Socialist Party USA | |
---|---|
Chairman | Andrea Pason Billy Wharton |
Founded | 1973 |
Headquarters | 339 Lafayette St. Suite #303 New York, NY 10012 |
Ideology | Democratic socialism |
Political position | left-wing |
Colors | Red |
Website | |
http://socialistparty-usa.org/ |
Socialist Party USA (SP-USA) is an American left-wing democratic socialist multi-tendency politicial party and the successor of the leading party to the left of the Democratic Party. Since 1973, the party has nominated candidates for the office of President of the United States. The party currently has no representatives in either the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. The party was founded in 1973 by a dissident faction of the Socialist Party of America. Both Andrea Pason and Billy Wharton currently are chairmans of the party.
The party is officially committed to left-wing democratic socialist ideas. The Socialist Party USA, along with its predecessors, has met with varying support. The reasoning behind this is that it has to compete with the two much larger parties, being that the United States has a two-party system. The party's main principles are feminism, eco-socialism, education and the expansion of the American welfare state, which according to them, would lead to economic equality.
The party is opposed to both to "capitalism" and "stalinism" and wants to see the elimination of big businesses through public ownership. It has refused to endorse any of the Democratic and Republican politicians. According to the American media the party has a membership around 1,700 to 3-thousand. Its youth affiliate is the Young People's Socialist League.
Ideology
Positions
The party's platform is based on the social democratic governments of Western Europe and not the former communist regimes of Eastern Europe.[1] At the 1987 national convention held in Chicago, the party's platform called for full-employment, low-cost housing, stronger welfare state and unilateral disarment.[2] The party has since its founding supported socialism, democracy, ending homelessness, abolishing vagrancy laws and providing decent affordable housing for all.[3]
"It's based on fairness and equality. [...] And right now America under the capitalistic system is based on greed and getting ahead and you usually do it at the expense of your fellow man." |
— Brian Moore, the presidential candidate for the 2008 election, talking about the unjust system of capitalism and the fairness of socialism.[4] |
During his campaign, the Socialist Party candidate for president, Brian Moore, was very vocal against the idea that Obama was a socialist of any kind.[5] He further commented on the issue, saying it was "misleading of the Republicans" to spread that message.[6] In a later statement about Obama's policies, co-chairman of the Socialist Party, Billy Wharton called Barack Obamas State of the Union Address a "public relations ploy". He concluded with; "The time for slick public relations campaigns has ended - the time for building our grassroots movements is more urgent than ever. The Socialist Party USA stands ready to join in such a political revitalization".[7]
International affairs
The National Action Committee of the Socialist Party condemned the Israeli offensive against the city of Gaza and its people. They party demands the United States government to stop all military funding to Israel. The party also seeks to end what they call the United States "special relationship" with Israel and the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.[8] During the 2008 election, the Socialist Party promoted itself as an anti-war party, with Brian Moore, the presidential candidate, claiming the war was destroying small communities throughout the country. He also criticised what he called "pressure on the local governments" by the Bush administration.[9]
The party is also against what they see as "anti-Mexican policies" of the Democratic and Republican Party. With Stewart A. Alexander, former Vice Presidential candidate for the party in 2008, claiming that the Democratic Party was elected with an "anti-immigrant rhetoric" which could lead to an "anti-immigrant public phobia" across the country. The Socialist Party believes the solution to this problem would be to strengthen the diplomatic relations between the two countries.[10]
Welfare state
In his race for Governor of California, party member Greg Pason promoted a stronger public sector, socialized medicine and expanding the public education network of the state.[11] In 1997, Pason called auto insurance "a regressive tax against working people".[12] Moore was also vocal of his support for public healthcare and socialized medicine.[13] Moore believes that capitalism is a selfish system which focuses on the wealthy and the powerful, and not the weak and the poor. He feels that redistributing the wealth between the rich and the poor would give the country a stronger public sector, which-in-turn would focus on renewable energy and the needy. During his presidential campaign he claimed that the current economic system was falling apart because of capitalism own "greed".[5]
History
In 1958, the Trotskyist Independent Socialist League led by Max Shachtman dissolved to join the Socialist Party of America. Shachtman, whose politics had begun to move sharply to the right since his days as a Trotskyist leader,[14] argued both for militant opposition to Soviet-style communism[15] and that the Socialist Party should work within the Democratic Party. By 1972 Shachtman's Unity Caucus had taken control of the Socialist Party and blocked a resolution opposing the Vietnam War. In the 1972 presidential election, Shachtman's caucus initially backed hawkish Cold Warrior Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson, then adopted AFL-CIO President George Meany's position of neutrality between the two candidates nominated by the major parties.[16]
In response, two groups broke off: the Coalition Caucus led by Michael Harrington supported antiwar Democrat George McGovern and went on to form the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (later becoming the Democratic Socialists of America),[17] while the left-wing Debs Caucus backed People's Party anti-war candidate Benjamin Spock. The Debs Caucus formed the Union for Democratic Socialism, which officially reconstituted the Socialist Party USA in 1973,[18] when the Shachtmanites who remained in the Socialist Party re-named their organization Social Democrats USA. Numerous local and state branches of the old Socialist Party, among them included the Wisconsin and California Party branches, participated in the reconstitution of the Socialist Party USA.[17]
The party surprised the American media in some elections in recent decades. In 1992, Socialist Iowa City Councilwoman Karen Kubby won her re-election with the highest vote totals in the Iowa City Council's history, and was continually re-elected until retiring from the Council in 2000. In 2000 Socialist Wendell Harris received almost 20% of the vote for Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2008, Socialist Jon Osbourne pulled in 22% of the vote for Rhode Island's 34th District State Senate seat, while listed on the ballot under the Socialist Party USA label.
Membership
The Socialist Party experienced substantial growth during the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s, expanding from only around 600 dues-paying members to around 1,700.[19] However, according to the WMNF, in 2008 the party had an estimate of 3000 paying members.[20]
Presidential tickets
- 1976– Frank P. Zeidler and J. Quinn Brisben 6,038 votes
- 1980– David McReynolds and Diane Drufenbrock 6,898 votes
- 1984– None; chose to endorse Citizens Party ticket of Sonia Johnson and Richard J. Walton
- 1988– Willa Kenoyer and Ron Ehrenreich 3,882 votes
- 1992– J. Quinn Brisben and Barbara Garson 3,057 votes
- 1996– Mary Cal Hollis and Eric Chester 4,764 votes (on the ballot in five states, official write-in status in another seven)
- 2000– David McReynolds and Mary Cal Hollis 5,602 votes (on the ballot in seven states, official write-in status in another seven)
- 2004– Walt Brown and Mary Alice Herbert 10,837 votes (on the ballot in eight states, official write-in status in another eleven)
- 2008– Brian Moore and Stewart Alexander 6,555 votes[21] (on the ballot in eight states, official write-in status in another fifteen)
See also
- Socialist Party of America
- Democratic Socialists of America
- The Socialist magazine
- Industrial Workers of the World
- Luxemburgism
- List of political parties in the United States
- List of democratic socialist parties and organizations
- Brian Moore presidential campaign, 2008
State affiliates:
- Socialist Party of Chicago
- Socialist Party of Florida
- Socialist Party of Massachusetts
- Socialist Party of Michigan
- Socialist Party of Minnesota
- Socialist Party of New Jersey
References
Notes
- ^ Kocieniewski, David (September 17, 2000). "On Politics; $400 Million Man a Socialist? Don't Tell That to a Socialist". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "Writer and Teacher to Head Socialist's Ticket for 1988". The New York Times. June 9, 1987. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Alexander, Stewart A. (December 5, 2007). "Fresno, CA - Veteran Needs Food and Shelter". California Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Zogbaum, Ferdinand (October 25, 2007). "Hernando County man earns presidential nomination". Bay News 9. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ a b Harrington, Elizabeth (October 29, 2008). "Socialist Party Candidate Visits U. Tampa". CBS News. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "Socialist Moore: Obama's not a socialist". Independent Political Report. October 25, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Altimari, Daniela (January 28, 2010). "Socialist Party response to Obama's state of the union speech". Hartford Courant (in Norwegian). Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "End the Massacre in Gaza – No Solution Through Violence" (in Norwegian). Indybay.org. January 1, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Jackson, Tom (September 4, 2007). "Likeable Guy Brandishes Loony Ideas". The Tampa Tribune.
- ^ Alexander, Stewart A. (December 17, 2007). "Socialists want Stronger Ties with Mexico". California Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "Voter Guide / Other third-party candidates for governor". The Press of Atlantic City (in Norwegian). November 1, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Preston, Jennifer (September 14, 1997). "On Politics; Hearing From the Seven Who Are Seldom Heard". The Press of Atlantic City (in Norwegian). Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Kinane, Sean (June 13, 2008). "Brian Moore – Socialist Party USA Presidential Candidate". WMNF. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- ^ 2008, pp. 63.
- ^ Beichman, Arnold (July 28, 2002). "Communism to anti-communism in lives of two rival editors". The Washington Times. Goliath.ecnext.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Heilbrunn, Jacob (February 1, 2008). "They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of The Neocons". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ a b Busky 2000, pp. 164.
- ^ Busky 2000, pp. 165.
- ^ Herbst, Moira (May 22, 2009). "Socialism? Hardly, Say Socialists". Business Week. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Kinane, Sean (June 13, 2008). "Brian Moore – Socialist Party USA Presidential Candidate". WMNF. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "2004 Election Results" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. November, 2004. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
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Bibliography
- Busky, Donald F. (2000). Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 230. ISBN 0275968863.
- Maxes: Webster's Quotations, Facts and Phrases. ICON Group International. 2008. p. 176. ISBN 0546707858.