Socialist Party USA

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Socialist Party USA
Socialist Party logo
Party Chairman Andrea Pason
Jerry Levy
Senate Leader None
House Leader None
Founded 1973
Headquarters 339 Lafayette St. Suite #303
New York, NY 10012
Political ideology Democratic socialism
Civil libertarianism
Socialist feminism[1]
Political position Fiscal: Left-wing
Social: Left-wing
International affiliation None
Color(s) Red
Website Socialist Party USA

The Socialist Party USA (SP USA) is one of the heirs to the Socialist Party of America of Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas. It is a democratic socialist, multi-tendency party, advocating a broad-based, democratic social revolution from below. Their youth affiliate is the Young People's Socialist League.

Contents

[edit] History

The Socialist Party USA was one of three organizations to emerge from a split of the Socialist Party of America in 1972-1973. In 1958, the Trotskyist Independent Socialist League led by Max Shachtman dissolved to join the SPA. Shachtman, whose politics had begun to move sharply to the right since his days as a Trotskyist leader, argued both for militant opposition to Soviet-style Communism and that the Socialist Party should attempt to simply re-align with the Democratic Party, losing independence. 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 Scoop Jackson, then refused to oppose Richard Nixon after Jackson was defeated in the primaries.

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 Democratic Socialists of America), 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 became the Socialist Party USA in 1973, when the Shachtmanites who remained in the SPA renamed their organization Social Democrats USA. A number of local branches of the old SPA also participated in the formation of the Socialist Party USA.

Committed to independent socialist politics, the reconstituted SP quickly began fielding its own candidates, including a 1976 Presidential ticket of Frank Zeidler and Quinn Brisben. In 1980, the SP became the first American party to nominate an openly gay man for President, anti-war activist David McReynolds, who would run for a second time in 2000.

The Socialist Party experienced substantial growth in the early years of the 21st century, expanding from only 600 members to around 1,700. Socialists surprised many in some recent elections, most notably in Milwaukee in 2000, where Socialist Wendell Harris received almost 20% of the vote for mayor. Some Socialists, such as Lisa Weltman and David McReynolds, have also campaigned as Green Party candidates, leading to some conflicts with others who felt that this compromised the SP's independence. As a result, the national party refused to endorse Howie Hawkins's 2006 Senate campaign in New York, since it felt Hawkins did not make sufficient note of his membership in the SP. Despite this, Hawkins received the support of members and locals in New York.

The SP focuses on grassroots activism in addition to electoral politics.[2] It has conducted "Socialist Summer" campaigns in recent years to address issues such as counter-recruitment and fighting to end the military-industrial complex; promoting socialized health care; supporting immigrant workers and battling persecution of immigrants following the September 11, 2001 attacks; and promoting civil liberties and civil rights. To promote activism, the SP has set up a dual structure of "Commissions" in addition to geographical local and state affiliates, which allow members with common interests to network and conduct campaigns. Active commissions include the Women's Commission, Labor Commission, Faith and Socialism Commission, Queer Commission, People of Color Commission, Environmental Commission, and others. The party accepts dual membership in Solidarity, Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, Democratic Socialists of America etc.

The Socialist Party holds National Conventions in odd-numbered years and Organizing Conferences in even-numbered years. The most recent National Convention was held October 19-October 21, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri. The most recent Organizing Conference was held in Detroit, Michigan on August 4-August 6, 2006.

[edit] Platform and principles

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The Socialist Party USA describes itself as a democratic socialist party. It is opposed to both capitalism and authoritarian Communism.[1] The Party's principles and platform call for the elimination of the power of big business through public ownership and workers' control, production for use instead of profit, and the establishment of a classless society. The party is also strongly committed to internationalism and the struggle against racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and homophobia.[3] The party calls for the abolition of the death penalty and for the replacement of the prison-industrial system with restorative justice.

As a multi-tendency party, the party rejects those models of organization often called Leninist, as well as the practices commonly called "democratic centralism", meaning that SP members are often free to disagree publicly with party policy. However, dues-paying members are required to abide by the SP's Statement of Principles. Since there are varying views within the membership on the means of achieving socialism based on the Statement of Principles, there is occasionally disagreement over what actions by members are appropriate and what merit censure. The party also strives to achieve a relative unity in action.

Some SP members advocate an evolutionary approach to socialism, favoring a social democratic transition period; they cite the social democratic systems of nations like Sweden as examples to follow. Others, however, consider Swedish-style social democracy to be essentially capitalist in nature, and favor a more radical or revolutionary transformation of society from capitalist to socialist. Some SP members also advocate revolutionary nonviolence or pacifism, while some consider armed struggle a possible necessity. The Party's Statement of Principles rejects equating socialism with a "welfare state" and calls for democratic social revolution from below [1]. Many party members consider labor struggles to be of particular importance, and work in the party's Labor Commission.

The party's independence is also debated. Although the party's Statement of Principles explicitly rejects working within the two major parties, some feel that if the SP does not cooperate with progressive Democrats and other progressive organizations such as the Green Party and Labor Party (without compromising its socialist principles), it runs the risk of turning into an impotent, sectarian left-wing splinter group. Others believe that if the SP compromises its independence by working within other parties it will become little more than an irrelevant special-interest pressure group, much as the Democratic Socialists of America have become.[4]

The party is strongly committed to gender egalitarianism and advocating an end to gender oppression and stereotypes in general. It requires gender parity among its officers and organizes pro-choice activities. Its platform considers abortion a part of women's healthcare rights. There is an active Women's Commission which publishes a quarterly newsletter, Socialist Women.

[edit] Presidential tickets

[edit] See also

State affiliates:

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Statement of Principles
  2. ^ "Tactics and Organizing", Socialist Party Handbook.
  3. ^ [1] and [2]
  4. ^ This is a longstanding and repeated debate within the SP-USA. Some online documentation of such debates include:
    *Balancing Conscience and Responsibility Those who oppose these resolutions, whether intentionally or not, are simply trying to turn SP-USA into a clone of the DSA.
    I will never deny the comrades the right have their very real belief that working with and for the Democrats is a "viable" road to socialism, but I will do everything necessary to assure that their position is kept from becoming our political objective as a Party.
    • Debate over this issue on SP-USA mailing list between left and right members of the SP-USA
      You claim I told DSA members "they were willing accomplices of the US Democratic Party." In my initial email titled "Democratic socialists?!" sent August 21, 2003, I said, "The DSA claims to be 'democratic socialist', yet works with and within the Democratic Party. You cannot be part of the solution if you are working with half of the problem! The Democratic Party is a pro-capitalism, corporate party and always has been. It has never been of the Left." Furthermore, I said, "The DSA, if anything, is a Social Democrat group at most, at least Left Democrats (whatever that means). The Greens are more radical than the DSA! I do not even think Trotskyists, and their idea of 'entrism', work within the Democratic Party! Realignment is a joke, a bankrupt idea, as the Democrats are pulled more to the right!" So I guess you were on mark here.
    Also see:
    *Re: Maggie Phair's letter of 2/22
    * Re: Dual Membership - Democratic Party v. DSA

[edit] External links

Official: Socialist Party USA

Affiliates: Young People's Socialist League

Campaigns: Activist, Electoral

Caucuses & Tendencies:

Commissions:

Publications:

State affiliates and locals:

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