Socialist Party of America
Statement on Trump Assassination Attempt
Jul 13, 2024

Earlier today, a lone gunman reportedly attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed by the Secret Service after reportedly wounding Donald Trump and two rally attendees, one of whom was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Socialist Party is opposed to all forms of terrorism and adventurism. History is made not by lone wolves, but by the self-movement of the masses. While we are very much opposed to everything Donald Trump stands for, we also oppose the Democrats and their incompetent candidate, Joe Biden.

Both Trump and Biden and their parties promote the continued exploitation of working people across the world, including the ongoing genocide being carried out in occupied Palestine, where 90 people were killed and 300 injured in an Israeli strike on a refugee camp today.

Americans are desperate to avoid another disastrous Donald Trump presidency. Unfortunately, another four years of Trump now seems inevitable given the Democrats and their unwillingness to replace a candidate who has demonstrated clear signs of advanced dementia in recent months.

That said, no single individual will change the course of history. That task is left to the entire working class. An attempt to influence the course of history by murdering one individual is both foolish and adventurist. The working class rejects this individualistic and terroristic behavior. It may produce ripples, but it will never make a wave.

Our thoughts tonight are with the Palestinian people, as well as the family of the individual killed in Pennsylvania.

Solidarity.

Socialist Party of America
Socialist Response to the 2024 State of the Union Address
March 7, 2024

This year’s address is much like those of past capitalist administrations. Much of the same promises, over-simplification, half-truths, and full-on lies. Empty gestures, pomp and tradition, zero substance. When it comes to meeting the needs of working people in America, the State of the Union address serves as nothing more than free prime time coverage for the current administration to run a campaign ad.

That said, we would like to respond to many of the claims and statements made during tonight’s address. We will offer a quick rebuttal of each major point in a breakdown by general topic.

The president opened by bragging about expanding NATO to include Finland and Sweden. The promise of never expanding NATO towards Russia was what brought down the Berlin Wall. However, this expansionism has gone unchecked and is one of the biggest contributing factors to the current conflict in Ukraine. While we are by no means defending Russia or President Putin, the current conflict wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the expansion of NATO. Why is NATO expanding? There isn’t a new threat in the region, and hasn’t been in nearly 30 years. However, moving new countries to the NATO standard for weapons and military equipment means huge profits for companies like Boeing, Lockheed, RTX, and Northrop Grumman.

Biden talked about women’s rights and defending Roe v. Wade. However, as in previous years, failed to mention that during previous Democrat majorities, the party failed to codify the protections afforded by the court ruling. The overturning of Roe v. Wade was allowed to happen because it is an effective fundraising tool for Democrats, plain and simple. Under a socialist administration, women’s reproductive health will be free and a private matter between women and their doctors.

Biden moved to the topic of housing, talking about creating “incentives” (tax breaks) for developers to “increase housing stock.” This is an old trope going back years that basically implies what’s causing homelessness is a shortage of houses, but never addresses the price of housing or the fact that companies use houses as speculative assets. These types of plans, often labeled “Missing Middle” or similar, are schemes invented by developers to allow them to get around existing affordable housing laws and build nothing but luxury condos to be used for speculation and market manipulation. Under socialism, housing will be a human right, and free public housing will be a major initiative.

Much of the speech was spent talking about the profits of drug companies, as if Biden will be the one to reign them in. Meanwhile, he signaled to these companies: don’t worry, you’ll still make a “healthy profit.” Spoiler alert: there are no such things as “healthy profits.” Profit is the result of exploitation of working people, as lowering wages is one of the only ways to drive profits. So when the president claims he’s going to stop corporate abuse while still allowing for healthy profits, he’s saying he’s not going to stop corporate abuse.

Biden went on to talk about making college “more affordable,” but this is sort of like making health care “more accessible” (another promise made). This implies that these things belong on a market and your education and your health are things you only deserve if you have money. In a socialist America, education and health care will be human rights.

Another strange point that was made was that Biden’s proposed tax code includes cuts for “anyone making under $400,000 per year.” This is a sneaky way of saying tax cuts for the rich: the median income in America is $32,000 per year. When you make this little, you end up paying more in taxes because you can’t afford a fancy accountant to find all of the loopholes for you. People making almost half a million most certainly can and do, making their effective tax rate much lower than those making the median salary.

The president went on to name drop Cookie Monster, who recently posted to social media to complain about his cookies getting smaller, claiming this is “shrinkflation” – a tactic companies use to increase profits. But once again this misses the most important fact: companies increase profits by driving down wages, not shrinking their products down.

Biden talked about eliminating “junk fees” for things like cable internet, even though the real issue is the service quality, and the fact that these companies skirt around regulations with no enforcement from the FCC, which is run by lobbyists for these companies. The socialist solution to all of these problems is simple: our utilities – including internet – should all be publicly-owned.

Biden went on to talk about the current genocide being waged by Israel against Palestinians, claiming they have a “right to defend themselves” against Hamas, the ruling party of Palestinian people. Biden called Hamas “terrorists” and claimed they “hide under hospitals” and other civilian infrastructure: an excuse for the genocide being carried out by Israel. This has been shown to be completely false. With a large amount of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza destroyed, Hamas would surely be defeated by now, and yet they are not.

Biden went on to announce that the US military will be embarking upon a mission to build a sea port in Gaza to “allow in humanitarian aid.” Biden did not mention the fact that Israel has routinely blocked aid deliveries by land. A sea port would not increase aid deliveries unless Israel has had a sudden change of plans and called off the genocide. And without a ceasefire, there will be no safe way for people to get to the aid. This entire mission is nothing but a pretext to send US troops to Gaza, effectively creating a backdoor for the US to enter this conflict directly. While Biden claims this will not result in any boots on the ground, he ended his speech by saying “may God protect our troops.”

In summary, this State of the Union address is once again an announcement of business as usual: war to distract the population while laundering tax dollars to corporations. What this address proves is that we need a social and political revolution in this country for anything to change.

SOCIALIST PARTY OF AMERICA MEMBERSHIP UNANIMOUSLY VOTE TO ENDORSE CLAUDIA DE LA CRUZ FOR PRESIDENT AND KARINA GARCIA FOR VICE PRESIDENT.

In 1920, Lenin wrote in “Leftism: An Infantile Disorder” that participation in elections is obligatory for revolutionaries, specifically for the purpose of educating the working class; a necessary step in awakening the masses. This is a point that the Party for Socialism and Liberation takes seriously and has made a key component of their program for many years.

One argument made against supporting “third party candidates” is that they could lead to a “spoiler effect” and in turn elect “the worse of two evils.” However, report after report has shown that most people who vote for these candidates wouldn’t vote any other way. In effect, running for office as a socialist, while it may not be a winning strategy electorally, is a great strategy in terms of agitation and propaganda.

While there are many other candidates running who may receive a bigger platform, we believe that the campaign of Claudia De La Cruz and Karina Garcia is one that aligns exceptionally well with our party’s platform and principles. With the increasingly regular occurrence of heatwaves, floods, and hurricanes, the lasting effects of a pandemic left unaddressed, more and more jobs being outsourced or replaced with technology, and the threat of another world war on the horizon, it is more important now than ever to promote a campaign that is explicitly socialist.

The two capitalist parties have not offered anything but a culture war and bread crumbs to workers for nearly two decades. Even if their decade-old proposal for a $15 minimum wage were enacted today, it would be worth half of what it was when the idea first gained popularity. Because of inflation and the rising costs of everything from rent to groceries, working people are feeling the squeeze more than ever before.

The ticket of Claudia De La Cruz for President and Karina Garcia for Vice President address these issues head-on from a working class point of view. Their candidacy will play a major part in helping build a party for the regular working people of America, and the Socialist Party of America is endorsing their campaign in 2024.

You can learn more about their campaign and get involved at VoteSocialist2024.com

SOCIALIST PARTY OF AMERICA SUPPORTS AND ENDORSES STARBUCKS WORKERS UNITED EFFORT TO ORGANIZE STARBUCKS STORES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

The Socialist Party of America exists to awaken and empower American workers, regardless of their personal ideologies or field of work. This has always been our primary mission and concern. Historically, the Socialist Party of America took a central role in early 20th century strikes and organizing. In the strike wave of 1909, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City was specifically named as a hazardous workplace with underpaid workers in dangerous sweatshop conditions.

On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out at the factory. Because of a combination of flammable oil being stored inside the building and the fact that company owners locked the doors to prevent unauthorized work breaks and theft, 146 workers were trapped inside and died in the fire. While the workers had been complaining for years about these and other issues, their complaints were not taken seriously, as they were viewed as low-skilled workers—mostly immigrants, women, and children. It took their deaths to spur action, which resulted in not only new safety standards, but the formation of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.

Today, jobs in food service, such as baristas, are similarly viewed as labor performed by “unskilled workers” or as “starter jobs for teenagers.” The facts: nearly 80% of workers in America work at these types of service jobs, and nearly 100,000 of these workers still suffer serious physical injuries at work each year. At Starbucks, one worker says she was forced to continue working after receiving 2nd degree burns.

Companies like Starbucks spend an estimated $340 million annually on union-busting efforts, and employers are charged with violating labor laws in 41.5% of all union elections. Starbucks has threatened employees, implied they will lose their benefits with a union, cut hours of suspected union organizers, and even closed entire stores to avoid unionization efforts. Even in the face of these union-busting activities, over 150 stores have unionized this year.

Other unionization efforts in America have revealed that corporations are getting smarter and finding new ways to bust union organizing. At Google, the so-called “Alphabet Workers Union” was formed by internal management to create grievance councils under the HR department. These styles of “union” specifically prohibit collective bargaining and strikes, and ultimately serve as a workplace party planning committee. Their essence is that of sabotage and sheepdogging workers away from actual unionization efforts. Our party has been vocal about the dangers of supporting these phony efforts. However, the recent efforts of Starbucks workers stand in stark contrast.

The Starbucks workers’ union, Starbucks Workers United, seeks to improve working conditions: regular scheduling, required breaks between shifts, increases in wages and benefits, improved safety, and other demands won via collective bargaining and strikes. Starbucks Workers United is a real labor union and deserves our support and the support of communists everywhere.

According to the theories of Karl Marx, any worker who trades their labor power for a wage is a member of the working class. The level of physical labor required for your job does not change this fact. Under capitalism, companies rely on driving wages as low as possible in order to turn a profit. Unions are essential to maintain a level of human dignity under wage slavery.

With that in mind and in carrying with our long tradition of standing for all workers, the Socialist Party of America is proud to endorse and support the unionization efforts of Starbucks workers and Starbucks Workers United.

Socialist Party of America
Statement on Ukraine
Feb 26, 2022

The global fight against imperialism is manifesting physically in Ukraine. While NATO forces bend their own rules and sneak supplies to what remains of the Ukrainian forces, US Congress proposes sending $6.4 billion in weapons and other aid during a failed domestic pandemic response at home. Ukraine’s representative to the UN is asking for negotiations with Russia to discuss terms of surrender, proposing full neutrality for Ukraine, while US media reports imply that Ukraine is “winning.”

Russian forces began their operations after 8 years of inaction from so-called peacekeepers in response to Ukraine’s barbaric genocide in the sovereign territories of Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). This after an even longer period of illegal NATO expansion which began after the capitalist sabotage and dismantling of the Soviet Union and other independent socialist territories over 30 years ago.

Russian military action is not a new land grab or some sort of unhinged war of domination, as mainstream media portrays. Russia’s actions are an attempt to bring peace and stability to the region after decades of imperialist plunder. The delusional response of Ukraine’s puppet government is a betrayal of their people and has caused yet untold death and destruction.

While we are a newly refounded party without major influence in the world, we stand in solidarity with those who understand that the current situation in Ukraine is the result of decades of imperialist aggression and political incompetence on the parts of NATO and the UN. Russia and Ukraine have been forced into this situation by the powers of global capital who now pretend this is something they didn’t see coming.

American roads and bridges are crumbling and people are facing skyrocketing costs with totally stagnant income levels, all during a pandemic which has disrupted life and permanently damaged hope for the future. In the US media, military operations in Ukraine are being portrayed as entertainment, like a Marvel movie, rather than with the nuance and historical context needed. CNN runs Applebee’s commercials over footage of missiles and tanks while cutting to footage of Joe Biden acting as though he just stepped into politics, and hasn’t been involved in the buildup of this moment since the beginning.

The people of America need to be exposed to the smelling salts of reality: we have been lied to and treated as children for decades. What we are currently witnessing is what Karl Marx referred to as late-stage capitalism. As profits shrink, the frustration and desperate actions of the ruling elite become more apparent. The same Nazis we defeated in WW2 are now touted as our allies, while Russia, which made great sacrifices to stop the horrors of fascism, is portrayed as our enemy. We’re told that oil and fracked gas is “clean and natural,” while we’re made to fear nuclear power sources capable of providing endless low-cost zero-emission energy for the world. What we’re seeing is the mask being pulled off of imperialism as capitalism grows so unsustainable that it begins to consume itself.

Americans must treat this moment of clarity as a gift and work with the world to unseat those who have brought humanity to this desperate place. We must not squander this opportunity to be on the right side of history.

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