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[reworking a section from Speculative Organizing published earlier this week]

Long Title: three stage strategy for the establishment of assemblies by lottery, locally and nationally, to create an alternative site of contestation for political action to elections and court cases more favorable to worker democracy.

such assemblies in the short term would publish discussions of contemporary issues, such as homelessness and the pandemic, war, etc. they would be a voice of democratic leadership, independent of politicians, able to declare opposition to specific government decisions in the name of the average person, since they would library be a statistically representative body of the populace, unlike the people rich enough to find a campaign.

in the medium term, as they gain influence, such assemblies could act as tactical leaders, promoting strikes, coordinating across different movements. see Gramsci's organic intellectuals.

travel and publication costs could be funded by participating labor and tenants unions, left wing political parties, Indian Nations, universities, workers councils, etc. In exchange, such bodies would be granted the right to send ambassadors to speak before the assemblies and give them advice. they should also get a guaranteed delegation of members within the assembly membership drawn from the general membership of the participating union, party, university, tribe, etc. these reserved assembly seats could be fixed at, say, 40% of total seats in the assembly, while the rest would be statistically representative of the given community.

The assemblies should be able to invite philosophers--journalists, independent writers, academics, spiritual leaders, party organizers--to teach public seminars and lead working groups of assembly delegates to propose resolutions.

longer term, the assemblies should aim to wield dual power, claiming for example the right to challenge supreme court cases, forcing the justices to defend their decisions in the eyes of a truly democratic court and over-ruling cases like Dobs, vetoing laws, removing corrupt politicians, etc. In other words, they should aim to operate like the Tribunes of the Plebs and provide a counter-leadership alternative to organizing within the capitalizing machine of bourgeois electoral politics.

as the assemblies gain power it will likewise be necessary for them to choose, from among themselves or their advisors, commissars to represent their will, procure and manage resources, provide strike aid, et cetera. rather than a Parliamentary model where one faction rules and the other Opposed, as much as possible commissars should be drawn from across all participating socialist parties, workers councils, universities, trade and tenant unions, Indian Nations, and general membership.

the assembly itself gains it's legitimacy and novelty by being representative of the general people without being beholden to the corrupting influence of needing to raise money for multi million dollar re-election campaigns.

leftist parties as well as unions, campuses, and all member communities are incentivized to increase their general membership and contribute money and resources to the assembly in order to promote themselves to the general public in a way they never could by competing in a senator or governor race. Instead it would place a premium on organizing and educating their own membership with the knowledge that a guaranteed fraction of that membership will represent them on a political stage with a strong claim to democratic leadership. meanwhile, those members not chosen in a given lottery would be putting their knowledge to use directly by organizing unions at apartments, workplaces, public transit users, patients, migrants, et cetera.

some social groups which are particularly inclined to radical social transformation skills be granted representation in the assembly with membership fees waived, since the very presence and participation in assembly debate and seminars provides revolutionary content. in particular, prisoners, the unhoused, the chronically ill and disabled, youth and students, migrants, sex workers, and other such groups should be guaranteed delegations.