Spusa

[Einkarl]

So what's up the SPUSA, I don'tknow much about them. How are their politics? how come I have never met a SPUSA member on the site?

[BAMslam15]

Hi there!

I recently officially became a member. From what I know, we follow a non-violent, democratic socialist way. I for one want a bloodless revolution and change the US government for the better (i.e. dissolve large corporations, smash big tobacco and NRA, subsidies for alternative fuels). I have a friend I can put you into contact with if you want more info

[The Douche]

As you can see from the post above, it is a liberal organization, with liberal goals. It has in the past, and probably always will, contain revolutionaries (of various types, Leninists, left communists, anarchists) who occasionaly organize into tendencies (Direct Action Tendency, Revolutionary Unity Group, etc), but they are always ultimately crushed by the national committee, which is dominated by liberals and ex-radicals.

I was in the SP in the mid-late 00's.

There is no real reason to join it, in addition to it not being a revolutionary grouping, its also very small and ineffectual (even as far as leftist groups go), they don't have any major influence in any major social movements or in the labor movement. They're a party in decline, kept alive, not by their politics or their membership, but by their name and by clinging to the legacy of Debs.

Edit: Changed "central committee" to "national committee".

[The Idler]

They're not from the 'Democratic Socialist' tradition though.

[The Douche]

They're not from the 'Democratic Socialist' tradition though.

In what tradition do you see them?

[ZenTaoist]

SPUSA isn't a radical organization by any means. There are some pretty decent short-term reformist goals, but organization is kind of lacking.

They have also nominated some pretty god-awful presidential candidates in the past, including Brian Moore and most recently Stewart Alexander, who was, I shit you not, calling for term limits on congress as his main priority.

[Leftsolidarity]

I was in the SP-USA for a little over a year when I first came to this site. The Douche's explanation is spot on.

[The Idler]

Democratic Socialists were the group around Michael Harrington who split from the Socialist Party to work within the Democrat Party.