I received this informational message on one of my mailing lists which demonstrates the obvious infighting and back biting among parties which describe themselves as "Socialist" in the petit-bourgeois 'democratic' election in the U.S.
I think it is disheartening (to put it mildly) that the American 'Left' behaves exactly like the Republicrats and Democlicans in their bizarre attempts to "cut each other off at the knees" when unity and solidarity are obviously the only way that anyone will ever begin to change the planet's course toward suicide by capitalism.
I found the message informative and thought I'd pass it along here.
The profiles are now up on the PFP website for the four candidates seeking the PFP nomination. California is one of three states where Moore/Alexander are directly challenging Nader and McKinney for a nomination so I thought it might be of interest to comrades who are jointly supporting the Moore/Alexander and the McKinney and/or Nader/Gonzalez campaigns. The other campaign seeking the PFP nomination is Gloria La Riva/Eugene Puryear of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (a split from the Workers World Party).
You can read the profiles of all four candidates by clicking on their pictures at:
http://peaceandfreedom.org/
Apparently Nader has just recruited a large number of write-in candidates for the upcoming PFP Convention who will be added by Convention delegates if they win in the upcoming state-run primary in California. If Nader is not successful with this write-in effort, however, it has been reported that he and McKinney as non-socialists have very little support among members of the PFP who will make up the bulk of those attending the Convention.
The campaign is also challenging Nader for the nomination of the Independent Party of Delaware and both candidates will likely be attending its Convention.
We essentially already lost to Nader for Michigan since the ballot line of the defunct NLP was our only option for Michigan ballot option. While Nader was battling in the courts for Michigan ballot access, we already had Michigan ballot access through the NLP. This time Nader realized his oversight in 2004 and convinced the single individual who controls the Michigan NLP ballot line to nominate him instead of us, even though he could have certainly qualified in Michigan as an independent again. We will, however, have official write-in status in Michigan this year and the SP ticket will probably be the only presidential ticket in Michigan with such a status.
There is also a possibility of a challenge from McKinney for the United Citizens Party of South
Carolina nomination. The UCP nominated the SP ticket in 2004 and we are seeking it again in 2008. Assuming McKinney wins the GP nomination, she will already have ballot access in South Carolina, but its quite possible she may seek the backing of the UCP as well. Thus far the UCP has nominated Barack Obama, but according to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News, Obama is expected to not accept the nomination regardless of whether he wins the Democratic nomination.
While supporting more than one left candidate in the general election doesn't create much contradiction since none of them will win any way, I suppose it does create an odd situation when undemocratic ballot access laws force these candidates to compete directly against each other for primaries and friendly party nominations.
I think it is disheartening (to put it mildly) that the American 'Left' behaves exactly like the Republicrats and Democlicans in their bizarre attempts to "cut each other off at the knees" when unity and solidarity are obviously the only way that anyone will ever begin to change the planet's course toward suicide by capitalism.
I found the message informative and thought I'd pass it along here.
