Day: April 9, 2006

Bernie

Still clearing out my archives, I found this picture of Bernie Sanders speaking at the Socialist Party’s National Convention in 1983. At the time, Bernie was the newly elected independent Mayor of Burlington, VT. He had been a notorious left-wing activist and political gadfly, but he launched a serious populist campaign against corporate power and inequality and was rewarded by the support of the people of Vermont. After a successful stint as Mayor, Bernie ran for Congress and won as an Independent. This year, he’s running for Senate and seems quite likely to win. The Socialist Party is unlikely to endorse his candidacy this year, which speaks more to the puritanism and narrow-mindedness of many of our activists. The fact is that Bernie Sanders is a strong advocate for working people, and his successful independent campaigns point to the way that we can articulate a clear anti-corporate message while accepting […]

Being “Wrong” in the Socialist Party

I recently quit as editor of The Socialist, the magazine of the Socialist Party. After just two issues, I found the intolerance and general stupidity of many of the Editorial Board members that I had to work with too frustrating to continue. There’s real work that has to be done for the movement, and I am no longer willing to waste my time on fruitless endeavors. I’m thinking about leaving the party altogether, but that’s a much tougher decision to make, as I have been a member for nearly ten years – since I was 17 years old. Clearing out my archives, I find an article that I wrote for the journal of the party’s 100th anniversary conference in 2001. At the time, I was being hounded out of office by a caucus of pinheads. I could still find virtue in the party back then. I post it now for […]