US Socialist Organizations

[Chomskyan]

I don't know of every Socialist organization, and I haven't really joined any officially yet. So, I was wondering what my choices were as far as rooming with an organization.

Could anyone list any that come to mind? I live in the Midwest, so any organizations with affiliates in that area would be good.

Could you list them in this way:

[Organization; Tendency]

Industrial Workers of the World; Trade Unionist, Anarcho-Syndicalist, Syndicalist

Democratic Socialists of America; Democratic Socialism

International Socialist Organization: Marxism, Leninism, Trotskyism

Socialist Party USA; Democratic Socialism

Socialist Alternative; Democratic Socialism, Marxism, Leninism, Trotskyism

I think you get the idea.

Any other organizations I didn't mention, preferably those in my area, could you please list any that come to mind below? That would be helpful.

Addendum: Holy truck load, it looks like some Right-wing fascists have posted a list for me (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/828445/posts). Posts #17/26 actually uses their brains. Most right-winger don't know the differences in the Left. I also found this website (http://www.broadleft.org/), is this a good list of Leftist groups in the US?


Quote:
All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP)
Alliance Marxist-Leninist (North America)
American Indian Movement - Grand Governing Council (AIM-GGC)
American Indian Movement - International Federation of Autonomous Chapters (AIM-IFAC)
Barrio Union (Unión del Barrio)
Black Radical Congress (BRC)
Committee for a Unified Independent Party (CUIP)
Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS)
Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA)
Communist Voice Organization
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
For a Better World
Freedom Road Socialist Organization [Fight Back] (FRSO)
Freedom Road Socialist Organization [Freedom Road] (FRSO)
Freedom Socialist Party (FSP)
Green Party of the United States, mirror page, other page
Heatwave Communist-Anarchist Federation (Heatwave CAF)
Independent Progressive Politics Network (IPPN)
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
International Socialist Organization (ISO)
Internationalist Group
Internationalist Notes, other page, Los Angeles Workers Voice
Labor Party (LP)
Labor Standard, mirror page
Labor's Militant Voice, mirror page
League for the Revolutionary Party (LRP)
League of Revolutionaries for a New America (LRNA)
Left Green Network
Left Party
Left Turn
Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM)
National Black United Front (NBUF)
New Democracy
New Liberty Party
New Party
New Union Party
News & Letters Committees
Organizing Committee for the Program of Permanent Revolution
Peace and Freedom Party (PFP), periodical Partisan Prairie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC)
Progressive Labor Party (PLP), other page
Progressive ProAction Party
Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) periodical Revolutionary Worker
Revolutionary Workers League (RWL)
Social Democrats USA (SDUSA)
Socialist Action
Socialist Alternative
Socialist Equality Party (SEP)
Socialist Labor Party (SLP)
Socialist Organizer
Socialist Party USA (SPUSA)
Socialist Workers Organization (SWO) periodical Socialist Viewpoint
Socialist Workers' Party (SWP) periodical Militant Solidarity, mirror page
The Greens/Green Party USA, mirror page
United People's Party (La Raza Unida Party)
United States Pacifist Party (USPP)
Unity Organizing Committee (UOC) unofficial page
US Marxist-Leninist Organization (USMLO) periodical Voice of Revolution
Vermont Progressive Party
Workers Democracy Network
Workers International League (WIL), youth organization
Workers Party U.S.A.
Workers Solidarity Alliance (WSA)
Workers World Party (WWP)
Working Families Party (WFP)
World Socialist Party of the United States (WSPUS)

Any that these guys missed, or are in the Midwest?

[RedWorker]

Unfortunately many of them are either Stalinist or social democratic.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

DSA, SDUSA, SPUSA, the Greens, and the CCDS (at least - I have no idea what the "New Union Party" is, but just by the name it doesn't sound promising) are social-democratic traitors, the SLP and the MIM don't exist anymore, a lot of those names are just a designation a group of people that doesn't really do anything has adopted (the WSPUS for example), and most importantly, they forgot the Spartacist League of the US. They work very hard to tick off people and people don't even notice, that's just rude. And yet, they have the Internationalist Group. Nordenite plots!

They also missed the Ellens group - I think they're still called "The Spark".

They also missed Solidarity, but that's just an amorphous blob of social-democracy and Shachtmanism. Also, Workers' Voice, if that still exists, which was an affiliate of Moreno's International Workers' League.

[The Idler]

there's a list here
http://eng.anarchopedia.org/List_of_Left-Wing_Parties_in_the_United_States

[ℂᵒиѕẗяᵤкт]

To RedWorker,

Do you actually have anything to contribute to this discussion other than to make sure we know how much you don't like "Stalinism?" Do you maybe want to add anything about organizations that you feel reflect your ideology or, perhaps, what could be done so that the socialist movement in this country can more closely reflect what you feel are Marxist ideals?


To everyone else,

I hear that the F.R.S.O. (Fight Back!) may have a claim for the title of Communist Party in the United States of America. The C.P.U.S.A. as it exists now under Sam Webb may be disbanded, and good riddance! Mr. Webb will be much less a fish out of water in the Democratic Party.

This is an interesting development on the world communist stage because the "communist party" of a given country is typically the internationally recognized agency of the communist movement in that country. The current C.P.U.S.A. is where international communists are pointed to when they come to America, and this can present a lot of problems given the grossly collaborative line of the "Webbites," if you'll excuse the hokey term. International communists may not even be very familiar with the political climate of the U.S. and believe the C.P. to reflect an informed and pragmatic line.

The F.R.S.O., if it can garner the support of some American communists who were members of the Comintern, can establish legitimacy in assuming the role of the Marxist-Leninist party of the American proletariat. Their line, as far as I can see, is solid, while avoiding the trap of the kind of "anti-revisionism" that characterizes, say, the American Party of Labor and everyone's favorite Dr. Doom fan, Espresso Stalinist.

[Blake's Baby]

I think most people who are interested in the politics of the working class, would already know when coming to the US where their political allies might be found. Most groups in their home countries would be allied to US groups in one of dozens of international organisations.

At the OP: the website that you link to (broadleft) hasn't been updated for a while (maybe 8 years?), and certainly as far as the Left Comm groups goes is very inaccurate. I presume it is on other counts too.

[Creative Destruction]

I don't know of every Socialist organization, and I haven't really joined any officially yet. So, I was wondering what my choices were as far as rooming with an organization.

Could anyone list any that come to mind? I live in the Midwest, so any organizations with affiliates in that area would be good.

Could you list them in this way:

[Organization; Tendency]

Industrial Workers of the World; Trade Unionist, Anarcho-Syndicalist, Syndicalist

Democratic Socialists of America; Democratic Socialism

International Socialist Organization: Marxism, Leninism, Trotskyism

Socialist Party USA; Democratic Socialism

Socialist Alternative; Democratic Socialism, Marxism, Leninism, Trotskyism

I think you get the idea.

Any other organizations I didn't mention, preferably those in my area, could you please list any that come to mind below? That would be helpful.

Addendum: Holy truck load, it looks like some Right-wing fascists have posted a list for me (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/828445/posts). Posts #17/26 actually uses their brains. Most right-winger don't know the differences in the Left. I also found this website (http://www.broadleft.org/), is this a good list of Leftist groups in the US?



Any that these guys missed, or are in the Midwest?

Marxist-Humanist Initiative; Marxist-Humanism

[ℂᵒиѕẗяᵤкт]

To Blake's Baby,

I don't know. The impression I'm getting from communists in the know is that many communist parties all over the globe don't have the same degree of or opportunity for contact as others.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I have no idea what the "New Union Party" is
Traditionally, they were De Leonists, but now they're known as the Campaign for a Working Democracy and promote vague "economic self-government" with no mention of Marx or De Leon.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

Traditionally, they were De Leonists, but now they're known as the Campaign for a Working Democracy and promote vague "economic self-government" with no mention of Marx or De Leon.

I see. That's actually better than I had expected, given that the name "Union Party" was used by Coughlin's semi-fascist, populist group.

[StillReading]

Is there a reason that you would have to join a party to be a communist? Can you be a communist without being in a party and still be effective?
I understand you could learn more from being in a party but it would seem like it would be easy to be corralled into a rather dogmatic view, especially if your not able to spout endless quotes from whatever Marxist.
This Lenin guy seems to be all about the party, it's like all he ever talks about.
I was just reading about Democratic centralism which seems to be a pretty logical idea for a revolutionary political party but in the US it seems possible to me that Democratic centralism could be a mode of ... well for lack of a better word brainwashing. Do all or most of these groups practice Democratic Centralism? How can one group have such homogenous political beliefs without suppressing dissent within the party?

On the other hand I went to a few Socialist Party meetings and they seemed to be all over the place politically and not really getting anything done. Which is what I have also witnessed from some anarchist groups as well, all talk no action or worse random action without talking about it first. There seems to be an awful lot of reading to do just to understand one topic let alone the bigger picture.
And I am sorry but "the Spark" just sounds like a Marvel super hero.

Also if I go to a demonstration of any kind and there are more than 2 socialist groups there they all have rather disparaging things to say about each other, it would seem from talking to them that they have nothing in common and are at times even arch enemies (like in a comic book). Then I read 5 different newspapers and they all seem to say similar things.... It's not what I am neccesarily looking for but is there a group that the rest of the groups don't universally oppose? How can every communist group in the US oppose every other group? my brains hurts.

[Chomskyan]

I like what I am hearing and seeing from Troskyist movements, what can anybody tell me about Trotskyism and how it relates to Orthodox Marxism, Libertarian Socialism etc.?

[Sabot Cat]

The IWW is opposed to trade unionism, as proponents of revolutionary industrial unionism.

[Illegalitarian]

I like what I am hearing and seeing from Troskyist movements, what can anybody tell me about Trotskyism and how it relates to Orthodox Marxism, Libertarian Socialism etc.?

Trotskyism doesn't differ from Orthodox Marxism outside of its idea of permanent revolution and a few other concepts that do not really fall out of line with Marxist thought.


I'm not a Trot nor am I intimately familiar with every tenant of the tendency so I will let an actual Trot do this instead of butchering it myself.