SEEING RED, CONTINUED FROM PG. 06
about 2,600 elected committee members. Regardless, the DSA already has endorsed candidates and members running for elected positions and is campaigning for policies like universal health care. But the group might run into obstacles, since the region’s perception of socialism isn’t stellar and the structure of Pittsburgh’s economy isn’t quite ready for a big socialist push. But the DSA believes a push toward democratic socialism can help Pittsburghers and to help spread the wealth evenly across the region. The “red scare” of post-WWII America led to the labeling of many pro-workingrights Americans as communists. Over the decades, some socialism-like programs, including Social Security, public transportation and public housing, have received support, but both the Democratic and Republican parties have shied away from the word. The recent presidential campaign of Sanders, who calls himself a “democratic socialist,” and his subsequent popularity have changed things. Pittsburgh DSA cochairs Shuck and Arielle Cohen say their group isn’t advocating for the type of totalitarian socialism often associated with the Soviet Union. Cohen says, “The goal is to have more democratic and just practices in every aspect of our lives, our workplaces, our schools, our communities. We believe the more participation, the more radical democracy. Not just to redistribute wealth, but to redistribute power.” Cohen says the DSA is fighting for things like fair wages, equal access to health care and the possibility of free higher education. Politically in Southwestern Pennsylvania, support for democratic socialism is scattered, but Cohen believes socialism, and the programs it champions, are growing in popularity. According to a June Pew Research poll, 33 percent of Americans favor a “single payer” approach to health insurance, compared to only 21 percent of the public in 2014. “I think the demands of democratic socialism are popular,” says Cohen. “Democratic socialists are not scared of these words, and I think people increasingly are not afraid of these words.” A January 2016 Harper poll shows that 38 percent of Pennsylvanians favor socialism, compared to 35 percent who oppose it. This same poll shows 57 percent of Pennsylvanians favor capitalism, compared to 29 percent who oppose it. Pennsylvania political pollster G. Terry Madonna believes Southwestern Pennsyl-
vanians are not totally opposed to socialistic, government-intervention programs, citing their support, ironically, for Trump. “The blue-collar areas that surround Allegheny County, these blue-collar workers essentially elected Trump,” says Madonna. “They voted for a guy who articulated government intervening in bringing back coal jobs. Having government intervene to help is something they favor.” But Madonna notes many areas in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including Allegheny County, are “socially conservative” and this might be a deterrent in getting voters to back the DSA and its endorsed candidates. DSA strongly supports reproductive rights, prison abolition, disability rights and the Black Lives Matter movement. It also has been a strong presence in supporting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other immigrantrights protections. But Shuck still sees some openings for a rise in socialism’s popularity in Pittsburgh. He notes the Community Land Trust in Lawrenceville — an affordable-housing program where a nonprofit ensures low-income purchasers can buy homes — is a form of socialism. The DSA also supports Pittsburgh City Council’s push to raise the realty-transfer tax. Shuck says the tax will fall mostly on wealthy developers, not middle-income home buyers. He believes things like housing, food and health care, should be human rights, not commodities to purchase. “And we have the capacity to provide this for everyone, but the reason we are not doing it right now is because of political will,” says Shuck. The U.S. has the highest Gross Domestic Product of any nation in the world, at about $18 trillion, but according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the U.S. has the fourth most unequal economy of developed nations. The widening gap of inequality appears to be playing out in Pittsburgh, too. According to the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C. think tank, Pittsburgh saw a 13 percent increase in Gross Metropolitan Product from 2010-2015, which was above the national average. But the region only had a 3 percent increase in jobs, well below the national average. According to a 2016 report from news organization Bloomberg, of cities with populations over 250,000, Pittsburgh was the ninth most unequal city in the country. But converting Pittsburgh to a more socialistic system may not be all that easy.
“I JOINED BECAUSE CAPITALISM HAS BASICALLY RUINED MY LIFE SINCE I WAS BORN.”
CONTINUES ON PG. 10
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
09.20/09.27.2017