Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo

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Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo is the Buffalo affiliate of Democratic Socialists of America.

Co-chairs

In 2021 Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo co-chairs were Connor Mauche and Andre Mayes[1]

Leadership

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In 2016 Donna Grace was a member of Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo .

Flipping Higgins

Until spring 2021, Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo didn’t have a dedicated group fighting for universal health care.

But after a small group of Class Unity members decided to begin a health care work group with tangible goals, they quickly gathered members from different backgrounds and applied local pressure where and when it was needed most.

Through building the group and its political education strategy, there is now a core of bold and focused healthcare organizers who organized each other about a path to single payer healthcare that eliminates the profit motive in Buffalo DSA – and brought that demand to the community to join in. With a clear focus on educating people about class struggle and Medicare for All, while campaigning and petitioning for the latter, the Buffalo DSA Healthcare Workgroup convinced Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, to cosponsor the Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act (HCEGA) in the U.S. House, which is essentially Medicare for All on an emergency, temporary basis.

How did a brand new group of DSAers get a reluctant Democrat that receives donations from the insurance industry to sign on?

“Through strategic pressure and doggedness,” said Moira Madden, one of the Buffalo DSA members who organized the health care working group last summer. It began with an internal chapter request for volunteers to help phonebank on behalf of Medicare-for-All and canvass the community face-to-face every weekend for a month.

“It was in the middle of a pandemic, so we wore masks and went outside at busy intersections in Buffalo that get foot traffic, like farmer’s markets,” says Madden.

The group established their unabashed organizing conversation style through a consistent focus on the dysfunction of capitalism – using the private health insurance industry during COVID as the prime example – as well as willingness to show up to a representative’s neighborhood and make their demands. Their efforts led to 115 Buffalo residents contacting Higgins through phone or email. They also got over 160 signatures for their petition.

It was enough to get Higgins’ attention. He agreed to meet with the Buffalo DSA health care group in early November. In the meeting, activists pushed the conversation towards the undeniable injustice of the current healthcare system.

“Everyone in the meeting did so well arguing about the federal failures of healthcare and how there’s no central planning in our government at all,” Madden said. “Everytime we asked him about single payer, he kept trying to bring up the [Affordable Care Act]. They always do. But finally, I was like: ‘Representative Higgins, let’s get down to brass tacks: Do you think ideally health care should be tied to employment?’”

“He sighed: ‘Well, no. That’s something we should get away from.’”

The group pressed him further: “‘COVID has really shown the fragility of our health care tied to employment status. If we believe healthcare is a human right, and other capitalist countries have single health payer, we can’t say it’s not a political possibility and it’s frustrating to have it treated like one,” Madden said.

Eventually, Higgins agreed to co-sponsor HCEGA and use his office for more public advocacy for universal health care.

“It was amazing that we flipped a Health Care Emergency Act voter in the government,” says Madden.

The work, however, is far from over. Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act was tabled but is anticipated to continue to be introduced in budget and COVID relief measures. Medicare For All won’t happen without a fight, which is why DSA’s Class Unity caucus members in New York, Indiana, Kentucky, California, and Pennsylvania and other states are all prioritizing it in their organizing work. Buffalo CU’s work in training up members to have organizing conversations, growing their group, and establishing communication through a principled and consistent demand of the state in the fight for single payer healthcare is an example of a smart way forward for groups who want to apply pressure to politicians even with limited resources.

“We’re just going to keep going,” says Madden. “We’re not going to take the feet off the gas until we get a system that doesn’t profit off of denying care.”[2]

India Walton victory

In Buffalo in 2021, one shocking upset win made national headlines: first-time candidate India Walton soundly defeated four-term incumbent Byron Brown. Brown has since announced that he will run in the general election as a write-in candidate, but he faces an uphill battle to hold on to his seat.

Even so, Walton’s supporters are taking his challenge seriously. “Byron Brown is going to have a lot of resources, he has pretty much 100% name ID, and it’s the general, so there are more conservative voters who aren’t open to India,” said Ryan Stempien, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo steering committee.

The coalition that pushed Walton to victory in the primary, meanwhile, has dramatically grown in strength since her upset win. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who did a robocall for Brown during the primary, has called Walton to congratulate her. Leading lights of the progressive movement are fundraising for her, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman.

And in Buffalo, much of the Democratic Party apparatus, whether or not they backed her primary run, have gotten behind her as the party’s nominee. Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz, as well as Rep. Brian Higgins and State Sen. Sean Ryan, who represent Buffalo in Washington and Albany, respectively, have all publicly announced their support for Walton.

Progressive groups in the city, having tasted victory, say they’ve just whetted their appetite. “Now that we’ve got one win under our belt, we’re going to be looking for more,” Stempien said of Buffalo DSA. “We will be running at least two common council seats at the bare minimum” in 2023.

Rob Galbraith, a policy researcher and Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo member, pointed to council member Dave Rivera, who represents the Niagara neighborhood, which Walton won overwhelmingly, as someone likely to be amenable to Walton’s platform. “If in two years time he decides he wants another term, I think he could very likely see a challenger, and would need to appease that base,” he said.[3]

Lobbying Schumer

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Pete Zah‎ Buffalo DSA Discussion Group, September 19 2017.

DSAers and LUPers spent over an hour with Shannon Patch, the head of Senator Schumer's Buffalo office this morning.

We had a frank, respectful and productive conversation with Ms Patch about Medicare for All at the state and federal levels as well as the new Trump bill.

There are now 17 co sponsors to the Bernie bill in the Senate and we remain one cosponsors short for the NY Health Act.

If you would like to add umph to this lobbying effort, feel free to send a followup call to Schumer's Buffalo office in support of medicare for all!

peace — with Donna Grace, Brian Nowak, Matt Dearing and Jamie Diamond.

Buffalo DSA Labor Caucus

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Buffalo DSA Labor Caucus closed FB group.

As of August 24, 2017;[4]

Admins

Members

Facebook discussion group

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Democratic Socialists of America - Buffalo, public Facebook discussion group, as of March 12, 2017;[5]

This is the home of general discussion for the Buffalo Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. You don't have to be a member to post here, but we do encourage you to consider joining our efforts by visiting

Admins

Members

More members were added by October 15.[6]

More names were added by June 16 2018;

References

  1. ↑ [1]
  2. ↑ [2]
  3. ↑ [3]
  4. ↑ [4]
  5. ↑ [5]
  6. ↑ [6]
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