My draft SDA February newsletter
Dear Comrades,
The question that comes up most often is: what is the difference between DSA and SDA? That is a legitimate question.
Today, in 2026, the difference is simple: DSA works outside the Democratic Party, while SDA works inside the Democratic Party.
DSA is a member of the Progressive International. SDA is working to reclaim the membership left by DSA in the Socialist International, and we are the Social Democrat faction within the Progressive Alliance.
Personally, I will not lose sleep over it anymore. The split between DSA and SDA is now complete.
Socialism Monthly On-Boarding
I have split the on-boarding sessions between the first and third Wednesdays of the month:
First Wednesday – 7:30 PM Pacific: https://www.mobilize.us/socialists/event/773488
Third Wednesday – 7:30 PM Eastern: https://www.mobilize.us/socialists/event/897754
Michigan 13 & Trademark & Activism
Earlier this month, Shelby Campbell became a Non-Voting member of the SDA. However, because the SDA bylaws are clear—one must be a member for three years before being allowed to run as a Social Democrat—you will not see any SDA assets on her website.
She has taken on the Campbell Corporation in the lawsuit Campbell.
We have also created a policy thread to discuss Trademark & Activism.
The creation of the Listserve was prompted by a French-American lawyer based in Paris who sent us a cease-and-desist letter over our recruitment campaign encouraging SDA members to join Democrats Abroad.
You can join the discussion here: https://www.mobilize.us/socialists/event/899081.
Petitioning in the streets of New York
On my personal Facebook page, I am sharing pictures of New Yorkers petitioning to get on the ballot: https://www.facebook.com/theochino.
You can see that people from 18 to 99 years old are participating. They are all liberals, and many are members of the Center for New Liberalism: https://cnliberalism.org.
What I do not see in these photos are members of CPUSA. They may be featured in AOC’s section at the end of the newsletter. If they can do it, we MUST do it.
I have been petitioning since 2006. I have always said that I am a Socialist, and at the time I would often prefix it with “a French Socialist.” I have been punched, spit on, and had doors slammed in my face. Some leftists have even had guns pointed at them.
At the same time, when I petitioned as a Green—after the Green Party lost its recognition—I saw that New York was not exactly a haven for the far right.
This week, I met three liberals who refused to sign because I am a Bernie/AOC socialist—but many more signed precisely because I am a Socialist. I have even had people turn around and come back to sign the petition.
The “Medicare for All” and “Bernie” buttons definitely help.
Lastly, I want to share the video posted by DJELF—an activist with libertarian tendencies who has become notorious across political circles in New York City.
He has gravitated toward the extreme left, DSA, the Green Party, MAGA, and now wants to create a platform that “unites us all”: https://www.repmyblock.org/djelf7/brand/djelf7/index.
Here he is at a GOP holocaust survivor house.
Using Rep My Block, he trained himself and is now running for Zohran’s Assembly seat on the GOP line. The process is the same as codified in New York State law and the New York Constitution.
His platform is a mix of various populist ideas circulating today. Many so-called “serious” New York City activists call him a clown.
As Socialist Michael Harrington said in 1984, this country needs institutions where members work out a program, present it to the public, and then have elected officials carry that program into law.
In 2026, those institutions include: the Communist Party, the Conservative Party, the Christian Democrats, the Liberals, and the Greens. Today, only the Conservative Party and the Liberals are effectively pushing their platforms. It is up to us to present a Socialist one.
We are the newcomers, and we need to assert ourselves. We are running behind, but the instructions for building a Socialist platform are posted here: https://socialists.us/policies.
I love a photo from seven years ago because it includes every misfit in New York City. Through the petitioning process, I helped many of them get on the ballot—from the youngest citywide candidate to someone who later became a January 6 protester, and even an anti-war artist who drifted toward the ultra right.
This month was short
When I get frustrated, I let it out—like a ’90s song from Tears for Fears—and I tell my detractors to take a hike. I am not speaking to you, my comrades, but to those who have attacked us through me over the past twenty years.
As I run for Congress, I see my job as teaching Socialism—and teaching how liberals within the Democratic Party use every tool available to cast doubt and force us into “presentable” molds.
I have deliberately kept this post raw. If you read between the lines, you will find all the rules needed to build your own movement—if you are dissatisfied with the global movement of the Socialist International.
I am not insulting SDA readers. I am speaking about those who categorically refuse to participate in the process while simultaneously preventing others from doing so—by casting doubt and spreading falsehoods.
Unfortunately, the English language does not fully capture the depth of my disdain and condemnation, while still ensuring they understand exactly how I feel.
AOC 2028
If Team AOC does not get on board, her 2028 presidential run is over. She will be forced to convince center-right liberals that she is the right choice—and we have seen how that strategy played out in 2000 with Ralph Nader, and again in 2016 and 2020.
My first experience running for office in New York State was in 2005, when I mounted a small campaign as a Green Party candidate.
In twenty years, I have learned the secret of getting on the ballot. Without even seeing the petition AOC shared in her newsletter, I can already tell that she is focused on herself and her circle—not on building a movement.
I have raised these concerns in the AOC 2028 Substack.
The email she sent to her supporters about getting on the ballot did not mention building the Socialist or broader left movement within the Democratic Party.
Welcome dear Comrade!
In solidarity,
Hasta la victoria, ¡siempre!
Theo