Socialist movements are notorious for infighting. Even the most successful ones have been beset by debates over tactics, counterrevolutionary elements, and revisions to the party line. But as the Dianne Morales mayoral campaign collapses less than a month before primary day, it’s a reminder that the revolution can’t get around to eating its own children if it eats itself before getting off the ground.
The saga began last Tuesday, when Morales, a 53-year-old nonprofit executive running as the leftmost candidate in a crowded Democratic field, missed an Al Sharpton–hosted mayoral forum for what she called a “family emergency.” Turns out the “family” was her campaign staff, though “emergency” was the right word. Simmering concerns boiled over that night in a five-hour meeting, and in the ensuing days, two senior officials quit, a handful of staffers were fired, and the remaining ones formed a union and went on strike less than a month before the primary.
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