The Socialist Party USA Fist & Rose Tendency is a coalition of pro "Second (Socialist) Internationalists" within the Party which seek to establish friendly ties with all of the democratic-left throughout the world. Our primary aim is for the Socialist Party USA to re-establish our traditional past ties with the Socialist International (the worldwide federation of labour, social-democratic, and democratic-socialist-parties). At the present time, it is not feasible for the SPUSA to be a full member of the SI. We are a tiny party at the present, and there are already two official US affiliates that are current members. While current membership non-status is due to finances and already existing membership of other organizations; we believe (as the Socialist Party of Eugene Victor Debs, Victor Berger, Morris Hilquit, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, Clarence Darrow, Peter Bellamy, Mary White Ovington, Kate Richards O'Hare, Meyer London, Margret Sanger, Crystal Eastman, Norman Thomas, R.W. Tucker, Dave Tucker, Harry Laidler, Sinclair Lewis, Upton Sinclair, A. Philip Randolph, Reinhold Neibuhr, Carl Sandburg, Walter Ruether, Victor Ruether, Gus Tyler, Frank Zeidler, Emanuel Muravchik, Samuel Friedman, Darlington Hoopes, Michael Harrington, Bogdan Denitch, Debbie Mieir, David McReyonlds, James Farmer, Bill & Mae Biggs, Charles Curtis, Max & Sylvia Wohl, J. Quinn Brisben, Eric Fromm, John Cort, Walter Bergman, Carl Shier, Julian Bond, Noman Hill, Fay Bennett Watts, Mulford Q. Sibley, Dick Parrish, Bill Edwards, Daniel Hoan, William Osborn Hart, Robin Myers, Harry Fleischman, Julie Jacobson, Ernst Papanek, and countless trade unionists and human rights activists) that our eventual membership within the SI should be a top priority for the Party, as we grow.
In the age of global hyper-capitalism, our ties to parties and movements which created societies closest to our collective ideals necessitates a political party in the American political landscape which could reach out and develop relations in which we could grow into a mainstream domestic movement. For this, we seek to re-join our Sisters & Brothers within the Socialist International, which could mean fraternal ties, observer status, and eventually official membership status.
In America's current politically conservative direction, we need to see a movement evolve which would establish an alternative to the harsh capitalism of the US Republican Party and the reformed-capitalism of the US Democratic Party. While it is self evident that the Republican's vision of capitalism runs contrary to the aspirations of democratic-socialism, the current leadership of the Democrats runs far short of what we would like to see regarding the fundamental questions of the existing capitalist system. Being critical of the mainstream Democratic leadership these days, we recognize that there are Democrats with politics and ideology consistent with the aims and desires of all of the democratic-left in the United States and around the world. They like to call themselves "liberals" or "progressives," yet they are still marginalized today. They are or should be our political allies, and it is our job to convince them that their ideal of "liberalism" or "progressivism" is synonymous with democratic-socialism.
By working together, we can build a multi-racial working class feminist movement which could result in the formation of a democratic-socialist electoral effort which challenges the harsh capitalism and reformed-capitalism of the current two party system. This can be done through grass-roots activism within the Civil Rights, Immigrant Rights, Feminist, Gay & Lesbian Liberation, Environmentalist, Anti-War, and Trade Union Movements. Upon a successful formation of these united movements, it would be in our collective best interests to have friends from around the world to support our domestic movement for social & economic justice.
We are encouraged by our friends abroad. The past and present achievements of political parties like the Swedish Social Democratic Party, the New Democratic Party of Canada, the French Socialist Party, the Puerto Rican Independence Party, the African National Congress (South Africa), the Israeli Yachad Party, the People's National Party of Jamaica, the New Zealand Labour Party, the Movement for Democratic Change of Zimbabwe, the Norwegian Labour Party, the Mexican Party for Democratic Revolution, the Socialist Party of Argentina, the Portuguese Socialist Party, and the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party just to name a few are excellent examples of how a socialist transformation of society can take place. It may not be "pure," but it is certainly ahead of the situation we are at in the United States. While supporting the Socialist (Second) International, we also seek friendly ties with democratic-socialist-parties outside the SI (the Dutch Socialist Party, the Swedish Left Party, the Danish Socialist People's Party, the newly formed German Left Party, the Brazilian Worker's Party and the Socialist Left Party of Norway among others).
In our domestic activist work, we want our movement to be one that is sane and sensible. This means we reject sectarianism, ideological purity, political correctness, and outlandish rhetoric to which the average person cannot relate. Further we reject authoritarianism whether in comes in the guise of Communism, Fascism, Monopoly Capitalism, or Theocracy. The aims of the Fist-and-Rose Tendency is to make democratic-socialism the political mainstream inside the United States. If you agree with our aims, join us and be counted.
Signatories:
| Meeting of the National Committee of the Socialist Party USA June 18-19, 2005 Providence, RI |
Attending (all or part of the meeting): Raul Cano, Eric Chester, Steve Donahue, Susan Dorazio, Emma Gonzalez, Myrtle Kastner, Doris Lake, Mary Loritz, Andrea Pason and Greg Pason. Observing: Zac Agatstein, Matthew Andrews, Trevor Pason and Shaun Richman. The meeting was called to order 9:25 am, a quorum was met and the agenda adopted. Raul Cano, Susan Dorazio and Mary Loritz chaired parts of the meeting. National Reports The National Office and Treasurer’s report were distributed to the NC. The National Secretary reported 1493 member in good standing (322- Female/ 1172 Male) and the Treasurer reported that there was $65,0413.78 in the Treasury. The National Secretary reported that the ASF, Inc. has made a $45,000 contribution to the Party. The following resolutions were presented as part of the National Office report: Convention Related Motion: To add members in good standing of chartered affiliates Ohio and Virginia as at-large for delegate election purposes. Motion passed unanimously. Greg Pason reported that a majority the Illinois Socialist Party S.E.C. and the Chicago Socialist Party Executive were either no longer in good standing or no longer members. The Secretary/Treasurer of the Illinois Party (John Metz) resigned from the Party in December of 2004, but was still listed as the Illinois Socialist Party Secretary/Treasurer in the list that Bill Pelz submitted to the National Office. Motion: The National Committee rules the charter of the Illinois Socialist Party and all Illinois locals are to be suspended until valid State and Local Executive Committees are elected. For purposes of delegate election Illinois members in good standing eligible to serve as delegates are to be grouped with at-large members. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: To charter the Socialist Party of New York, based on appropriate paperwork being submitted to the National Office no later than June 30, 2005. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: The National Committee grants $3,500 from the Treasury. $1000 to purchase rooms at the convention hotel to use for partial and fully subsidized housing for qualified delegates, $2000 to be used as travel/ housing grants for qualified delegates and $500 to be used as seed money to establish and fundraise to support the Bea Herman Fund after the convention. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: To name or rename the following to the Convention Planning Committee: Mary Loritz, Susan Dorazio, Mary Alice Herbert, Emma Gonzalez, Richard Cooke and Antonio Salas, chaired by Greg Pason. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: Stipends up to $200 per applicant for the 2005 National Convention will be distributed by the Convention Planning Committee based on need as determined by the applicant’s response to questions regarding financial situation, distance from the convention site, age, gender and race/ethnicity. A personal statement of up to 200 words as to reasons for applying for the stipend will also be required. Preference will be given to comrades of color, those under the age of 30, and women. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: Deadline for the return of the questionnaire to Greg Pason, convener of the Convention Planning Committee, is August 15th. Decisions will be made by August 31st. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: To grant the National Office $1000 toward operating expenses before the convention. Motion passed unanimously. The Socialist The National Committee reviewed the Editor proposals submitted. None of the NC members were familiar with the Editor applicants and none of the Editor applicants were present. Motion: The National Committee extends its thanks to Lowell Denny, Robert Pohle and Rowan G. Tepper for their applications and will make a decision on electing a new Editor at the first National Committee meeting after the 2005 national convention. All editor applicants must be present for that NC meeting and other applicants interested in serving as Editor will be given a deadline of August 31st to submit their applications. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: The National Committee name Shaun Richman to edit/lay out the August/September issue of The Socialist and allocate $750 from the Treasury for the issue’s production and mailing. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: The Editorial Board is charged with writing, assigning or authorizing the Editorial for the August/ September issue of The Socialist. The Editorial Board shall also advise the Editor on approval of articles. Motion passed w/ 1 abstention Mary Loritz. Committee and Commission Reports By-Laws Eric Chester discussed the possibility of creating Party by-laws. The NC agreed that to create by-laws a constitutional amendment authorizing by-laws would be needed. Motion: To add a By-Laws Committee to the list of convention committees and to adjust the convention rules to convey this. A pre-convention by-laws committee is to be established with Eric Chester as convener with members invited to join, and that those by-law ideas are to be submitted to the convention committee. An announcement of the establishment of the pre-convention committee is to be announced in Hammer & Tongs and The Organizer. Motion passed with two abstentions, Doris Lake and Steve Donahue. Platform Sub-Committee The Platform Sub-Committee submitted the following platform suggestion To the National Committee for approval for submission to the convention Platform Committee. LABOR The Socialist Party stands for the right of all workers to organize, for worker control of industry through democratic organization of the workplace, for social ownership of the means of production and distribution, and for international solidarity among working people based on common opposition to global capitalism and U.S. imperialism. 1. We support the right of any number of interested workers in a workplace to form a union and bargain with their employer, with no limits on the subjects upon which employees and unions may bargain with employers. 2. We support the right of public service workers to strike. 3. We call for recognizing a union based on cards signed. 4. We call for the democratic control of all unions by their membership, and independent of employer domination and influence. 5. We support the right of all workers to engage in collective action and self-representation regardless of union status. 6. We support militant, united labor action including secondary and sympathy strikes, hot cargo agreements, and boycotts. 7. We support the right of workers to hold shop meetings on company premises, elect their immediate supervisors, and administer health and safety programs through the formation of shop councils. 8. We call for the repeal of the Health Act and the Taft-Hartley Act, the “hot cargo” provision of the Landrum-Griffin Act, and all so-called “right-to-work” laws. 9. We call for the same benefits for part-time workers as for full-time workers. 10. We call for increased health and safety regulation of business, and for increasing the funding and enforcement power of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 11. We call for a 30 hour work week and no loss of pay, with six weeks annual paid vacation. 12. We call for unions to totally break with the Democratic and Republican Parties and for unions to stop using Union funds to finance campaigns of candidates for public office. (section #12 amended w/ one no- Doris Lake and one abstention- Steve Donahue) FAMILY A platform plank on “rearing a child” was submitted by Eric Chester. Motion: To move the “Rearing a child” platform planks to the convention platform committee without recommendation. Motion passed unanimously. Youth / YPSL Mary Loritz (YPSL National Secretary) gave a brief report on YPSL and the upcoming YPSL convention. Motion: To contribute $500 from the Party’s Treasury to YPSL to support convention-related expenses. Motion passed unanimously. The NC read a proposal for a Youth Commission submitted by Tina Phillips. Motion: To re-charter the Youth Commission of the Socialist Party USA. The NC discussed the proposal with input from YPSL members. Motion: To table the Youth Commission proposal. Motion to table passed 5 yes (Raul Cano, Eric Chester, Myrtle Kastner, Mary Loritz and Greg Pason). 2 no (Susan Dorazio and Emma Gonzales) and 2 abstentions Steve Donahue and Doris Lake). Infrastructure Committee Susan Dorazio presented a report on the “job descriptions” for Chairs, Co-Chairs and National Committee members. Motion: To accept the Infrastructure Committee report and print it in Hammer & Tongs”. Motion passed unanimously. International Commission Raul Cano and Eric Chester gave a brief report on the status of the International Commission, and of the resignation of Mark Alper as IC chair. Minutes of the most recent International Commission were read by the National Committee. Motion: The following are to be guidelines for the International Commission. The Socialist Party believes that a socialist transformation of the existing market economy can only occur on an international basis, transcending national boundaries. Capitalism can not be reformed into a more humane society. We reject entirely the idea that the role of socialists is to benevolently administer capitalism, in the vain hope of alleviating its evils. Only a rapid transition to democratic socialism can avert the imminent prospect of catastrophe and crisis that confronts all of us. Thus, the Socialist Party will place a priority in its international work on establishing links to democratic socialist parties that have completely broken with the Socialist International. We will also reach out to our comrades in syndicalist unions and to those in radical social movements, especially the anti-imperialist wing of the anti-war movement. We seek to establish close relations with organizations that share our perspective, working on joint projects moving us toward our common goal. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: To name Eric Chester as the chair/convener of the International Commission. Motion passed unanimously. Labor Commission Matthew Andrews reported on the latest meeting of the Labor Commission. Motion: To name Matthew Andrews as the chair/convener of the Labor Commission. Motion passed unanimously. Activist Campaigns Greg Pason presented the National Committee with the following suggestion for a 2005 Socialist Summer Campaign. Motion: The Socialist Party USA National Committee endorses the following activist campaigns as part of Socialist Summer 2005: * Anti-Recruitment - A coordinated campaign of anti-military recruitment, counter recruitment activism and educational outreach to be organized with the Young Peoples Socialist League. Locals are encouraged to work to build regular anti-recruitment actions and work in coordination with anti-recruitment coalitions, including but not limited to the United for Peace and Justice Anti-Recruitment campaign. * Anti-Slavery Campaign - A coordinated solidarity campaign with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Anti-Slavery Campaign. Locals are encouraged to support the CIW campaign and other pro-immigrant worker and pro-farm workers actions. CIW’s Anti-Slavery Campaign: www.ciw-online.org/slavery.html * Pro-Choice/Anti-Capitalist Campaign- To direct the Women’s Commission to help coordinate Party actions in support of abortion rights and repealing the Hyde Amendment as we build toward the already endorsed Rosie Jimenez Day actions. (Money for this campaign has already been allocated from the National Committee.) * Anti-War/ Slash the Military Budget- A coordinated campaign promoting locally-based September anti-war actions, calling for the immediate withdrawal from Iraq and targeting the offices of congressional representatives. The campaign is to incorporate actions to “tax the rich/ tax the war profiteers” calling for and for slashing, creating a steeply progressive income tax and using those funds for domestic spending, including housing, health care, mass transit, and social services The National Office is also directed to help organize a Socialist Party contingent at the Washington DC anti-war actions and to have literature and a banner prepared. The 2005 Socialist Summer campaigns are to be coordinated out of the National Office. $500 from the Treasury to be allocated toward campaign materials, with additional expenses paid through a Socialist Summer fund-raiser. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: To encourage locals and affiliates to organize summer 2005 regional meetings to coordinate summer activism and build solidarity. These regional meetings can also be used to introduce new members to the party and as a place to recruit convention delegates and raise money to help cover convention travel/housing expenses. Motion passed unanimously. Left Unity Motion: To establish the United Left Front (ULF) Committee and to direct the National Secretary to call a ULF Committee meeting in the next month. Motion passed unanimously. Motion: To authorize Susan Dorazio, Eric Chester and Greg Pason to meet and discuss concrete projects with the Freedom Socialist Party/ Radical Women. Motion passed unanimously. Electoral Motion: To authorize $250 from the SNC to purchase campaign materials for Socialist Party candidates for office in New Jersey. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 6:15 pm with the singing of The Internationale. Minutes transcribed by Greg Pason |
by Melvin Little of the SPUSA Fist & Rose Tendency
The Socialist Party USA is 104 years old, and it is the only political party that exist in the United States which is explicitly democratic socialist. As democratic socialists, we reject all tyranny weather it comes in the guise of communism, capitalism, fascism, monarchies, ortheocracies. Our movement is based on justice on the local, state, national, and international levels. Just recently (June 18-19, 2005 Providence, RI), the SPUSA National Committee imposed a new directive and/or guideline upon the party's International Commission. It distinctly forbids the commission in dealing with any political party, organization, or movement officially affiliated with the Socialist International (the worldwide body of democratic socialist, social democratic, and labor parties). There area significant number of SPers which feels like this is a gag order of sorts, because some of *us* do have dealings with the SI and its affiliates around the world.
The Fist & RoseTendency is a new caucus within the Socialist Party USA which disagree with the guidelines and/or directive. We feel that such a imposition within the International Commission is an example of acreeping democratic centralism within the party. Our party is closer to the social democratic tradition ideal than it would ever be to a Leninist one. The National Committee voting majority acted in a Marxist Leninist manner which contradicts the political orientation of Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas.
Although the Fist & Rose Tendency favor friendly ties with the Socialist International (and even eventual official membership within the global democratic left group), we also favor individual SP members who are not particularly supportive of the SI to reach out to all democratic socialists outside the SI (ranging from mainstream social democratic parties all the way to "reformed communist movements" which broke with its Leninist past). That is the difference between those that want the party to be internally democratic and open and those that wants to keep us isolated from the mainstream left.
The SPUSA Fist & Rose Tendency calls on the National Convention to rescind the directive and/or guidelines which forbids the SPUSA from directly dealing with theany of the parties, organizations, and movements connected officially with the Socialist International. Although the Fist & Rose Tendency agrees with the revolutionists that people like Tony Blair and Gerhard Schroderhas been an embarrassment to the socialist movement, we also think that the directive is a poison pill which could prevent us from working with suitable elected officials, left-wing caucuses, and organizations around some of the less than perfect parties within the SI. We have friends abroad. For example, there's no reason to believe that London's Mayor Ken Livingstone, Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, the British Labour Party-Socialist Campaign Group, the Christian Socialist Movement, Labour Against the War, and other movements, organizations, and every other elected official within Labour that opposes the 3rd Way and the Iraq War as some sort of adversary. The same goes to all the other mass social democratic parties across the globe in every continent that's acted like "less than perfect socialists." There's no socialist movement that is either reformist nor revolutionary which is "germ free ideologically." We are all human.
We want to see the directive and/or guidelines which prohibits any positive mention of any SI party to be rescinded. The directive and/or guidelines are democratic centralist in nature. It also contradicts the party's 104 year history. The Socialist Party of America was formed for the same reason that the British Labour Party, the French Socialist Party, the Swedish Social Democratic Party, the Movement for Democratic Change of Zimbabwe, the Israeli Social Democratic Peace and Civil Rights Party (Yachad), the New Democratic Party of Canada, the Jamaican People's National Party, the Puerto Rican Independence Party, the Mexican Party for Democratic Revolution, the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party, and the Portuguese Socialist Party were. And of course, that reason was to fight capitalism. Some of these parties changed for the worst (at times), but there are vibrant signs that there is an emerging movement within the party's left-wing to bring backinto the mainstream of challenging capitalism (long after the demise of communism).
If we are to be a democratic socialist multi tendency party, we need to stop weeding everyone out that is suspected of being a social democrat. There's no dishonor in social democracy. Virtually every "social democrat" in the SPUSA feel that we have enough room for Marxists, anarchists, left-greens, as well as social democrats to be members and active within our party. This is what makes usthe most similar toall those SI parties around the world. If we burn our ideological bridges in the name of ideological purity, then we will remain irrelevant. Please, consider having the directive and/or guideline that's been recently imposed on the SPUSA International Commission rescinded.
The Fist and the Rose was created by the Movement of Young Socialists in France and designed by Yan Berrier in 1972. |
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Double Fists; The Torch Meets The Rose was created on the basis of The Fist and the Rose as a sign of solidarty with the Socialist International partnership torch of the Social Democrats USA.
The party traces its founding back to Eugene Victor Debs in 1898.
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