Monthly Round-Up – August 2025

by a comrade This article is written by a DSA member and does not formally represent the views of MADSA as a whole or its subgroups. I am excited to present a new format of content on Red Madison – a recurring summary of what kind of work we’re doing in our chapter each month! My goal as a contributing author is to inform people about MADSA’s everyday efforts in a convenient and easily accessible place. The content in this publication overlaps significantly with our DSA newsletter and monthly General Membership Meetings. To sign up for the newsletter or check … Continue reading Monthly Round-Up – August 2025

Reading Group Report Back: Vladimir Lenin’s Imperialism

From April 20th to May 11th, comrades in MADSA completed a reading and discussion of Vladimir Lenin’s Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. Originally written in the first half of 1916 and published as a pamphlet in mid-1917, Lenin’s work analyzing how and why imperialism emerges under capitalism remains a vital resource in developing a stronger understanding of key Marxist concepts and analyses. For most members of the group, it was their first time ever reading any literature written by Lenin. Most members felt the language of Imperialism was easy to understand and the text was a decent length with … Continue reading Reading Group Report Back: Vladimir Lenin’s Imperialism

Reading Group Report Back: Karl Marx’s Capital

…by a reading group member From November 2024 to March 2025, Madison Area DSA embarked on an ambitious political education project. A reading group formed to tackle Paul Reitter’s 2024 translation of Capital. The challenges of this book were clear and immense from the beginning. Marx’s words measure to a total of 710 pages with over 100 more pages of introductions and endnotes. It tackles a vast array of topics starting with a theoretical analysis of value, a mathematical assessment of the working day, and a historic review of the working class’s conditions across Great Britain. To call this work … Continue reading Reading Group Report Back: Karl Marx’s Capital

YDSA UW-Madison Wins Five Seats in ASM Elections

We are so pleased and proud to announce that three of our candidates have won in the ASM elections Wednesday night — Gabo Samoff for College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and Student Finance Services Committee, Bobby Gronert for College of Letters and Science and Student Finance Services Committee and Tristan Englemann for College of Engineering (five seats total). Continue reading YDSA UW-Madison Wins Five Seats in ASM Elections

The Bitter Fruits of Democratic Austerity: Reflections on Trump’s Victory

by Blair Goodman, MADSA member, co-chair of Equador Working Group on the DSA International Committee and chair of the Training Subcommittee of the DSA Growth and Development Committee As we urgently grapple with Trump’s return to the White House, it’s crucial to swiftly understand the economic and political factors that led to this outcome. The Democrats’ failure to promptly address the real economic concerns of working-class Americans has paved the way for Trump’s populist rhetoric to once again resonate with voters. The Disconnect Between Wall Street and Main Street Despite the rosy picture painted by macroeconomic indicators – a booming … Continue reading The Bitter Fruits of Democratic Austerity: Reflections on Trump’s Victory

OPEIU Local 39 Objects to Layoffs at America’s Credit Unions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 29, 2024 MADISON, WI – America’s Credit Unions (formerly “Credit Union National Association, Inc.”) has informed the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 39 of its intent to eliminate lay off up to 30% of the workforce at its headquarters in Madison. America’s Credit Unions is the result of the merger between Madison’s CUNA and its primary competitor, National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU). The Company filed a notice with the Department of Workforce Development on January 12, 2024, cc’ing City of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway: “This is a difficult decision, and we appreciate … Continue reading OPEIU Local 39 Objects to Layoffs at America’s Credit Unions

Myanmar: Hope and Solidarity Needed

By Ash T “The Spring Revolution is coming closer than ever!” It’s not hard to see why so many comrades have completely lost hope in the state of the world. As we see ongoing genocides in Rojava and Palestine, many watch in horror as American bombs and money fund genocidal wars of conquest by the Turkish government and Israeli state. At the ballot box, we see the horrors of both the Biden government’s treatment of the Palestinian people and the possible future horrors that will await under a Trump presidency. The Palestinian struggle is something that is ongoing and our … Continue reading Myanmar: Hope and Solidarity Needed

2024 MADSA Convention

It’s time once again for our annual Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America Convention, happening on Saturday, March 23 from 10-5 at the Goodman Community Center. Please RSVP as soon as possible! This year, we’re excited to move back to an in-person convention. At Convention, members in good standing are invited to take a look back at the past year and make important decisions about the direction of the upcoming year. Here’s what you can expect at the MADSA Convention: getting to know your comrades and team building, political discussion, voting on exec positions, working group charters, chapter campaigns, and … Continue reading 2024 MADSA Convention

A call to DSA comrades: stand in solidarity with Rojava!

Since October, Turkey has ramped up its attacks on North-East Syria. Increasingly, they are targeting civilians and their infrastructure, especially with the striking of power plants, hospitals, grain silos and water stations. These attacks are blatant violations of the Geneva Conventions and signify a total disregard for human life. The damage has been so devastating that half of all civilian infrastructure there is now destroyed.  Rojava is the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria (DAANES), a society which adheres to the libertarian socialist principles emphasized in Abdullah Öcalan’s ideology of democratic confederalism. They have enshrined women’s equality through active female … Continue reading A call to DSA comrades: stand in solidarity with Rojava!

MADSA Abolitionist Working Group Opposes Additional Spending on Jail

Calls on Community to Demand Dane County Invest in Care Not Cages On Thursday, January 18, 2024 the Dane County Board of Supervisors will be voting on RES-286, which would increase the budget for the Jail Consolidation Project by $27.6 Million, bringing the total budget of the project to $197 Million. If this jail is built, it will be the most expensive public works project ever in Dane County by a long shot. But this community has the opportunity to say: no more. District 2 Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner says, “It’s disappointing that some are so eager to pour more money … Continue reading MADSA Abolitionist Working Group Opposes Additional Spending on Jail