By MARTY GOODMAN“Anybody who wants to be an ambassador must at least give $250,000.” — Richard Nixon’s price check to his Chief of Staff on campaign donations.This year’s U.S. presidential campaign fundraising is expected to double the record-breaking $1 billion presidential campaign haul of 2008. Everything has its price under capitalism, including democracy. The campaign … Continue reading Presidential campaign loot
Category: Elections
Wisconsin: Reason 1,000,001 why we need a Labor Party!
<!--[if !mso]><![endif]--> The Gov. Scott Walker victory in Wisconsin’s recall election last month should not surprise us. The Democrats are incapable of defeating the right. Don’t the last 30 years demonstrate that? Every vote for a Democrat has meant the success of the “Republican” agenda, based on the loyalty of both parties to the 1%. In … Continue reading Wisconsin: Reason 1,000,001 why we need a Labor Party!
On the Wisconsin Election Results
<!--[if !mso]><![endif]--> The Walker victory disappoints but it does not surprise me. One thing’s for sure, the Democrats are incapable of defeating the right. Does not the last 30 years demonstrate that? Every vote for a Democrat has meant the success of the Republican agenda, whether or not by rotten deals cut with Republicans or … Continue reading On the Wisconsin Election Results
Wisconsin recall effort sparks labor movement debate
<!--[if !mso]> <![endif]--> MADISON, Wis.—The law stripping public workers of collective bargaining rights, which spurred hundreds of thousands to take to the streets and occupy the State Capitol building last spring in what became known as the Wisconsin Uprising, was partially struck down by a federal judge on March 30.The judge’s ruling held that it … Continue reading Wisconsin recall effort sparks labor movement debate
What sort of third party do we need?
The past year or so has seen a dramatic shift in the U.S. class struggle. The mass movement in Wisconsin against the union busting agenda of tea-party Republican Scott Walker, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement that spread across the U.S., and the ILWU fight to protect their union rights at Longview, WA, and elsewhere … Continue reading What sort of third party do we need?
Democrats divert Wisconsin workers into recall campaign
MADISON—On Nov. 19, over 25,000 people rallied at the Wisconsin State Capitol to kick off the electoral drive to recall Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefish. Petitioners began collecting signatures on Nov. 15 for a special election in the spring of 2012. To hold the election, 540,000 valid signatures of “electors” (those not … Continue reading Democrats divert Wisconsin workers into recall campaign
Obama rediscovers the jobs crisis
The August jobs report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints another grim picture for the unemployed. The August numbers show little change in the number of unemployed, with the economy creating barely enough jobs to compensate for the 150,000 new workers who enter the workforce every month.According to the BLS, “the number of … Continue reading Obama rediscovers the jobs crisis
Socialists and Elections
by Adam Ritscher With elections coming up again a lot of politically conscious people are hitting the pavement to campaign for their candidates. Voter registration drives, leafleting and yard sign distribution have become the order of the day for many activists. We in Youth for Socialist Action certainly commend people who take politics seriously and … Continue reading Socialists and Elections
Obama prepares re-election bid by posing as antiwar candidate
“Ladies and gentleman, the horses are arriving at the starting gate,” says the announcer at the Kentucky Derby, the first of three famous races that rivet the attention of racing fans around the country in the spring of every year. The “Sport of Kings,” which Congress funds with $128 million yearly in tax breaks, is … Continue reading Obama prepares re-election bid by posing as antiwar candidate
What’s behind the supposed Obama-Netanyahu dispute?
At the State Department on May 19, Obama gave a long-awaited speech addressing the moribund “peace process,” i.e., the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Despite weeks of speculation that Obama and aides were coming up with a “bold, new peace plan” to present to the parties concerned, no such plan was in evidence, … Continue reading What’s behind the supposed Obama-Netanyahu dispute?
New Jersey: The new face of austerity
by Wayne DelucaCAMDEN, N.J.—With states across the nation facing budget shortfalls and seeking to balance them on the backs of state workers, New Jersey governor Chris Christie has come into the national spotlight as a model for “tough-talking” state executives. Speculation abounds about Christie as a possible Republican candidate for president.Since his election in 2009, … Continue reading New Jersey: The new face of austerity
Update: Hutchinson for Congress
Close to a thousand people voted socialist in Connecticut’s congressional election in November. Socialist Action’s candidate in the state’s First District, Christopher Hutchinson, an art teacher, received 976 votes in a four-way race, including John Larson, the fourth-highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. Five parties held lines on the ballot. John Larson received … Continue reading Update: Hutchinson for Congress
Do the 2010 elections really represent a right turn in US politics?
by John Leslie Following the Republican victory in last month’s mid-term election, most of the media have pointed to a right turn in U.S. politics. They assume that working people showed by their vote that they reject “big government” and the “liberal” policies of the Obama administration. Some Republicans claim a “mandate” for their reactionary … Continue reading Do the 2010 elections really represent a right turn in US politics?
Chris Hutchinson Turns in Signatures to Get on the Ballot
Congressional Candidate Chris Hutchinson Announces Submission of over 5,744 Signatures Nominating him for November Ballot StatusWhat: Press ConferenceWhere: North Steps of the State Capitol Building in Hartford, CTWhen: Wednesday, August 11th, 10:30am, 2010On Wednesday, August 4, 2010 the Socialist Action campaign to elect Chris Hutchinson turned in the last of the roughly 5,744 signatures collected … Continue reading Chris Hutchinson Turns in Signatures to Get on the Ballot
Socialist Action Candidate Needs Your Help!
Defend Free Speech!Complaints regarding the politics of the Socialist Action campaign to elect Chris Hutchinson to U.S. Congress have led administrators at Manchester Community College to require campaign volunteers on the MCC campus to sit behind a table while collecting signatures to put their candidate on the November ballot. Volunteers – including an MCC student … Continue reading Socialist Action Candidate Needs Your Help!
Chris Hutchinson at Immigrant Rights March
Vote Chris Hutchinson for Congress!
Socialist Action and YSA activist Chris Hutchinson is running for the U.S. Congress in Connecticut! Chris is running for office to encourage working people to begin taking political action in their own names and to build a massive fight-back against the corporate and government attacks we are enduring. He pledges to use his campaign to … Continue reading Vote Chris Hutchinson for Congress!
Brent Perry for Minneapolis City Council
Vote Brent Perry! Socialist Action's Candidate for Ward 12 Minneapolis City CouncilHere is a summary of some of the things Brent Perry will be fighting for:Unionize All Workers, Support the Right to StrikeEstablish a Minimum Wage for Minneapolis at $12.50/hour,Full Employment for Everyone Willing to WorkDespite the recent increases, the federal minimum wage continues to … Continue reading Brent Perry for Minneapolis City Council
Duluth Central Labor Body Resolution on the RNC 8
Resolution in Support of the RNC 8 and Stating that the Anti-Terrorism Act Should be RepealedWhereas, a free society is one in which people can organize collectively to improve their lives without fear of persecution by their government; andWhereas, the labor movement has historically suffered state intimidation and repression in our efforts to organize working … Continue reading Duluth Central Labor Body Resolution on the RNC 8
Brothers From Another Mother
Obama’s Victory: A socialist perspective
[a Socialist Action editorial]Barack Obama, a Black man, has been elected President of the United States. Few, if any, thought his victory was even a remote possibility in racist America when capitalism’s two-party multi-billion dollar electoral charade began twenty-one months ago.When Obama’s win was projected early on as a certainty by television stations across the … Continue reading Obama’s Victory: A socialist perspective
Chain-Mail Letters
[by Joe Auciello]Recently an elderly woman at a John McCain rally told the Republican nominee, “I don’t trust Obama. I read that he’s an Arab...” At this point, no doubt fearing a public relations disaster, McCain took the microphone and told her no, she was wrong. Of course, she was wrong -- several times over. … Continue reading Chain-Mail Letters
Education in the 2008 Election
[by Corey Mattson]In this election year many teachers have put their faith in an Obama presidency to thwart the corporate attack against the public schools. Teachers understand very well that a McCain presidency would be bad for American education. McCain openly demonizes the teachers unions at every turn, supports the failed policy of No Child … Continue reading Education in the 2008 Election
Obama’s Support for Wall Street Bailout & Other Attacks on Workers
[by Andy Pollack]The AFL-CIO, Change to Win, and virtually every individual union in the country is supporting Barack Obama for President. Yet as we’ll show below, he’s just another pro-corporate, pro-ruling class politician.First, a word about McCain’s economic platform, whose pro-corporate, pro-ruling class planks are so obvious that they need little exposure (it’s the job … Continue reading Obama’s Support for Wall Street Bailout & Other Attacks on Workers
The Socialist View of the 2008 Election
[by Jeff Mackler]The two-party shell game of U.S. capitalist politics is now in full swing, with an impressive cast of characters lining up to support Obama, as they did with John Kerry. Some are helping to prettify his image and others proclaiming for the umpteenth time in history that "lesser evilism" is a viable political … Continue reading The Socialist View of the 2008 Election