Organize for Power is a Marxist coalition caucus in DSA, fighting for an independent party of the working class.
Our vision:
To be an organized body executing viable plans to shift society away from unsolvable capitalist contradictions and class exploitation, and toward democratized, cooperative structures capable of addressing inequality, facing the climate crisis, and building a better world together.
To advocate within the Portland Democratic Socialists of America Chapter for organizational focuses and structures that build and grow our chapter as a credible, politically educated, and coherent pole of Left action and work, grounded in the working class.
What We Believe
We stand for liberation of the oppressed. We stand against oppression, including racism, sexism, bigotry, xenophobia, white supremacy, class oppressions, imperialism, and fascism.
Our philosophy of organizing is to shape local politics, economics, and culture through organizing circles of labor and electoral power, solidarity, and class consciousness, with the goal being to lay the foundations for inculcating revolutionary consciousness.
Democratic structures are essential to our organization, and prevent horizontalism. DSA is a mass movement organization; to make it so requires providing political education that prevents devolution of the chapter (as well as our caucus) into a subculture.
Broad Marxist analysis of conditions informs proposed chapter strategies. Caucus and chapter strategy inform tactics; i.e. tactics are to be measured in service to a strategy in all cases, rather than by what would be the most radical tactic, or the most popular tactic, etc.
What We Do
Focus on common projects that are unifying for working groups, the chapter, and across the organization. Specific areas we focus together are labor organizing, strike support, and the rank and file labor strategy. Robust canvassing, to listen to and move the working class at their doors, as well as tenant surveys, organizing, and social housing are important projects within the chapter we encourage OFP members to participate in and support.
Build and grow DSA and OFP caucus membership, by connecting with our multiracial working class siblings over deeply and widely felt issues. These include Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) work, Health Justice work, fighting for rent control, social housing, a houseable wage, public goods like schools, public transportation, libraries, the postal service; taxing the rich to pay for universal programs that counter austerity, and climate crisis action.
Work to make DSA more party-like, improving our ability to organize and fight. A healthy chapter culture is one connected to regional chapters and the national bodies of DSA, including convention. OFP works to elevate political discourse and debate that models working through political questions together. OFP supports a chapter data policy that emphasizes the requirements of mass movement building. We support campaigns that clearly advocate for socialism and build DSA.