That is a big question. First, while the state is dominated by the Right, it is important to note that Louisville is a blue city in a red state. I do not generally live in fear of right-wing vigilante violence or anything like that against socialists. And in my neighborhood, I would say that being a socialist is the modal position. I would say, if people were asked, more would say they are socialist than would describe themselves as liberal, and certainly more than conservative. I have a socialist who represents me on city council, J. P. Lyninger, so I want to be clear about that.
At the same time, yeah, Kentucky is a red state. There is an 80-20 Republican majority in the state house, which is what I am running for. What that means is that socialists in some environments who are running for state office are running as — I do not want to say they are running as adjuncts to the Democratic Party — but their connection to the Democrats is tenuous at times. If they must, if there’s Democratic majority, they sometimes are engaged in work that is about winning majorities in the Democratic caucus so they can possibly pass transformative legislation that is socialist-written.
That is not something that is immediately on the horizon for Kentucky. I think about my friends and comrades in New York City and New York State — about them having to play ball or build these coalitions with capital-D Democrats, because they have a real possibility of getting things passed that can help the working class in those states. In Kentucky, getting that sort of legislation — public renewables, things like that — are more on the long-term horizon.
So, as a socialist in government in Kentucky, my job would primarily be to run defense. I will do this defense in coalition with Democrats and other progressives running defense to stop bad laws, to stand up for working people, to fight where we can. But also, primarily my responsibility is to set a long-term…
Auteur: Robert LeVertis Bell
