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Democracy, Green Party, National Politics, occupy, Third Party June 9, 2014

The Democratic Party Dead End and the Resignation of American Progressives

Nation of Change by Michael Trudeau If you read the New Republic or receive emails from the PAC “Friends of Bernie Sanders,” you might have seen a rather strange article recently by New Republic editor Michael Kazin titled “Democrats Need Bernie Sanders to Run for President.” As perhaps the main voice on the left calling for independent progressive senator Bernie Sanders to reject the Democratic Party in 2016 in favor of a leftist coalition, I’ll offer that there’s a lot Kazin gets right but that his ultimate conclusion is vitally flawed. Namely, Sanders cannot and will not win the Democratic…

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Democracy, occupy, Social Justice February 18, 2014

Celebrate World Social Justice Day – February 20

by Brian J. Trautman In one of his most famous writings, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said of injustice, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” In other words, the very existence of injustice has implications for us all. Thus, we each have a responsibility to actively challenge unjust power structures wherever they should surface. According to the United Nations, “the immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have never…

Labor, National Politics, occupy January 18, 2014

Mayday 2014: 5/1 Fight for 15

by John Halle January 18, 2014 A short piece provoked by the fun time I had hanging out with/moderating the Trots at the Brecht Forum on Thursday. The suggestion for making the $15 an hour minimum wage a central demand of a new movement was from Socialist Alternative’s Alan Akrivos. Comments on the piece and/or how to move forward on the idea appreciated. Most on the left are at least dimly aware that Labor Day was originally celebrated on May 1 to commemorate the framing and execution of the Haymarket strikers and that Mayday, at its peak, attracted tens of…

Democracy, Green Party, National Politics, New York, occupy, Third Party November 16, 2013

What It Will Take

A Response To John Halle’s Left Parties in 2013 by Peter A. Lavenia Counterpunch Weekend Edition November 15-17, 2013 Last week’s article by John Halle highlighted the growing strength of left-wing candidates for municipal office in the United States. As of writing, Socialist Alternative candidate Kshama Sawant has pulled ahead by a slim margin in Seattle, while Howie Hawkins, Green and Socialist, received 40% of the vote in his race for City Council in Syracuse, NY. My own campaign for city council in Albany, NY – I am a Green and ideological socialist – saw me come in second to…

Green Party, National Politics, New York, occupy, Third Party November 16, 2013

The Wave Begins?

Left Third Parties in 2013 by John Halle Counterpunch November 7, 2013 The 2013 municipal election contained mixed results for left third party advocates. The two most high profile and exciting candidacies, those of Socialist Alternative’s Kshama Sawant in Seattle and Ty Moore in Minneapolis, appear to have gone down to defeat. But the margins were small – a few percentage points – and both are young and have already committed to rematches in two years with a strong likelihood of success.Furthermore, even if these two candidates had won, they would have amounted to no more than two small points…