My draft SDA October newsletter
Dear Comrades,
The National Online On-Boarding Socialists Meeting takes place on the first Wednesday of every month at 9 PM Eastern / 6 PM Pacific.
Please share the Mobilize link: https://www.mobilize.us/socialists/event/773488.
The purpose of this meeting is not to cover 146 years of Socialist theory or review the rich history of our movement. Instead, the goal is simple: to introduce the basics of Socialism and explain how we use the consensus-building Ben Franklin Circle Salon model instead of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Observer Mission by COPPPAL to the NYC Mayoral Election
The first members of the COPPPAL Electoral Observatory, part of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean, have begun arriving in New York City to observe the municipal elections. The delegation has already started visiting several early voting sites.
Davika Bissessar and James Finies of the Bonaire Human Right Organization spoke with a canvasser from the NYC Africans for Zohran for Mayor Coalition outside an early voting location.
During these visits, observers experienced firsthand how poll site workers react to unannounced international observation visits.
This is not an isolated incident. Last year, while accompanied by French journalist Sophie Ballard, I witnessed a similar confrontation when she was forcefully removed from a polling site—despite having full authorization. A year later, even with officially accredited international observers, a comparable situation nearly occurred again.
This raises an important question: Why does such aggressive behavior persist toward authorized outsiders?
The official press release in Spanish can be found here: https://www.copppal.org/prensa/c-27-06-2024-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-3-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2.
The New York Times story disappeared from the Internet Archive
This incident underscores the urgent need for a genuine left-leaning daily newspaper — one that presents current events from a Social Democratic perspective. For some time, I’ve been experimenting with mockups for such a publication.
On October 26, 2025, Lisa Lerer wrote an article about Zohran’s upcoming rally with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — an article I felt was riddled with errors.
As I always do, I immediately saved the piece to the Wayback Machine on the Internet Archive, sent my usual scathing response by email, and posted a rebuttal on what I hope will one day become The International Socialist — a publication that combines the accessibility of USA Today with the depth of a Social Democratic version of Jacobin.
I emailed the author and posted my reply on the mockup site: https://socialist.international/2025/10/26/nyregion/mamdani-sanders-aoc-rally.html.
The core idea behind The International Socialist is to counter misleading articles by publishing well-documented responses — linking directly to the originals for transparency and accountability.
To my surprise, the original Times article — the one describing the anticipation of the rally — vanished and was replaced by a completely different version about the aftermath of the event, with substantial language changes.
Even more troubling, the original version seems to have been completely erased from the Wayback Machine — as if it never existed.
I know it was there when I posted my response — I verified it myself. I have enormous respect for both the Internet Archive and The New York Times.
How can one not start to become a conspiracy theorist when things like that happen?
I know there is likely a reasonable explanation — they will claim that the page was simply a placeholder or that The New York Times has a robots.txt file preventing the Wayback Machine from archiving certain stories, and so on.
Yet this experience only reinforces my conviction that it’s time to build a Social Democratic media platform that will challenge mainstream outlets — not to mirror their biases, but to present the truth from our own principled, progressive point of view.
If you want to contribute and start writing stories, visit https://socialist.international/editors and submit your work.
The Work with Our Partners
Let’s make this crystal clear: our relationship with American elected officials is nonexistent, and there’s nothing to sugarcoat about it.
As Socialists, we are uncompromising on two fundamental principles — universal healthcare and universal basic income. We call out as hypocrites every politician who claims to support these goals but refuses to tell their donors to go to hell. To them, we say it plainly: “Fuck you.”
It feels good to say it — but the truth is, it also leaves us isolated in the activist world. We’ve been put in the doghouse because we refuse to play their game, to dilute our message, or to trade integrity for access.
This is ultimately a reflection on them, not on us. We don’t need their approval or their money — because we have the same tools they have. The difference is that they pay for them, while we build them and give them to the world for free: https://github.com/repmyblock.
We understand that we’ll probably stay in the doghouse for a few more years — at least until we have authentic SDA-branded elected officials. We already have a few allies in office, but since they weren’t elected under the SDA name, we protect them quietly instead of putting them at risk.
What We Would Ask of a Mamdani Administration
In a Mamdani administration, the Social Democrats of America would put forward a series of appointments reflecting our vision of a more just and equitable New York City — one that serves people, not donors.
For Paperboy Love Prince — Deputy Mayor of Nightlife
Since 2020, Paperboy Love Prince has campaigned with a message rooted in love and community joy. As Deputy Mayor of Nightlife, Paperboy would bring a creative, inclusive, and human-centered approach to the city’s cultural spaces, ensuring nightlife policy uplifts rather than criminalizes New Yorkers.
For Rosa Diaz — NYC Department of Youth and Community Development
Rosa would be the best choice because she has lived experience within the New York City Public Schools as a student, staff member, and parent leader for almost two decades. She has dedicated her adult life to advocating for children and families, bringing knowledge, experience, and opportunities for success within NYCPS.
Rosa has executive experience as the Secretary of Manhattan Community Board 11.
Rosa serves as a bridge between parents and students, amplifying their voices while being an authentic and professional leader. She consistently keeps the community and its lived experiences in mind, making thoughtful decisions that benefit the most vulnerable populations. Her advocacy includes strong support for students with special needs and a deep understanding of cultural competency.
For myself — Sheriff of the City of New York
I would ask Zohran Mamdani to appoint me as Sheriff of New York City.
I make this request
not out of ambition, but out of experience — I have been a victim of real estate abuse, and I have witnessed firsthand how past administrations have failed to act.
The Sheriff’s Office, a division of the New York City Department of Finance, serves as the city’s enforcement arm, responsible for investigations involving real estate and deed fraud, cigarette tax enforcement, and other critical matters.
Given the epidemic of real estate theft sweeping New York, we need a Sheriff who will confront corruption head-on and bring justice to working families whose homes have been stolen through fraud and manipulation.
In 2024, Attorney General Letitia James announced limited protections for victims of deed theft, but her actions came too late — and too softly — allowing perpetrators to escape accountability while her office focused on high-profile political cases instead of the crimes devastating ordinary New Yorkers. https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-announces-new-protections-against-deed-theft.
That is why Zohran Mamdani must appoint real Social Democrats — people who have lived the struggles of this city — to positions of power.
We are not seeking titles. We are seeking justice, accountability, and a city government that finally stands with its people.
Time to Join the Social Democrats of America
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, now is the time to join SDA (Social Democrats of America), a 501(c)(4), by becoming a non-voting member for $40.
https://www.socialists.us/direct/index/join
At any time, you can switch to voting member status once there are five non-voting members in the same geographical area. This process will be explained during the On-Boarding Meeting, held on the first Wednesday of every month.
Please share the Mobilize link: https://www.mobilize.us/socialists/event/773488.
In solidarity,
Hasta la victoria, ¡siempre!
Theo