Lee Carter in Jacobin Magazine

On Principles & Values: I'm a socialist, "democratic socialist" is redundant

I don't describe myself as a democratic socialist. I describe myself as a socialist, because I feel that democratic socialism is a redundant term. One of the core pieces of socialism is that you have to have democratic control over the economy and politics. If it's not democratic, then it can't be socialism, just definitionally. The thing that makes me a socialist is that commitment to worker ownership.

Our choice really is socialism or barbarism. That's not a rhetorical device. It's not a catchy slogan. It's a reality. We saw at the Capitol that liberalism does not have an answer for the rise of fascists. They will continue getting more and more violent. They will continue getting bolder and bolder. The choice we have at this moment is to either build a mass working-class coalition that is militant in the defense of our people and our gains. Or we let the fascists win and that's unacceptable.

Source: Jacobin magazine on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial race Jan 1, 2021

The above quotations are from Jacobin Magazine Socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. Click here for other excerpts from Jacobin Magazine Socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. Click here for other excerpts by Lee Carter. Click here for a profile of Lee Carter.
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