state power is just giving up, consigning the global working class to ecocidal suffering and death unseen.
More Labor, More Left: Only a left labor movement can build the foundation a mass party requires to take the power we need. We must forge stronger bonds with aligned unions, align unions that aren’t, and strategically build new unions where there are none.
Socialism Beats Fascism: Only an unapologetic left can wage the popular ideological warfare it takes to shatter the overton window, stop the fascist scapegoating of trans people, immigrants, women, and near everyone else, and point mass outrage where it belongs: capitalists.
Whatever It Takes: Only a multifaceted strategy wielding state power, strike power, and street power together can beat the ruling class permanently. Leave nothing on the table.
The Party Leads: Only a DSA that prioritizes pushing for real change can build party power. Deference to nonprofit/NGO groups, spokespeople, or elected officials—even our own—can’t.
Mass Party, Mass Democracy: Only true, bottom-up member buy-in can change DSA from patchwork to party. It’s time to build the democratic mechanisms whose lack has paralyzed DSA for years, and enable rank & file members to make defining political decisions through votes.
Want to learn more? Get more in depth with our Tasks & Perspectives
Ready to build DSA with us? Applications to join Groundwork and get involved with our organizing are open now.
