Everything You Need To Know About the Socialist Party ot the United States of America

I sent this around just as information on SD thinking, not to stir up a hornet's nest. I have no real disagreement with your remarks below. BTW, I agree that political science is not a science. But, again, it is not a fight I want to get into.

Donald Todd



Donald,

I read it, and in many ways it is dead on. It is a rehash of Harrington's
line (which wasn't a bad line).

The problem with Gabe is that his group is very much a one man show which
seeks to give the impression of
having a life by virtue of the internet. He mentions that he pays dues to
ADA - a group that, so far as I know,
really has almost no existence, no clout.

The SP (and DSA, and CCDS, etc.) are tiny but they all actually have an
existence. Gabe has a national
organization which has almost no actual members. But don't let me get drawn
into this . . .

Peace,
David




Bill,

It is against Party rules to give *ANY* support to the Democratic
Party. You can be expelled for doing so.

It's not about chances of getting elected. It's not about doing good
work. This organization has democratically voted (a long time ago) not
to allow its members to support capitalist parties. That basic tenet
of SPUSA principles is continuously upheld at each Party convention,
including this last one, where we voted 2 - 1 to make that principle
more explicit. To wit: "We advocate electoral action independent of
the capitalist-controlled two-party system."

Your membership in the Democratic Party is a violation of the SPUSA
Statement of Principles.

Sincerely,

Marc Luzietti


I keep reading these attacks on the Democratic Party on these lists. I am
an elected member of the Cameron County Texas Democratic Party Executive
Committee because the Party is the closest thing to my Socialist beliefs of
any Party that has a chance to elect anybody. If Socialists keep attacking
Democrats, the only group from which Socialists could possibly draw enough
support to give them enough votes to win an election, the Socialist group is
only going to be a social organization, not a political party.

Bill Fulcher, Enrolled Agent, MBA


Even if we were to ignore the rules of the Socialist Party for a minute, your argument doesn't make sense. On the one hand, you argue that the Democratic Party is the only party that's currently in a position to elect anyone whose views are close to yours. On the other, you say we need to draw support from people who would normally vote Democratic in order win any elections. I see somewhat of a contradiction here. If we, as the Socialist Party, are seriously trying to win elections (which we might want to do in some instances), then why would we be supporting the Democratic Party? Doesn't it make more sense to speak to the differences between the two parties, in order to convince people that the Democratic Party isn't actually what they think it is, and vote for us instead? If so, that means criticising, exposing, and yes, *attacking* the Democratic Party for the instutition that it is: one that is fundamentally committed to the preservation of capitalsim.

If we're not doing that, then what are we doing?

Peter Moody