Against Green New Deal Amendment

I urge members to vote against this amendment of the GND platform plank due to the amendment’s arbitrary slashing of existing committee projects, its inconsistent levels of detail, and its disconnection from actual GND committee-level interests.

EBDSA’s democratic structure allows for any member to propose a platform plank amendment, even if pertaining to a committee that the member hasn’t worked on, but what Matt is proposing is less of an amendment as it is a complete overhaul which, although well-intentioned, has little if any connection to the priorities that GND Committee members have discussed or expressed interest in working on.

By so dramatically detaching the GND plank from the discussions and interests of GND Committee members, the plank would have only coincidental relevance to the committee's actual work and thereby give an inaccurate picture of what allies and prospective comrades can expect from the group.

Precedent is also worth considering. Passing Matt’s amendment could incentivize members to completely overhaul platform planks relating to committees in which they have not participated. Comrades, setting this precedent as a stand-in for praxis (A.K.A. doing the work) is not The Way™ toward democratic socialism.

If you’ll allow me a brief example: imagine I had a particular idea for which industries the Labor Committee’s Jobs Program should target. One would hope that I would go to their meetings and participate rather than simply re-writing the labor plank with a list of the particular workplaces I want them to pursue. Point being that there are strategic decisions best made at the committee level.

I am excited to learn of this amendment author’s enthusiasm for GND and Just Transition priorities, and we invite them to join our committee meetings and share their strategic vision. I extend this invitation to you too, dear reader. 

If you are worried about the particularly dry fire season expected this year, if you believe we must end capitalism to avoid ecological and social catastrophe, if you believe the future will need a sweeping shift toward cleaner energy and the care economy, and if you believe labor and a Just Transition should be at the center of this, I invite you to join our Green New Deal Committee meetings and help shape our work toward this better future. We’ll need all hands on deck!