The Democratic Socialist of America Love Fidel Castro

by Rod Williams, August 17, 2026 - The Democratic Socialists of America has been in the news a lot lately. They have been growing and winning primaries within the Democratic Party. The DSA is the largest socialist organization in United States history, officially surpassing the Socialist Party of America under Eugene V. Debs, which reached its peak of dues-paying membership in 1912. As of July 12, DSA had 120,000 members. That is huge. And that is not just self-identified socialists; that is card-carrying members.

There is a tug of war going on in the Democratic Party between the sane center-left Democrats (or normie Dems or establishment Dems) and the extremists of the DSA. It is the topic of conversation on news panels, and almost every prominent Democratic politician being interviewed is asked his views on the DSA.  Dems are trying to walk a fine line and have a party big enough to welcome Marxist radicals and yet not be tarred as a party that endorses radical policies such as defunding the police. 

If you think the DSA is just a bunch of nice, naive, starry-eyed people concerned about income inequality and would like for the US to be more like Finland, you are wrong. You can tell a lot about a person by the type of people they admire and look up to. This is what the DSA said about Fidel Castro in a statement issued August 13, 2026: 

Today is the centenary of Fidel Castro, and the Democratic Socialists of America recognize the historic significance of both this day and the man. Fidel was an organizer, a fighter, and endures as a stalwart symbol of anti-imperialist struggle and self-determination for the Global South. DSA has a long history of solidarity with the Cuban people, their revolution, and their self-determination. (link)

Castro is in the pantheon of the world's worst dictators. Maybe not quite in the same league as Hitler or Stalin, or Pol Pot, but close. After Castro's revolution, he turned Cuba into a totalitarian Communist state. He controlled the press, suspended free and fair elections, and banned protests. He abolished private property, and people could not even own their own homes. If you owned a home, the ownership transferred to the government. The island was cut off from the outside world, and thousands were imprisoned, beaten, and executed. Over a million people fled the socialist paradise, most on flimsy rafts through shark-infested waters.  If anyone thinks of Fidel Castro as an admirable role model, and someone to admire, they, at a minimum, should not be trusted with political power. All of their opinions should be suspect. 

While I want to derail Trumpian authoritarianism, I will not throw my lot in with socialists who admire Fidel Castro. When it comes to the lesser of two evils, between socialism and Trumpism, I think Trumpism is the lesser evil. Thankfully we are not to the point to where those are the only choices. 

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The Democrats Can’t Just Laugh Off ‘Woke 1’

by Idrees Kahloon. The Atlantic, Aug. 16, 2026 - On Sunday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made two striking remarks that seem related. ... Second, she tried to laugh off stances that progressives in her wing of the Democratic Party had taken in the preceding years: “‘Woke 1 was crazy,’” she said, echoing a comment that one of her allies had made about the heyday of ideas such as “defund the police.”

... The fact that she is declining to defend—and indeed wishing to move past—these positions shows how radioactive they have become.  ... Democratic politics have been reshaped by an ideology centered on systemic oppression and the radical policies ostensibly needed to correct it. 

... Members of Congress were photographed taking a knee while wearing African-inspired kente cloth.

Companies rolled out diversity, equity, and inclusion action plans and donated huge sums to Black Lives Matter and other racial-justice causes. Universities denounced themselves as complicit in systemic racism. Staffers at news outlets revolted against colleagues they deemed counterrevolutionary, and nonprofit leaders and corporate executives treated the books of the anti-racism gurus Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo as revelatory.

... Cities that cut police spending reversed course after murders spiked. Elite universities built up large DEI bureaucracies to manage every oppression—yet embarrassed themselves in their inability to address campus anti-Semitism ... 

... Woke 1 may be over, but progressives have not given up their attempt to take over the Democratic Party apparatus. ... One DSA-aligned candidate who is expected to be elected to Congress, Darializa Avila Chevalier, is a prison abolitionist who cannot bring herself to say that murderers should go to jail. (read it all) 

Rods Comment: 
Woke and Socialist Democrats are making it hard to create a broad coalition focused on derailing Donald Trump's agenda and ending his corruption, his mismanagement, and his authoritarian and unconstitutional enactments. As much as I want to see a check on Donald Trump and his agenda, I will not support any candidate who wants to defund the police, abolish prisons, ban Thanksgiving, have open borders, enact amnesty for all illegal immigrants, enact Medicare for all, and enact universal childcare. 

I could overlook some of this. I could hold my nose and vote for someone advocating policies that I disagree with for the greater good of stopping Donald Trump's threat to our country and the world. For example, despite opposing a complete government takeover of health care, knowing that doing so would be very difficult and likely unachievable, I could support a Democrat advocating Medicare for all. To stop Trump's damage to our nation and the world, I could overlook a lot. However, I could not support any candidate who at one time or still favors defunding the police and closing all prisons.  

More and more, I feel like we are screwed regardless of which party governs our country in the future. The choices in front of us are bleak. 

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There is a Valuable Campaign Training Class Being Offered by the Nashville GOP

by Rod Williams, August 5, 2026-If you ever plan to run for public office or want to be a valuable volunteer and help others win elections, I encourage you to get lots of training. Over the years, I have witnessed some great campaigns and some really bad campaigns. I have seen campaigns waste enormous amounts of money and campaigns that made every dollar count. Money is certainly important in politics, but I think of equal importance, or maybe even more importance, is working hard and smart, being well organized, and exercising good time management. Let me give you one example from my own campaign for Metro Council from years ago.

All serious candidates for office purchase a voters list of their district, and so did I. Before I knocked on my first door, however, I created an index card for each household with a registered voter. I then put colored tags on each card: one color if there was more than one voter in the household, another color if they were Republican, and a different color for frequent voters. After visiting the voter, if they told me I could put a yard sign in their yard, then the index card got an additional tag of a different color.

The advantage of this is that I did not waste time knocking on doors with no voters; I could approach the door by calling the person by name, and I could tailor my message. Also, I could make notes on the card about the household that might help me with follow-up campaign contacts.

One can now get a voter list on your cell phone that does all of this for you and more. Yet, I still see people wasting time with the door-to-door campaign. How to get the most benefit out of the voter registration rolls is one thing that one can learn in a campaign school setting. One needs to know how to order a voter roll and how to get the maximum benefit out of it.

The upcoming training session offered by the Nashville GOP has to do with fundraising and campaign finance training. Raising money is important. Learn how to do it. Knowing how to file a campaign finance report is also very important. One does not want to run afoul of the law.  In addition to the legal liability, filing a faulty campaign finance report can make the news and be a campaign liability. Also, should one give their campaign money or loan their campaign money? There is a difference.

I have taken several campaign training classes over the years. All I have taken were non-ideological. They teach skills and do not proselytize a point of view. So, if you are a traditional Regan Republican or a Democrat or of some other political persuasion, learn the skills regardless of who is teaching them. After all, it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

You’re Invited: Build to Win — Free Political Fundraising & Compliance Workshop We’re excited to invite you to Citizen Activate 2026’s Build to Win: Political Fundraising and Compliance Training, a FREE Brunch & Learn workshop designed to give present and future candidates, campaign teams, and volunteers practical tools to build the financial support needed to run strong, effective campaigns.  BUILD TO WIN Political Fundraising & Compliance Training Saturday, August 29, 2026 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM CST Delta Hotels Nashville Airport 733 Briley Pkwy Nashville, TN 37217 This event is FREE to attend, and brunch will be provided. We’re bringing together experienced professionals for a hands-on training focused on two of the most important—and often most intimidating—parts of running a campaign: raising money and staying compliant. RSVP Featured Speakers Carlos Cardena — Leadership Institute Carlos will lead our political fundraising training, providing practical strategies candidates and campaign teams can put to work immediately. Jessica Darby — Political Financial Management Jason Baker — Political Financial Management Jessica and Jason will provide campaign compliance training tailored specifically to   Tennessee and help attendees better understand the financial and reporting   responsibilities that come with running a campaign. During the workshop, you’ll learn: Current political fundraising trends and how campaigns raise money today How to practice strong donor stewardship and build long-term support The Arc of the Ask — how to confidently ask for contributions Real-world lessons from a candidate panel sharing fundraising experiences Campaign compliance training tailored specifically to Tennessee  Who Should Attend? This workshop is ideal for candidates preparing to run for office, campaign managers and team members, and volunteers helping build and support local campaigns. Whether you’re preparing for your first campaign or looking to strengthen an existing campaign operation, you’ll leave with practical tools, clear strategies, and greater confidence in your fundraising and compliance efforts. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today by clicking the link below. We hope you’ll join us for a morning of training, brunch, and practical campaign education. RSVP

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