Category: DSA (Page 1 of 8)

In a recent post on local politics, I said it’s a bad idea to reduce local politics to things under the ‘abolition’ label. More generally, it’s a bad idea to reduce politics to any single issue.

People often look for shortcuts. I get that. But if you’re going to do so, find a better shortcut.

Our local DSA chapter used a long questionnaire for 2025 city council endorsements. Some of the questions are redundant, and many don’t apply to local elections. But sometimes this happens in a democratic org. Anyway, one question reads as follows: “What do you believe is the root cause of the housing crisis, and how would you seek to address it in office?”

That’s a great question, and it makes for a better single issue test. Why? For one, housing stands out as the most important issue in Iowa City politics. People who earn average incomes can’t afford a place to live. Many are getting pushed out to Coralville, North Liberty, or beyond. But also, it’s an issue on which many people hold key misconceptions. YIMBY and NIMBY politics dominate our area, even among progressives and those who believe they’re ‘leftists.’

Having read the answers given by three candidates, here’s a handy guide to interpreting responses:

Candidate cites capitalism, finance capital, financialized capitalism, private equity, and/or neoliberalism: Correct Answer

Candidate cites housing supply: YIMBY

Candidate cites housing demand among individual buyers: NIMBY

Even though the three candidates we quizzed – Newman Abuissa, Amy Hospodarsky, Clara Reynen – slot into the same alleged ‘faction’ of local politics, only one came up with the correct response.

That candidate was Clara Reynen. The other two tested out as YIMBYs.

If you’re looking for a simple test, it’s this one. And Clara Reynen passed the test.

We’re in the middle of a city council election cycle in Iowa City. Plenty of people are getting worked up about it.

In some ways that’s a good thing.

It means we live in a politically engaged city. And there are lots of issues for us to tackle. On top of this, the previous election – a special election between Ross Nusser and Oliver Weilein – offered deep, meaningful differences on how to run a city in a revanchist era. Its results emerged from a realignment of our local politics.

But this election strikes me in a different way.

At least four (and possibly five or six) of the six candidates aren’t very different from one another. They practice broadly similar politics. However, people think they’re different. This calls for a closer examination of the forces that push people to over-invest in local electoral politics.

Let’s do that.

Continue reading