8 November 2016
By Dana Williams
USA Today
"With 32,071 voters casting ballots, Democrat Clinton received 71.6% of
the vote. Republican Donald Trump received 24.2%, and Socialist
candidate Emidio Soltysik — the only third-party candidate on the ballot
— received 4.2%...."
Read More
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Third Party Presidential Candidates running in the upcoming Election: Presidential Candidate: Edmidio Soltysik
6 November 2016
By Shari Boiskin
Eastside Online (NJ)
Sick of exploitation based on your sex, gender, race, ethnicity, social class or sexual orientation? Frustrated by the restraints and injustices created by capitalism? Interested in forming a new social and economic order based on community involvement in production, distribution and governance? Want the voting age to be lowered to fifteen? You’re in luck – there’s a party that caters to your needs: the Socialist Party USA. Even better, they have a candidate running for president: Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik.
By Shari Boiskin
Eastside Online (NJ)
Sick of exploitation based on your sex, gender, race, ethnicity, social class or sexual orientation? Frustrated by the restraints and injustices created by capitalism? Interested in forming a new social and economic order based on community involvement in production, distribution and governance? Want the voting age to be lowered to fifteen? You’re in luck – there’s a party that caters to your needs: the Socialist Party USA. Even better, they have a candidate running for president: Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik.
Soltysik, born in
Reading, PA, was educated at Troy University in Alabama and currently
lives in Los Angeles, California. Before accepting the presidential
nomination from the Socialist National Committee, he worked as an
activist for and co-chair of the Socialist Party.
The Socialist Party USA has a Democratic Socialist Agenda under which it “strives
to establish a radical democracy that places people’s lives under their
own control — a non-racist, classless, feminist socialist society where
working people own and control the means of production and distribution
through democratically-controlled public agencies, cooperatives, or
other collective groups.”
Because Soltysik is a
Democratic Socialist, he does not believe in vanguardism – the belief
that the most politically savvy and class-conscious members of the
proletariat should rise up to create organizations to help guide the
masses toward revolutionary politics and serve as manifestations of
proletarian power against enemies. He also doesn’t believe in democratic
centralism – a Leninist philosophy in which the policy of the political
party is centrally decided upon and thus binding for all members.
In essence, what Soltysik
believes is that a radical democratic change is needed to create a more
egalitarian and fair society. He has a few ideas of how that could be
accomplished....
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Cracked.com Interview with SP Presidential Candidate Mimi Soltysik
03 November 2016
By Mark Hill
Cracked.com
"Bernie Sanders' campaign briefly got America -- mostly its 18-year-olds who could vote for the first time and its 65-year-olds who hated them for it -- talking about socialism. But for all the discussion of his "radical" policies, Sanders still wants to reform capitalism -- the Socialist Party wants to overthrow it. Their goal is a complete restructuring of society, or in their words, "a new social and economic order in which workers and consumers control production and community residents control their neighborhoods, homes, and schools."
Socialism, like prohibition, was once a powerful force in American politics (over 1,000 socialists were elected to various offices in Eugene Debs' day), but has since waned to a fringe. Socialist Party USA was founded in 1973, and got 4,430 votes in 2012. They compete with many, many other socialist and communist parties for attention, because if there's one thing socialists truly love, it's holding lifelong grudges over the interpretation of something Trotsky once scribbled down on a cocktail napkin.
The Socialist Party calls for a move to an economy based on need rather than profit, a vast reduction in American military power, free education, government healthcare, major environmental reforms, improved animal rights, a 30-hour work week, and other transformative policies. Their candidate is 41-year-old Mimi Soltysik, who holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in public administration, has extensive experience as a community organizer working with programs like clothing drives for human trafficking victims, and spent over a decade playing in a band, the last of which is most obvious if you look at him."
Why, briefly, should our readers consider voting for you?
"We're actually telling folks that, as opposed to looking to candidates to provide the solutions to the problems, they should look to one another. Socialism isn't something that can or should be implemented from the White House. It's a movement led by the workers, by the community, by the people."
Read More
By Mark Hill
Cracked.com
"Bernie Sanders' campaign briefly got America -- mostly its 18-year-olds who could vote for the first time and its 65-year-olds who hated them for it -- talking about socialism. But for all the discussion of his "radical" policies, Sanders still wants to reform capitalism -- the Socialist Party wants to overthrow it. Their goal is a complete restructuring of society, or in their words, "a new social and economic order in which workers and consumers control production and community residents control their neighborhoods, homes, and schools."
Socialism, like prohibition, was once a powerful force in American politics (over 1,000 socialists were elected to various offices in Eugene Debs' day), but has since waned to a fringe. Socialist Party USA was founded in 1973, and got 4,430 votes in 2012. They compete with many, many other socialist and communist parties for attention, because if there's one thing socialists truly love, it's holding lifelong grudges over the interpretation of something Trotsky once scribbled down on a cocktail napkin.
The Socialist Party calls for a move to an economy based on need rather than profit, a vast reduction in American military power, free education, government healthcare, major environmental reforms, improved animal rights, a 30-hour work week, and other transformative policies. Their candidate is 41-year-old Mimi Soltysik, who holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in public administration, has extensive experience as a community organizer working with programs like clothing drives for human trafficking victims, and spent over a decade playing in a band, the last of which is most obvious if you look at him."
Why, briefly, should our readers consider voting for you?
"We're actually telling folks that, as opposed to looking to candidates to provide the solutions to the problems, they should look to one another. Socialism isn't something that can or should be implemented from the White House. It's a movement led by the workers, by the community, by the people."
Read More
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Our Back Pages: When a presidential candidate spent election night in Milwaukee
2 November 2016
By Chris Foran
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"On election night 1976, the presidential candidate for a political party with historic roots waited out the returns in Milwaukee by playing a game of chess.
That night, Nov. 2, 1976, Frank P. Zeidler, Milwaukee's former mayor and the candidate for president on the Socialist Party USA ticket, didn't really expect to be in the winner's circle as he met with supporters at Turner Hall....
Zeidler's candidacy was the first under the Socialist Party banner in 20 years. Since then, Socialist Party USA has run a candidate in every presidential election cycle except 1984's, when the party endorsed the Citizens' Party candidate. (Mimi Soltysik and Angela Nicole Walker are on the party's 2016 ticket.)...."
Read More
By Chris Foran
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"On election night 1976, the presidential candidate for a political party with historic roots waited out the returns in Milwaukee by playing a game of chess.
That night, Nov. 2, 1976, Frank P. Zeidler, Milwaukee's former mayor and the candidate for president on the Socialist Party USA ticket, didn't really expect to be in the winner's circle as he met with supporters at Turner Hall....
Zeidler's candidacy was the first under the Socialist Party banner in 20 years. Since then, Socialist Party USA has run a candidate in every presidential election cycle except 1984's, when the party endorsed the Citizens' Party candidate. (Mimi Soltysik and Angela Nicole Walker are on the party's 2016 ticket.)...."
Read More
Saturday, October 29, 2016
It’s Liberation…A Conversation with 2016 SPUSA VP Candidate Angela Nicole Walker
29 October 2016
By Autumn Minery and Bryer Sousa
The Socialist
PART ONE
Bryer: Welcome Angela and thank you for being here. If you’d like to introduce yourself, that would be great. Of course, you are Mimi Soltysik’s running mate, the Vice Presidential ticket for the Socialist Party USA. But to be able to represent SPUSA, you must have engaged in quite a bit of activism during your life?
Angela: Yeah, my name is Angela Walker; I am a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I currently live. I have served as the Legislative Director for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998. I served the union for two years and was also a member of Occupy the Hood…[W]e were able to get a lot of linking between the unions and tried to make sure that they kept touch with other unions and organizations; grass roots organizations that were doing really important work. So I did that for a few years. Then in 2014, I ran against David Clark here in Milwaukee County as an independent socialist at the time, and we all pulled 21% of the vote… as an unknown, broke socialist…
Bryer: You pulled 21% of the vote?
Angela: Yeah, and I say “we,” because it was a collaborative effort. I was a working class candidate and the others who were working on the campaign were working class members as well. But 67,000 something people out of 350,000 in the county put their bets on an unknown broke working class candidate, who was explicitly socialist, so I thought that was pretty dope.
Mimi and the SP watched that campaign, which was unknown to me, but it was a big deal, apparently. Evidently, it got people really excited about it, so when he was considering this run for President, he called me.
Bryer: That’s quite the story. Especially because you were able to bring around a collective of working class individuals. That being said, what does ‘socialism’ mean to you? That is, where did you get the inspiration to lean towards socialism? Was it an American intellectual? Was it working class people?
Angela: For me, it’s working class people. I mean, my family is all working class folks and they’ve practiced socialism without ever calling it that. So I’ve been exposed to socialist ideas my whole life. Nothing new. For me it just makes sense. We are talking about people primarily in black and brown communities that have been so horribly affected by capitalism (and the violence that is brought about) in so many ways. People are ready to embrace concepts that we know that are explicitly socialist, but also…it is just common sense. I mean, if you’re having an issue with housing and affordability and things like that in your area, and if people can pull their resources and go in on one of the many abandoned buildings in our community, and then turn that into a co-op which works to get people not only housed, but housed at a rate they can afford, why wouldn’t you do that? Why wouldn’t you talk about that? You know, at the time of Fight for $15, why are we not talking about worker ownership of the workplace? It makes sense. You know there is this issue of ‘deserve;’ who deserves living wages? Everyone does! I don’t care if you scrub toilets for a living…you deserve a living wage, and you deserve a say in how your workplace is run. You should be up in arms. Such things make sense to me.
Read More
By Autumn Minery and Bryer Sousa
The Socialist
PART ONE
Bryer: Welcome Angela and thank you for being here. If you’d like to introduce yourself, that would be great. Of course, you are Mimi Soltysik’s running mate, the Vice Presidential ticket for the Socialist Party USA. But to be able to represent SPUSA, you must have engaged in quite a bit of activism during your life?
Angela: Yeah, my name is Angela Walker; I am a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I currently live. I have served as the Legislative Director for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998. I served the union for two years and was also a member of Occupy the Hood…[W]e were able to get a lot of linking between the unions and tried to make sure that they kept touch with other unions and organizations; grass roots organizations that were doing really important work. So I did that for a few years. Then in 2014, I ran against David Clark here in Milwaukee County as an independent socialist at the time, and we all pulled 21% of the vote… as an unknown, broke socialist…
Bryer: You pulled 21% of the vote?
Angela: Yeah, and I say “we,” because it was a collaborative effort. I was a working class candidate and the others who were working on the campaign were working class members as well. But 67,000 something people out of 350,000 in the county put their bets on an unknown broke working class candidate, who was explicitly socialist, so I thought that was pretty dope.
Mimi and the SP watched that campaign, which was unknown to me, but it was a big deal, apparently. Evidently, it got people really excited about it, so when he was considering this run for President, he called me.
Bryer: That’s quite the story. Especially because you were able to bring around a collective of working class individuals. That being said, what does ‘socialism’ mean to you? That is, where did you get the inspiration to lean towards socialism? Was it an American intellectual? Was it working class people?
Angela: For me, it’s working class people. I mean, my family is all working class folks and they’ve practiced socialism without ever calling it that. So I’ve been exposed to socialist ideas my whole life. Nothing new. For me it just makes sense. We are talking about people primarily in black and brown communities that have been so horribly affected by capitalism (and the violence that is brought about) in so many ways. People are ready to embrace concepts that we know that are explicitly socialist, but also…it is just common sense. I mean, if you’re having an issue with housing and affordability and things like that in your area, and if people can pull their resources and go in on one of the many abandoned buildings in our community, and then turn that into a co-op which works to get people not only housed, but housed at a rate they can afford, why wouldn’t you do that? Why wouldn’t you talk about that? You know, at the time of Fight for $15, why are we not talking about worker ownership of the workplace? It makes sense. You know there is this issue of ‘deserve;’ who deserves living wages? Everyone does! I don’t care if you scrub toilets for a living…you deserve a living wage, and you deserve a say in how your workplace is run. You should be up in arms. Such things make sense to me.
Read More
Thursday, October 27, 2016
SP Presidential Candidate Mimi Soltysik Interviewed on CounterPunch Radio
27 October 2016
By Eric Draitser
CounterPunch Radio
"This week Eric welcomes to the show presidential candidate from the Socialist Party USA Mimi Soltysik to discuss his campaign, the importance of movement-building, and the state of the Left in 2016. The conversation begins with a discussion of the SPUSA's campaign, and the central question for every non-establishment party: Why bother running a presidential campaign at all? From there Eric and Mimi discuss how the Left might consider moving forward as the US and the world face the daunting challenges of war, economic crisis, and ecological meltdown. They touch on a wide variety of issues from the viability of the Green Party as a vehicle for revolutionary change to the necessity for non-electoral solutions in local communities and much more. Don't miss this episode of CounterPunch Radio."
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast
By Eric Draitser
CounterPunch Radio
"This week Eric welcomes to the show presidential candidate from the Socialist Party USA Mimi Soltysik to discuss his campaign, the importance of movement-building, and the state of the Left in 2016. The conversation begins with a discussion of the SPUSA's campaign, and the central question for every non-establishment party: Why bother running a presidential campaign at all? From there Eric and Mimi discuss how the Left might consider moving forward as the US and the world face the daunting challenges of war, economic crisis, and ecological meltdown. They touch on a wide variety of issues from the viability of the Green Party as a vehicle for revolutionary change to the necessity for non-electoral solutions in local communities and much more. Don't miss this episode of CounterPunch Radio."
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Never Trump? Can't back Clinton? Here are Texans' other choices for president
25 October 2016
By Hannah Wise
Dallas Morning News
"Emidio Soltysik, a political activist from Los Angeles, is the Socialist Party's write-in candidate for president. Soltysik, 41, writes on the party's Facebook page that his campaign is not about earning votes, ballot status or raising money. Instead, it will be "primarily focused on the unique media opportunities that are presented during a general election."
He writes that even if Bernie Sanders, a Democratic socialist, were elected, it would not be enough. Soltysik argues that to be elected, a candidate has to make so many concessions that they would be beholden to special interests and would be "completely unfit to govern once taking office."
The party's platform, according to its website, "stands for the abolition of every form of domination and exploitation, whether based on social class gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, sexual orientation, or other characteristics...."
Read More
By Hannah Wise
Dallas Morning News
"Emidio Soltysik, a political activist from Los Angeles, is the Socialist Party's write-in candidate for president. Soltysik, 41, writes on the party's Facebook page that his campaign is not about earning votes, ballot status or raising money. Instead, it will be "primarily focused on the unique media opportunities that are presented during a general election."
He writes that even if Bernie Sanders, a Democratic socialist, were elected, it would not be enough. Soltysik argues that to be elected, a candidate has to make so many concessions that they would be beholden to special interests and would be "completely unfit to govern once taking office."
The party's platform, according to its website, "stands for the abolition of every form of domination and exploitation, whether based on social class gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, sexual orientation, or other characteristics...."
Read More
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Third parties and what they stand for
23 October 2016
By Kathleen Gray
Detroit Free Press
"Socialist Party: Cut the military budget by 50%; enact single-payer health care for all; raise the minimum wage; support free college tuition and a graduated income tax; set retirement age at 65 and enact rent control on all rental units; abolish the National Security Agency, FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
Presidential Ticket: Former national co-chairman of the Socialist Party USA, Emidio (Mimi) Soltysik, and labor organizer and former bus driver Angela Nicole Walker."
Read More
By Kathleen Gray
Detroit Free Press
"Socialist Party: Cut the military budget by 50%; enact single-payer health care for all; raise the minimum wage; support free college tuition and a graduated income tax; set retirement age at 65 and enact rent control on all rental units; abolish the National Security Agency, FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
Presidential Ticket: Former national co-chairman of the Socialist Party USA, Emidio (Mimi) Soltysik, and labor organizer and former bus driver Angela Nicole Walker."
Read More
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
SP State House Candidate's Responses Published in MLive Voter Guide
The MLive Media Group has published SP Michigan State House candidate Michael Anderson's responses to its 2016 statewide Voter Guide questionnaire. They can be read by clicking here.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Socialism Is Not Something You Vote into the White House
11 October 2016
By Moisés Delgado
Left Voice
Mimi Soltysik lives in Los Angeles and is a member of the Socialist Party. His running mate is Angela Nicole Walker.
Read More
By Moisés Delgado
Left Voice
Mimi Soltysik lives in Los Angeles and is a member of the Socialist Party. His running mate is Angela Nicole Walker.
How did you become a part of the socialist movement?
So much of my life was spent on self-gratification and I was thoroughly disconnected from any idea of community. I mean, I literally had little idea. By the time I reached my early-thirties, I hit a sort of rock bottom. My health, both physical and mental, was in pretty terrible shape, and I felt like I had a choice to make. In a sense, it felt very much like an awakening. I started to learn again, which wasn’t necessarily the easiest thing for me. I often struggled to understand and to make connections. But I took small steps forward. And in doing so, I started to build relationships with folks in my direct community. I also started to see with newfound clarity the incredible suffering in my community. Bit-by-bit, I learned, as many others have, that there is an identifiable source of the suffering: capitalism. I also learned, again, as many others have, that there is a solution: socialism. So, I sought out spaces where someone like me might be able to contribute. I felt like I had an incredible amount of catching up to do, and I really took, and continue to take my participation very seriously.Why did you decide to run in the 2016 presidential elections? What do you hope to most accomplish through your campaign?
As a radical organization in the U.S., we tend to get little mainstream media coverage on the day-to-day. That tends to change a bit during a general election. We also thought that there might be even more media opportunities with the inclusion of Bernie Sanders in the race. In anticipation of that likelihood, we approached all of this with a step-by-step strategy aimed at making a contribution to the swiftening of the revolutionary pace in the U.S.: 1. Use those media opportunities to deliver, with warmth and humanity, an unapologetically radical message. 2. Use social media and technology to complement traditional media. 3. As candidates, make sure we are accessible to those who might reach out with interest after seeing media/social media pieces. 4. Help, in any way possible, to connect those folks, wherever they might be throughout the country, with others already involved with movement work. 5. Acknowledging that many may be far-removed, geographically, from radical activity, use technology to develop face-to-face meeting/collaboration spaces. 6. Open up our campaign spaces in a way that allows others to tell their story, to share their ideas and experiences, helping to humanize movement work and potentially put skeptical/fearful folks new to radical politics at ease. 7. Set up a framework so that any momentum and infrastructure built throughout the campaign is maintained beyond election day. And that’s what we’ve been doing. To be honest, and I’m only speaking for myself, I didn’t know what the response might be. I understand that this might be a somewhat unconventional approach to a presidential campaign, while also acknowledging the possibility that folks might say "who gives a shit?" I am so thankful to say that the response thus far has far exceeded what I envisioned. It’s been an incredibly humbling experience.Read More
Monday, September 26, 2016
Oppose Felony Restrictions on MI State Food & Financial Assistance
26 September 2016
A Statement by 2016 SP State House Candidate Michael Anderson (MI-70th district)
A Statement by 2016 SP State House Candidate Michael Anderson (MI-70th district)
Q&A: House of Rep. candidate goes green
26 September 2016
By Rose Cyburt
The Almanian (Alma, MI)
"This election year, there has been a significant amount of talk about third parties. Running against Democrat Ken Hart and Republican Jim Lower for Michigan’s 70th District is Green Party/Socialist Michael Anderson....
Q. You are running for both the Green Party and the Socialist Party, but which do you affiliate with more?
A. I belong to the Socialist Party. I agree with the ideals of the Green Party, but joined primarily for ballot access. The Green Party is taking great measures towards anticapitalism thanks to the progressiveness of today’s youth.
Q. Are there any major differences between the parties?
A. Yes, there are differences, like the Socialist Party is about complete socialism. We want to take power from capitalists and put it in the hands of the workers. Workers include lower and middle class, students and people without jobs. The Green Party believes in working through the system to reform and make changes and agreements. The Socialist Party wants to completely smash the system.
Q. What issue is more important to you: the environment or radical democracy?
A. Those issues are one in the same. Capitalism happens when people are profit driven; the people in charge don’t care about consequences because they aren’t affected like the communities are since they are farther away. If the people in the community had control they are less likely to pollute because it is their home..."
Read More
By Rose Cyburt
The Almanian (Alma, MI)
"This election year, there has been a significant amount of talk about third parties. Running against Democrat Ken Hart and Republican Jim Lower for Michigan’s 70th District is Green Party/Socialist Michael Anderson....
Q. You are running for both the Green Party and the Socialist Party, but which do you affiliate with more?
A. I belong to the Socialist Party. I agree with the ideals of the Green Party, but joined primarily for ballot access. The Green Party is taking great measures towards anticapitalism thanks to the progressiveness of today’s youth.
Q. Are there any major differences between the parties?
A. Yes, there are differences, like the Socialist Party is about complete socialism. We want to take power from capitalists and put it in the hands of the workers. Workers include lower and middle class, students and people without jobs. The Green Party believes in working through the system to reform and make changes and agreements. The Socialist Party wants to completely smash the system.
Q. What issue is more important to you: the environment or radical democracy?
A. Those issues are one in the same. Capitalism happens when people are profit driven; the people in charge don’t care about consequences because they aren’t affected like the communities are since they are farther away. If the people in the community had control they are less likely to pollute because it is their home..."
Read More
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Socialist Party is Only Party, Besides Republicans and Democrats, to File for Guam Advisory Presidential Vote
25 September 2016
By Richard Winger
Ballot Access News
Starting in 1980, Guam has voted for President in November, even though Guam has no electoral votes. The Guam Election Commission always prints the Democratic and Republican national tickets on its November ballot automatically. It also puts other tickets on the ballot, simply by request. This year, the only third ticket is the Socialist Party’s ticket. See the Guam ballot here. The presidential part is near the bottom. The Socialist Party presidential candidate’s name is Emidio Soltysik, but the ballot omits the “i” in his surname...
Read More
By Richard Winger
Ballot Access News
Starting in 1980, Guam has voted for President in November, even though Guam has no electoral votes. The Guam Election Commission always prints the Democratic and Republican national tickets on its November ballot automatically. It also puts other tickets on the ballot, simply by request. This year, the only third ticket is the Socialist Party’s ticket. See the Guam ballot here. The presidential part is near the bottom. The Socialist Party presidential candidate’s name is Emidio Soltysik, but the ballot omits the “i” in his surname...
Read More
Saturday, September 24, 2016
You have other choices for president
24 September 2016
By Ken Herman
Austin American-Statesman
"These are the certified Texas write-in candidates. Please note that Travis County voting machines use spin-and-spell for entering write-in votes. You spin the wheel to pick the letters to spell the name. So these really are spin-in votes, not write-in votes....
Next, let’s meet Emidio (Mimi) Soltysik of Los Angeles, the political activist nominee of the Socialist Party USA. Soltysik’s party says it stands for “the abolition of every form of domination and exploitation, whether based on social class, gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, sexual orientation or other characteristics.” If you’re for that, vote Soltysik, if you can spin it on the ballot wheel...."
Read More
By Ken Herman
Austin American-Statesman
"These are the certified Texas write-in candidates. Please note that Travis County voting machines use spin-and-spell for entering write-in votes. You spin the wheel to pick the letters to spell the name. So these really are spin-in votes, not write-in votes....
Next, let’s meet Emidio (Mimi) Soltysik of Los Angeles, the political activist nominee of the Socialist Party USA. Soltysik’s party says it stands for “the abolition of every form of domination and exploitation, whether based on social class, gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, sexual orientation or other characteristics.” If you’re for that, vote Soltysik, if you can spin it on the ballot wheel...."
Read More
Saturday, September 17, 2016
MCC hosts “minor party presidential candidate” forum
17 September 2016
By By Paul Rozycki
East Village Magazine
Can’t deal with Trump?
Not sure if you can trust Hillary?
Well, there are lots of other choices out there.
That was the point of the “Off the Beaten Path to the White House Presidential Candidate Forum” held at Mott Community College Sept. 15.
The event was sponsored by MCC’s political science department and broadcast as part of Tom Sumner’s radio program on WFOV 92.1 LPFM.
The forum grew out of Sumner’s “Off the Beaten Path” weekly radio interviews with independent and third party candidates over the last year. Associate producer Andrea Sutton led the effort to contact the candidates and arrange for their appearance on the program and the forum.
The event brought together a diverse field of eight independent and minor party candidates. Attending the forum were independent candidates John Fitzgerald Johnson from New York, Dr. Lynn Kahn from Maryland and New York, Lloyd Kelso from North Carolina, Scott Smith from Colorado and Terry Wheelock from Texas. They were joined by Robert Dionisio of the United Party USA (unitedpartyusa.org) from Washington, D.C., Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik of the Socialist Party USA from California, and Jerry White of the Socialist Equality Party from Michigan....
Read More
By By Paul Rozycki
East Village Magazine
Can’t deal with Trump?
Not sure if you can trust Hillary?
Well, there are lots of other choices out there.
That was the point of the “Off the Beaten Path to the White House Presidential Candidate Forum” held at Mott Community College Sept. 15.
The event was sponsored by MCC’s political science department and broadcast as part of Tom Sumner’s radio program on WFOV 92.1 LPFM.
The forum grew out of Sumner’s “Off the Beaten Path” weekly radio interviews with independent and third party candidates over the last year. Associate producer Andrea Sutton led the effort to contact the candidates and arrange for their appearance on the program and the forum.
The event brought together a diverse field of eight independent and minor party candidates. Attending the forum were independent candidates John Fitzgerald Johnson from New York, Dr. Lynn Kahn from Maryland and New York, Lloyd Kelso from North Carolina, Scott Smith from Colorado and Terry Wheelock from Texas. They were joined by Robert Dionisio of the United Party USA (unitedpartyusa.org) from Washington, D.C., Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik of the Socialist Party USA from California, and Jerry White of the Socialist Equality Party from Michigan....
Read More
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Socialist presidential candidate Soltysik hosts unusual 'rally' in Ann Arbor
15 September 2016
By Martin Slagter
MLive
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik was candid in explaining that his presidential candidacy was less about putting himself out in front than giving his supporters a voice while building community as the Socialist Party nominee.
To back that claim up, Soltysik attempted to build community among the approximately 20 people in attendance at his public speaking session on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the University of Michigan's Mason Hall by getting to know his audience and supporters better.
"As opposed to (Vice Presidential candidate) Angela (Nicole Walker) and I being the folks always front and center, we let people throughout the country tell their stories – folks who have been involved in organizing work, folks who are doing community work," he said. "They tell their stories, they share their hopes and fears, and we share that information and put that front and center."
Soltysik, a longtime political activist who is the first Socialist Party presidential candidate named on Michigan's ballot since 2004, made a concerted effort to listen to his audience, opening the evening by asking everyone in attendance to name a book that changed their life. Later in the evening he asked each audience member to explain what community meant to them and to provide their definition of revolutionary activity...
Read More
By Martin Slagter
MLive
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik was candid in explaining that his presidential candidacy was less about putting himself out in front than giving his supporters a voice while building community as the Socialist Party nominee.
To back that claim up, Soltysik attempted to build community among the approximately 20 people in attendance at his public speaking session on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the University of Michigan's Mason Hall by getting to know his audience and supporters better.
"As opposed to (Vice Presidential candidate) Angela (Nicole Walker) and I being the folks always front and center, we let people throughout the country tell their stories – folks who have been involved in organizing work, folks who are doing community work," he said. "They tell their stories, they share their hopes and fears, and we share that information and put that front and center."
Soltysik, a longtime political activist who is the first Socialist Party presidential candidate named on Michigan's ballot since 2004, made a concerted effort to listen to his audience, opening the evening by asking everyone in attendance to name a book that changed their life. Later in the evening he asked each audience member to explain what community meant to them and to provide their definition of revolutionary activity...
Read More
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Socialist presidential candidate's main message isn't "vote for me."
14 September 2016
By Tracy Samilton
Michigan Radio
"Emidio 'Mimi' Soltysik says his run for president under the banner of the Socialist Party USA banner is more of an organizing project than a traditional campaign.
Soltysik described that project to a group of about 20 people at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Wednesday night. With his calm and gentle demeanor, the former musician comes across more as a guru of socialism than a fiery revolutionary.
The purpose of his campaign is to get people "plugged in" to their communities, he says, not get the most votes possible...."
Read More
By Tracy Samilton
Michigan Radio
"Emidio 'Mimi' Soltysik says his run for president under the banner of the Socialist Party USA banner is more of an organizing project than a traditional campaign.
Soltysik described that project to a group of about 20 people at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Wednesday night. With his calm and gentle demeanor, the former musician comes across more as a guru of socialism than a fiery revolutionary.
The purpose of his campaign is to get people "plugged in" to their communities, he says, not get the most votes possible...."
Read More
Quiz: See which third-party presidential candidate agrees with you
14 September 2016
By Emily Lawler
MLive
"Think legalizing marijuana is the way to go? Then maybe Gary Johnson is your candidate. Are you anti-capitalist and ready for a revolution? Perhaps your vote is for Mimi Soltysik.
But how do you know for sure which third party candidate is right for you? We've got you covered, take our (non-scientific) quiz below to see which candidate aligns most with your beliefs..."
Read More
By Emily Lawler
MLive
"Think legalizing marijuana is the way to go? Then maybe Gary Johnson is your candidate. Are you anti-capitalist and ready for a revolution? Perhaps your vote is for Mimi Soltysik.
But how do you know for sure which third party candidate is right for you? We've got you covered, take our (non-scientific) quiz below to see which candidate aligns most with your beliefs..."
Read More
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Socialist Party presidential candidate Mimi Soltysik to appear in Ann Arbor, Flint
13 September 2016
By Lauren Gibbons
MLive
"Socialist Party presidential candidate Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik will make two public appearances in Michigan this week, stopping in Ann Arbor and Flint to discuss his platform and take questions.
Soltysik will first stop in Ann Arbor Sept. 14 for a 6 p.m. public speaking session at the University of Michigan's Mason Hall in Room 3356, where he is expected to speak and take questions, according to an announcement from his campaign.
He will also attend a Sept. 15 candidate forum for independent and third party candidates at the Mott Community College Event Center in Flint, which will run from 3 to 6 p.m. with doors open at 2 p.m.
Both events are open to the public.
Soltysik, a longtime political activist and Socialist Party leader, will be the first Socialist Party presidential candidate named on Michigan's ballot since 2004. Socialist Party candidates in 2008 and 2012 ran write-in campaigns in Michigan.
He and running mate Angela Nicole Walker were nominated to the Socialist Party presidential ticket at the party convention in October 2015, and Soltysik will appear on the Michigan ballot as the Natural Law Party presidential candidate.
With his stops in Ann Arbor and Flint, Soltysik will be the latest of three third party candidates to schedule public appearances in Michigan...."
Read More
Friday, September 9, 2016
Your vote will count, no matter the candidate for whom you vote
9 September 2016
By John Schlembach
Victoria Advocate (TX)
"The good news is that there are more than two candidates. Beyond Clinton, Johnson, Stein and Trump are many others. Texas has a covey of write-in candidates that will be available to all citizens who choose to vote. Even if they do not win, your vote will be counted. I personally led the drive to have Emidio Soltysik, the candidate for Socialist Party USA, placed there. I've also convinced a few people to vote for the socialist party's presidential ticket.
This cycle can be seen as a referendum not just on the toxic status quo, but the parties and people complicit in bringing us to this point, to soaring inequality, poverty, unemployment, hunger and diminishing educational returns. A break must be made from a system that is built upon the fundamental contradiction between labor and capital, between the social nature of production and the private nature of profits...."
Read More
By John Schlembach
Victoria Advocate (TX)
"The good news is that there are more than two candidates. Beyond Clinton, Johnson, Stein and Trump are many others. Texas has a covey of write-in candidates that will be available to all citizens who choose to vote. Even if they do not win, your vote will be counted. I personally led the drive to have Emidio Soltysik, the candidate for Socialist Party USA, placed there. I've also convinced a few people to vote for the socialist party's presidential ticket.
This cycle can be seen as a referendum not just on the toxic status quo, but the parties and people complicit in bringing us to this point, to soaring inequality, poverty, unemployment, hunger and diminishing educational returns. A break must be made from a system that is built upon the fundamental contradiction between labor and capital, between the social nature of production and the private nature of profits...."
Read More
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Lo strano candidato Soltysik
4 September 2016
By Riccardo Ferraris
RSI News
"Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik, dopo le elezioni primarie del partito, è stato nominato lo scorso anno il candidato ufficiale del Partito Socialista Americano, un movimento che mette insieme gruppi di volontari da tutto il Paese. I punti chiave della sua campagna sono l'aumento del salario minimo garantito e la fine dello sforzo bellico americano. Niente consulenti d'immagine, agenti della sicurezza o social media manager: Soltysik porta avanti la campagna dal suo appartamento di Los Angeles, la moglie lo aiuta a cercare nuovi contatti sul web, mentre Mimi accoglie personalmente i giornalisti preparando il caffe' e offrendo ciambelle . Anche questo e' uno dei tanti volti dell'America che si prepara alle elezioni del prossimo Novembre."
Read More
By Riccardo Ferraris
RSI News
"Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik, dopo le elezioni primarie del partito, è stato nominato lo scorso anno il candidato ufficiale del Partito Socialista Americano, un movimento che mette insieme gruppi di volontari da tutto il Paese. I punti chiave della sua campagna sono l'aumento del salario minimo garantito e la fine dello sforzo bellico americano. Niente consulenti d'immagine, agenti della sicurezza o social media manager: Soltysik porta avanti la campagna dal suo appartamento di Los Angeles, la moglie lo aiuta a cercare nuovi contatti sul web, mentre Mimi accoglie personalmente i giornalisti preparando il caffe' e offrendo ciambelle . Anche questo e' uno dei tanti volti dell'America che si prepara alle elezioni del prossimo Novembre."
Read More
Friday, September 2, 2016
Environment and Capitalism
2 September 2016
A Statement by 2016 SP State House Candidate Michael Anderson (MI-70th District)
A Statement by 2016 SP State House Candidate Michael Anderson (MI-70th District)
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
'None of the above' running for president in Indiana
23 August 2016
By Maureen Hayden
Daily News (Greensburg, IN)
"A restrictive ballot-access law reserves that designation for a select few: the Republican in the race, the Democrat and the Libertarian (Gary Johnson) -- whose party earned a qualifying 2 percent of the vote in past elections.For Roberts to win any votes, Hoosiers will have to go to the polls with his name in mind and write it onto their ballots.Jill Stein, the Green Party’s presidential nominee, is in the same write-in boat.
So, too, is Emidio Soltysik, candidate for the Socialist Party USA. His party’s early 20th century standard bearer, Indiana-born Eugene Debs, appeared on presidential ballot here five times...."
Read More
By Maureen Hayden
Daily News (Greensburg, IN)
"A restrictive ballot-access law reserves that designation for a select few: the Republican in the race, the Democrat and the Libertarian (Gary Johnson) -- whose party earned a qualifying 2 percent of the vote in past elections.For Roberts to win any votes, Hoosiers will have to go to the polls with his name in mind and write it onto their ballots.Jill Stein, the Green Party’s presidential nominee, is in the same write-in boat.
So, too, is Emidio Soltysik, candidate for the Socialist Party USA. His party’s early 20th century standard bearer, Indiana-born Eugene Debs, appeared on presidential ballot here five times...."
Read More
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Socialist Party Presidential Ticket Will Be on MI Ballot
The Presidential Ticket Will Also Be Joined by Socialist Party State House Candidate Michael Anderson (70th district)
For Immediate Release
August 7, 2016
Official Presidential Campaign Website: www.rev16.us
LANSING – The 2016 Socialist Party USA presidential campaign of Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik and vice presidential running mate Angela Nicole Walker will be included among the six presidential tickets appearing on Michigan’s ballot this November. The ticket was officially added to the Michigan Secretary of State’s November general candidate listing this week, along with a clickable hyperlink to its campaign website (rev16.us).
Due to the Socialist Party’s longstanding exclusion from direct access to the Michigan ballot, its Michigan state party branch has, for the past two decades, relied on qualifying its nominees through combinations of independent candidate petitions, dual party nominations, and write-in campaigns. Accordingly, the Soltysik / Walker ticket will be ballot-listed with the label of Michigan’s Natural Law Party, which has independently retained its state ballot status since its national affiliate’s 2004 disbandment.
The 2016 election will be the first to include the Socialist Party’s presidential nominees on Michigan’s ballot since 2004. In the last two presidential elections of 2012 and 2008, the Socialist Party’s ticket was limited to certified write-in status in this state, amid the Michigan NLP’s nominations having then gone to the independent campaigns headed respectively by Rocky Anderson and Ralph Nader.
Citing recent national poll findings that two-thirds of U.S. voters want “radical change,” Socialist Party of Michigan State Chair Matt Erard noted that the Soltysik / Walker ticket represents the only presidential campaign confronting the capitalist system as the root social force driving ever-expanding inequality, political plutocracy, environmental devastation, police and foreign-policy aggression, debt strangulation, and austerity. Uprooting capitalism, he contends, depends most critically on the working class asserting its political independence.
“The Democratic Party is this nation’s premier apparatus for restraining working people from fighting back in the class struggle.” Erard said. “If the choice must be between ‘wasting one’s vote’ or perpetuating the corporate oligarchy, which is the real lesser evil?”
In reference to the victory of nominal ‘socialist’ Bernie Sanders in Michigan’s presidential primary, Erard noted that every Michigan voter who sought to cast her vote against the Wall Street overclass last March is now assured a choice for political expression in November. At the same time, he argued that Sanders’ recent realignment of his ‘political revolution’ behind the neoliberal banner is a direct reflection of the Democratic Party’s essential class character.
The Socialist Party’s presidential ticket will also be joined on Michigan’s November ballot by Socialist Party State House candidate Michael Anderson (www.anderson2016.spmichigan.org), who will be challenging Republican Jim Lower and Democrat Ken Hart in the 70th district—covering portions of the central region counties of Montcalm and Gratiot. In contrast to the Socialist Party’s presidential nominees, Anderson’s name will be listed on the ballot with the label of Michigan’s Green Party.
The Socialist Party’s National Platform, as fully shared by its presidential and Michigan State House candidates, calls for a democratically planned economy, centered on worker- and community control of all major industrial firms and financial institutions, with production tailored to use and sustainability, rather than private profit. Other policy priorities include:
Contact:
Matt Erard
Chair, Socialist Party of Michigan
313.437.2865
mserard [at] gmail.com
Mimi Soltysik
SPUSA Presidential candidate
310.***.****
info [at] rev16.us
Angela Nicole Walker
SPUSA Vice Presidential Candidate
414.***.****
feistybutterfly19 [at] hotmail.com
Michael Anderson
SPMI State House Candidate
989.***.****
contactmichaelanderson [at] gmail.com
###
For Immediate Release
August 7, 2016
Official Presidential Campaign Website: www.rev16.us
LANSING – The 2016 Socialist Party USA presidential campaign of Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik and vice presidential running mate Angela Nicole Walker will be included among the six presidential tickets appearing on Michigan’s ballot this November. The ticket was officially added to the Michigan Secretary of State’s November general candidate listing this week, along with a clickable hyperlink to its campaign website (rev16.us).
Due to the Socialist Party’s longstanding exclusion from direct access to the Michigan ballot, its Michigan state party branch has, for the past two decades, relied on qualifying its nominees through combinations of independent candidate petitions, dual party nominations, and write-in campaigns. Accordingly, the Soltysik / Walker ticket will be ballot-listed with the label of Michigan’s Natural Law Party, which has independently retained its state ballot status since its national affiliate’s 2004 disbandment.
The 2016 election will be the first to include the Socialist Party’s presidential nominees on Michigan’s ballot since 2004. In the last two presidential elections of 2012 and 2008, the Socialist Party’s ticket was limited to certified write-in status in this state, amid the Michigan NLP’s nominations having then gone to the independent campaigns headed respectively by Rocky Anderson and Ralph Nader.
Citing recent national poll findings that two-thirds of U.S. voters want “radical change,” Socialist Party of Michigan State Chair Matt Erard noted that the Soltysik / Walker ticket represents the only presidential campaign confronting the capitalist system as the root social force driving ever-expanding inequality, political plutocracy, environmental devastation, police and foreign-policy aggression, debt strangulation, and austerity. Uprooting capitalism, he contends, depends most critically on the working class asserting its political independence.
“The Democratic Party is this nation’s premier apparatus for restraining working people from fighting back in the class struggle.” Erard said. “If the choice must be between ‘wasting one’s vote’ or perpetuating the corporate oligarchy, which is the real lesser evil?”
In reference to the victory of nominal ‘socialist’ Bernie Sanders in Michigan’s presidential primary, Erard noted that every Michigan voter who sought to cast her vote against the Wall Street overclass last March is now assured a choice for political expression in November. At the same time, he argued that Sanders’ recent realignment of his ‘political revolution’ behind the neoliberal banner is a direct reflection of the Democratic Party’s essential class character.
The Socialist Party’s presidential ticket will also be joined on Michigan’s November ballot by Socialist Party State House candidate Michael Anderson (www.anderson2016.spmichigan.org), who will be challenging Republican Jim Lower and Democrat Ken Hart in the 70th district—covering portions of the central region counties of Montcalm and Gratiot. In contrast to the Socialist Party’s presidential nominees, Anderson’s name will be listed on the ballot with the label of Michigan’s Green Party.
The Socialist Party’s National Platform, as fully shared by its presidential and Michigan State House candidates, calls for a democratically planned economy, centered on worker- and community control of all major industrial firms and financial institutions, with production tailored to use and sustainability, rather than private profit. Other policy priorities include:
- An immediate 50% in the U.S. military budget, followed by further rapid cuts to less than 10% of its current funding level; Withdrawal of all U.S. troops stationed overseas and closure of all overseas bases; Abolition of the CIA; Prohibition on the manufacturing and use of weaponized and surveillance drones; Withdrawal from NATO; Support for a constitutional amendment requiring a binding vote of the people on all issues of war and military intervention; Cessation of all U.S. aid to Israel; Elimination of all U.S. military aid and arms sales; Forgiveness of all Third World debt; Withdrawal from the IMF, World Bank, WTO, and NAFTA.
- A maximum wage of ten times the minimum wage; Comprehensive single-payer health care for all; Tuition-free college/university education; Forgiveness of all outstanding student loan debt; Full-funding for quality childcare facilities; A 30-hour work week with no loss of pay or benefits, and six weeks annual paid vacation; 16-months paid new-parent leave; A steeply graduated income and estate tax and abolition of regressive payroll taxes; Right of retirement at age 55 with minimum 25k/yr benefits; Rent control for all existing rental units; A sliding-scale utility-fees index to ensure affordable access; A national moratorium on home foreclosures, Automatic union recognition based on card-check; Elimination of all anti-labor legislation, including restrictions on public-sector strikes, hot cargo agreements, and secondary strikes and boycotts.
- Publically elected and fully-empowered police oversight councils, and structural overhaul of the contemporary police force model; Decriminalization of drug-use, and amnesty for all non-violent offenders; Abolition of for-profit prisons; Abrogation of all three strikes laws; A moratorium on new prison construction; Demilitarization of U.S. borders; Full-citizenship rights upon demonstrating six-months residency; Abolition of the NSA, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security; Repeal of the USA PATRIOT and Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty acts.
- Free abortion on demand; A federal ban on all forms of job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity; Vigorous affirmative action programs; Federal reparations for slavery, and for genocide of Native American populations; Abolition of the death penalty; Publicly financed elections; Free and equal access to mass media for all candidates; Uniform ballot-access laws for all states.
- Public ownership of all natural resources and energy plants; Strict carbon emission limits, and ratification of the Kyoto Protocol; Development of solar, geothermal, wind, hydropower, and biomass energy sources; Phasing out of all nuclear plants and waste incinerators; Elimination of open-pit mining, Protection of minority communities from targeting for harmful waste disposal sites and operations.
Contact:
Matt Erard
Chair, Socialist Party of Michigan
313.437.2865
mserard [at] gmail.com
Mimi Soltysik
SPUSA Presidential candidate
310.***.****
info [at] rev16.us
Angela Nicole Walker
SPUSA Vice Presidential Candidate
414.***.****
feistybutterfly19 [at] hotmail.com
Michael Anderson
SPMI State House Candidate
989.***.****
contactmichaelanderson [at] gmail.com
###
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
A little more to the Left, America
12 July 2016
By Gabe Carroll
The Hindu
When Bernie Sanders stormed on to the 2016 presidential campaign stage, many branded him as “too socialist”. However, for his rivals further to the left, the Vermont Senator is not the right person to be carrying the banner of democratic socialism. For them, his views are hardly socialist, compared to the political revolution with which they hope to end capitalism in the United States. Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik and Angela Walker are running for President on the Socialist Party USA ticket. Their platform is openly radical, if not revolutionary, and their objective isn’t votes but visibility. The campaign is crowd-funded, and because neither candidate is a full-time politician many campaign appearances are made via Skype. They will only appear on the ballot in a handful of states while having write-in status everywhere else.
By Gabe Carroll
The Hindu
When Bernie Sanders stormed on to the 2016 presidential campaign stage, many branded him as “too socialist”. However, for his rivals further to the left, the Vermont Senator is not the right person to be carrying the banner of democratic socialism. For them, his views are hardly socialist, compared to the political revolution with which they hope to end capitalism in the United States. Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik and Angela Walker are running for President on the Socialist Party USA ticket. Their platform is openly radical, if not revolutionary, and their objective isn’t votes but visibility. The campaign is crowd-funded, and because neither candidate is a full-time politician many campaign appearances are made via Skype. They will only appear on the ballot in a handful of states while having write-in status everywhere else.
“Obtaining ballot status for a third party, especially a revolutionary
party, is incredibly difficult,” says candidate Mimi Soltysik, 41.
“Ballot access laws are quite prohibitive.” With his June web-address to
supporters Sanders began re-tooling his campaign to encourage a
tactical vote for Sen. Clinton to beat Trump, without giving a formal
endorsement. Sanders is continuing his campaign by pushing strongly —
and successfully — for a more radical platform within the Democratic
Party. Soltysik and Walker on the other hand are pushing forward with
their campaign outside the two major parties, running for President
while talking about revolution, and insisting that elections alone are
not the answer.
According to Walker and Soltysik, their campaign is about giving
expression and a platform to the struggles of everyday people, not to
themselves as individuals. The mainstream candidates, including Sanders,
campaign with the benefit of Secret Service details, and speak to
crowds of thousands. Soltysik, a community organiser, and Walker, a bus
driver who is also a mother and grandmother, work their day jobs and
campaign in their free time, speaking to small groups of supporters in
leftist spaces and in live web addresses, and organising social events
in restaurants and supporters’ houses....
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Demonstrators take to L.A. streets to rally against shootings by police
09 July 2016
By Kate Mather, Anh Do
The Los Angeles Times
"We have to keep the message going and not have the narrative change by things like what happened in Dallas," said Kerry Koerbling, who drove to downtown L.A. from Thousand Oaks, where he's a member of the Ventura County branch of the Socialist Party USA.
His friend, Mimi Soltysik, presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA, said he is proud that across the country, demonstrators have stayed calm, showing the world what they stand for.
"I think if there's fear and unrest, it would come from law enforcement. Why? Their record speaks for itself. The fact that a lot of protests have been peaceful is a real testament to the people..."
Read More
By Kate Mather, Anh Do
The Los Angeles Times
"We have to keep the message going and not have the narrative change by things like what happened in Dallas," said Kerry Koerbling, who drove to downtown L.A. from Thousand Oaks, where he's a member of the Ventura County branch of the Socialist Party USA.
His friend, Mimi Soltysik, presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA, said he is proud that across the country, demonstrators have stayed calm, showing the world what they stand for.
"I think if there's fear and unrest, it would come from law enforcement. Why? Their record speaks for itself. The fact that a lot of protests have been peaceful is a real testament to the people..."
Read More
Saturday, June 25, 2016
A look back at U.S.'s radical Left
25 June 2016
By Gabe Carroll
The Hindu
"The SPA’s political heritage can be seen today in two organisations: the
Democratic Socialists of America and the Socialist Party USA. The DSA,
which is the larger of the two at roughly 5,000 members, supports Mr.
Sanders while the smaller and arguably more radical SPUSA has refused
to, running its own candidate, California community organiser Emidio
“Mimi” Soltysik.
Mr. Soltysik and the SPUSA argue that Mr. Sanders is not really a
socialist, and criticise his positions on foreign policy and the Middle
East, on Israel in particular.
“We are explicitly socialist, as in ‘worker control of the means of production’,” says Mr. Soltysik.
“Sanders seems to advocate for social democracy/progressive Democrat
policy. He also has a terrible foreign policy record. Those aren't
inconsequential differences.”"
Monday, June 20, 2016
Saying No to Clinton and Trump? See the K-12 Positions of Other Candidates
20 June 2016
By Andrew Ujifusa
Education Week
"The Socialist Party USA's nominee for president, Soltysik lists the party's education platform on his website. Some of the platform's general themes jibe with Stein's when it comes to K-12. Soltysik's platform includes the following points:
By Andrew Ujifusa
Education Week
"The Socialist Party USA's nominee for president, Soltysik lists the party's education platform on his website. Some of the platform's general themes jibe with Stein's when it comes to K-12. Soltysik's platform includes the following points:
- "We oppose merit pay for teachers, standardized testing, competition between schools within the same district, the sale of on-campus advertising in order to raise funds, and the increasing dependence of post-secondary institutions on corporate funding."
- "We call for an egalitarian educational system with teaching methods that accommodate the wide range of teaching and learning styles, and that provides all students with the means to obtain the post-secondary education they desire. We call [for] a maximum of 15 students per teacher for grades K-12, and a maximum of 50 students per teacher at the post-secondary level."
- "We support student, parent, and teacher control of curriculum formation, and in the hiring and dismissal procedures of school personnel, through the formation of local school/community committees.""
Sunday, June 12, 2016
SP Presidential Campaign Profiled on Univision (Video and Article)
12 June 2016
The U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network, Univision, has produced a a video interview with SP presidential candidate Mimi Soltysik, as well as an extensive article on the campaign. Both can be accessed by clicking here.
The U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network, Univision, has produced a a video interview with SP presidential candidate Mimi Soltysik, as well as an extensive article on the campaign. Both can be accessed by clicking here.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Socialist Presidential Candidate: Bernie Sanders Is No Socialist!
27 May 2016
790 KABC (Los Angeles)
Democratic
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is often labeled “socialist” by
his detractors on the Right, but the Socialist Party USA’s standard
bearer says that’s a stretch.
“I think
what Bernie Sanders advocates is more of a social democracy,” says
Socialist Party USA presidential candidate Mimi Soltysik.
“It’s sort of an expanded welfare state; a stronger social safety
net. He’s not really talking about a socialist program. He’s kind of a
New Deal Democrat. As socialists, what we advocate for is worker control
of, worker ownership of the means of production. Bernie Sanders also
has a strong history of support for the military (and) imperialism and
we certainly don’t see that as part of any responsible socialist
program.”
Soltysik
says other “socialist” countries such as Soviet Russia and the People’s
Republic of China have big militaries because they have historically
been surrounded by enemies. He also attributes the economic failure of
the socialist policies of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, in part, to the
hostility of the U.S. and other capitalist countries.
He says that unlike Sanders, the Socialist Party USA wants to do away with the U.S. military establishment.
“If we were
in control in some sort of fairy tale situation where we were actually
in office, we’d instantly cut the U.S.’s military budget by 50 percent
with an overall goal of cutting it by 90 percent.”
Soltysik
says the world is tired of being bullied by the U.S. and that other
countries would respond favorably if the U.S. would abandon its
militaristic behavior.
“Historically
when another country sits on resources that the U.S. wants, if that
country says to the U.S. and the West, ‘You can’t have our resources,’
we’ll either attack directly through the military or we’ll topple the
government and install somebody who’s going to allow us to do what we
want. We’ve seen this in 1953 with Iran’s (Prime Minister) Mossadegh,
(President Salvator) Allende in Chile, (Congo Prime Minister Patrice)
Lumumba…”
Thursday, May 26, 2016
10 People You Can Vote for In 2016 Not Named Donald Trump Or Hillary Clinton
26 May 2016
By The Anti-Media
MintPress News
"Mimi and Angela are cool enough that I’ll let them speak for themselves:
“We don’t advocate for reforming capitalism. We actually advocate for the overthrow of capitalism. This is a revolutionary move.”
Elucidating their position more clearly, Mimi states:
“Honesty, integrity, love, compassion, and a revolutionary spirit will carry us through the struggle. We’re going to stand in solidarity with each other as we face capitalism, prepared to destroy its incredible oppression and destruction. We learn and grow from each setback. Our determination in the face of incredible odds is fierce. Together, we can not be defeated.”
Mimi and Angela’s critique of Bernie Sanders is a trenchant one: Bernie supports the drone program. That is unacceptable to many."
Read More
By The Anti-Media
MintPress News
"Mimi and Angela are cool enough that I’ll let them speak for themselves:
“We don’t advocate for reforming capitalism. We actually advocate for the overthrow of capitalism. This is a revolutionary move.”
Elucidating their position more clearly, Mimi states:
“Honesty, integrity, love, compassion, and a revolutionary spirit will carry us through the struggle. We’re going to stand in solidarity with each other as we face capitalism, prepared to destroy its incredible oppression and destruction. We learn and grow from each setback. Our determination in the face of incredible odds is fierce. Together, we can not be defeated.”
Mimi and Angela’s critique of Bernie Sanders is a trenchant one: Bernie supports the drone program. That is unacceptable to many."
Read More
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Bernie Sanders is a socialist? Some on the far left say sellout is more like it
25 May 2016
By Evan Halper
Los Angeles Times
"Not every leftist is enamored with Bernie Sanders. Some see him as a sellout.
“He has had a long history of support for war,” said Soltysik, who is running for president under the banner of the Socialist Party USA. “And he has also had a healthy support for Israel, which we tend to see as an apartheid state. Some things he has done and advocated for are completely incompatible with a responsible socialist program.”
Sanders may have burst into the country's consciousness over the last year as the unlikely socialist presidential candidate, but some on the far left still find he has too much in common with Clinton, the establishment favorite. Yet even the absolutists like Soltysik, who envisions a collectivist state in which there is no private ownership, no military and no centralized police force, are scurrying to seize the momentum Sanders has built around the idea of a political revolution before he closes ranks with Democrats.
“This is such a critical moment for the U.S. left,” Soltysik said as he leaned forward in a threadbare, leopard-print chair that sat in the middle of an apartment cluttered with alt-rock memorabilia and cat toys. “I don't mean the Democratic Party left. I mean the left. He has opened the door for the country to hear from radical-slash-revolutionary perspectives....”"
Read More
By Evan Halper
Los Angeles Times
"Not every leftist is enamored with Bernie Sanders. Some see him as a sellout.
“He has had a long history of support for war,” said Soltysik, who is running for president under the banner of the Socialist Party USA. “And he has also had a healthy support for Israel, which we tend to see as an apartheid state. Some things he has done and advocated for are completely incompatible with a responsible socialist program.”
Sanders may have burst into the country's consciousness over the last year as the unlikely socialist presidential candidate, but some on the far left still find he has too much in common with Clinton, the establishment favorite. Yet even the absolutists like Soltysik, who envisions a collectivist state in which there is no private ownership, no military and no centralized police force, are scurrying to seize the momentum Sanders has built around the idea of a political revolution before he closes ranks with Democrats.
“This is such a critical moment for the U.S. left,” Soltysik said as he leaned forward in a threadbare, leopard-print chair that sat in the middle of an apartment cluttered with alt-rock memorabilia and cat toys. “I don't mean the Democratic Party left. I mean the left. He has opened the door for the country to hear from radical-slash-revolutionary perspectives....”"
Read More
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
INTERVIEW: Mimi Soltysik of the Socialist Party USA
18 May 2016
EoinHiggins.Com
As the primary season gets under way in the 2016 Presidential election, the nation’s political focus is squarely on candidates from the two main parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.
Both parties have had a tumultuous time of it already. It’s a year for outsiders. On the Republican side, billionaire Donald Trump, whose outrageous ethno-nationalism has won him a devout following in the country’s right wing, is the party’s presumptive nominee.
The Democrats are facing the possibility of an upset from surging independent Bernie Sanders. Sanders, a nominal socialist from Vermont, has upended what was supposed to be a smooth nomination/coronation for Hillary Clinton.
With all the excitement, it’s easy to forget that there are other candidates in the race for the presidency, outside of the two major parties. I am proud to feature a conversation with Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik, the Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA. Soltysik is running for president alongside activist and organizer Angela Nicole Walker.
Read More
EoinHiggins.Com
As the primary season gets under way in the 2016 Presidential election, the nation’s political focus is squarely on candidates from the two main parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.
Both parties have had a tumultuous time of it already. It’s a year for outsiders. On the Republican side, billionaire Donald Trump, whose outrageous ethno-nationalism has won him a devout following in the country’s right wing, is the party’s presumptive nominee.
The Democrats are facing the possibility of an upset from surging independent Bernie Sanders. Sanders, a nominal socialist from Vermont, has upended what was supposed to be a smooth nomination/coronation for Hillary Clinton.
With all the excitement, it’s easy to forget that there are other candidates in the race for the presidency, outside of the two major parties. I am proud to feature a conversation with Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik, the Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA. Soltysik is running for president alongside activist and organizer Angela Nicole Walker.
Read More
Monday, May 9, 2016
As a Leftist, I Will Not Be Supporting Hillary Clinton for President
09 May 2016
By Dan Arel
The Huffington Post
"So this leaves his supporters with very few choices. They can join #Movement4Bernie and urge Sanders to run as an independent, something he has made clear he won’t do. They can abstain from voting or write Sanders in (the same as not voting). They can support a third-party candidate like the Green Party’s Jill Stein or Socialist Party USA’s Mimi Soltysik. Or, they can do what Sanders is doing and vote for Hillary Clinton.
By Dan Arel
The Huffington Post
"So this leaves his supporters with very few choices. They can join #Movement4Bernie and urge Sanders to run as an independent, something he has made clear he won’t do. They can abstain from voting or write Sanders in (the same as not voting). They can support a third-party candidate like the Green Party’s Jill Stein or Socialist Party USA’s Mimi Soltysik. Or, they can do what Sanders is doing and vote for Hillary Clinton.
I have made the choice to not support Hillary Clinton. The reasons I supported Sanders are not because he was a Democrat and I don’t subscribe to the idea of “vote blue no matter who.” The who matters to me, and the what they will do matters even more..."
Read More
Friday, May 6, 2016
Socialists Plan to Use 2016 As Opportunity to Explain What Socialist Means
6 May 2016
By Jaimie Fuller
New York Magazine
"Socialist Party USA doesn’t think he is the ideal candidate — but its members do love that he loves the word socialist. The group’s co-chair, Mimi Soltysik, told Bloomberg, “I think having that word in the discourse — it can help sort of stimulate a positive response, as the stigma wears off. So let’s say hypothetically that Bernie Sanders doesn’t defeat Hillary Clinton in the primary. We’ll still have a lot more people who know what [the word socialism] means. That’s a positive.”"
Read More
By Jaimie Fuller
New York Magazine
"Socialist Party USA doesn’t think he is the ideal candidate — but its members do love that he loves the word socialist. The group’s co-chair, Mimi Soltysik, told Bloomberg, “I think having that word in the discourse — it can help sort of stimulate a positive response, as the stigma wears off. So let’s say hypothetically that Bernie Sanders doesn’t defeat Hillary Clinton in the primary. We’ll still have a lot more people who know what [the word socialism] means. That’s a positive.”"
Read More
Here Are Some People Americans Can Vote for Not Named Trump or Clinton
6 May 2016
By Harry Cheadle
Vice
"As profiled for VICE by Mike Pearl back in March, Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik is a former guitarist in a "stoner metal band called Pill Shovel" who is the Socialist Party's nominee. He admits he's going to lose the election, and he told Pearl, "In a very hypothetical fairytale situation where we won in this system—we'd have to fire ourselves on the first day... If we actually made it to that spot in this system, we would've have had to so thoroughly compromise who we are to get there, that we would've betrayed everyone." What's not to like?"
Read More
By Harry Cheadle
Vice
"As profiled for VICE by Mike Pearl back in March, Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik is a former guitarist in a "stoner metal band called Pill Shovel" who is the Socialist Party's nominee. He admits he's going to lose the election, and he told Pearl, "In a very hypothetical fairytale situation where we won in this system—we'd have to fire ourselves on the first day... If we actually made it to that spot in this system, we would've have had to so thoroughly compromise who we are to get there, that we would've betrayed everyone." What's not to like?"
Read More
Monday, April 18, 2016
The Socialist Case Against Bernie
18 April 2016
By Molly Ball
The Atlantic
"American socialists have never gotten far. Their heyday, insofar as they had one, was in the early 20th century, under the leadership of Eugene V. Debs—whose likeness hangs in Sanders’s Senate office. Debs’s fourth presidential run, in 1912, earned the Socialist Party of America 6 percent of the vote, still the high-water mark for a socialist candidacy; his successor, Norman Thomas, never came close to such popularity in his six presidential runs, and the party fell apart under the scrutiny of the Red Scare. In the 1970s, a few successor parties emerged, among them Socialist Party USA, whose 1976 nominee, the socialist former Milwaukee mayor, Frank Zeidler, got just over 6,000 votes. (While that party today claims to adhere to democratic socialism, it, too, finds Sanders insufficient: In the view of Mimi Soltysik, its 2016 nominee, Sanders’s rhetoric about the middle class is “bullshit.”)"
Read More
By Molly Ball
The Atlantic
"American socialists have never gotten far. Their heyday, insofar as they had one, was in the early 20th century, under the leadership of Eugene V. Debs—whose likeness hangs in Sanders’s Senate office. Debs’s fourth presidential run, in 1912, earned the Socialist Party of America 6 percent of the vote, still the high-water mark for a socialist candidacy; his successor, Norman Thomas, never came close to such popularity in his six presidential runs, and the party fell apart under the scrutiny of the Red Scare. In the 1970s, a few successor parties emerged, among them Socialist Party USA, whose 1976 nominee, the socialist former Milwaukee mayor, Frank Zeidler, got just over 6,000 votes. (While that party today claims to adhere to democratic socialism, it, too, finds Sanders insufficient: In the view of Mimi Soltysik, its 2016 nominee, Sanders’s rhetoric about the middle class is “bullshit.”)"
Read More
Monday, April 11, 2016
The New Red Scare: Are the Socialists Coming?
11 April 2016
By David Azerrad
The Weekly Standard
"Our socialists, led by Bernie Sanders, want to fill the gap and take care of everyone else. They are clamoring for European-style middle-class entitlements to provide all citizens "free" benefits like health care, day care, paid leave, and college.
Appealing as this may sound to liberals and the young, real socialists are not taken in by it. The Socialist Party USA's current presidential candidate, Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik, for one, is not on board the B-Train: "To me, Sanders sounds more like a progressive Democrat/social Democrat," Soltysik explained to the Socialist, the party's official publication. "I don't see him putting forth a socialist proposal. I'm not seeing him talk about workers owning the means of production."
Read More
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Mimi Soltysik, il candidato alle presidenziali Usa di cui non avete sentito parlare
È socialista ed ex punk, totalmente contro il sistema capitalistico. Non ha alcuna speranza contro Trump, Clinton o Sanders. Eppure ci prova lo stesso. Lo abbiamo intervistato
7 April 2016
By Andrea Indiano
Wired Magazine (Italian Edition)
Mimi socialista candidato presidente potrebbe essere benissimo il titolo di un film di Lina Wertmüller, se non fosse che a Emidio Soltysik, detto Mimi, manca l’accento sul soprannome e per di più è una persona vera. Nella corsa alle presidenziali americane 2016 che si concluderà il prossimo novembre non ci sono solo le sfuriate senza senso di Donald Trump e il duello democratico fra Hillary Clinton e Bernie Sanders. Gli Stati Uniti hanno un sistema politico di fatto bipartitico, ovvero ristretto solo agli appartenenti ai partiti democratico e conservatore.
Esistono però altri gruppi politici, che di solito sono fatti confluire nel termine “third party”. Quelli dei Verdi e dei Veterani sono i più famosi e gli unici che in passato sono riusciti a far eleggere un totale di due persone al Senato dagli anni ’90. Ci sono inoltre partiti ancora più piccoli, come quello dei Proibizionisti o dei Libertariani, che però hanno un seguito minimo e riescono a ottenere un po’ di attenzione solo nel periodo delle elezioni, grazie a candidati sopra le righe e fuori dall’estabilishment.
Fra questi rientra anche Mimi Soltysik, a capo del Partito socialista degli Stati Uniti, e molto diverso dal tipo di politico che siamo abituati a vedere in Italia. Soltysik abita in un piccolo appartamento di Los Angeles insieme alla moglie e a un gatto....
Read More
7 April 2016
By Andrea Indiano
Wired Magazine (Italian Edition)
Mimi socialista candidato presidente potrebbe essere benissimo il titolo di un film di Lina Wertmüller, se non fosse che a Emidio Soltysik, detto Mimi, manca l’accento sul soprannome e per di più è una persona vera. Nella corsa alle presidenziali americane 2016 che si concluderà il prossimo novembre non ci sono solo le sfuriate senza senso di Donald Trump e il duello democratico fra Hillary Clinton e Bernie Sanders. Gli Stati Uniti hanno un sistema politico di fatto bipartitico, ovvero ristretto solo agli appartenenti ai partiti democratico e conservatore.
Esistono però altri gruppi politici, che di solito sono fatti confluire nel termine “third party”. Quelli dei Verdi e dei Veterani sono i più famosi e gli unici che in passato sono riusciti a far eleggere un totale di due persone al Senato dagli anni ’90. Ci sono inoltre partiti ancora più piccoli, come quello dei Proibizionisti o dei Libertariani, che però hanno un seguito minimo e riescono a ottenere un po’ di attenzione solo nel periodo delle elezioni, grazie a candidati sopra le righe e fuori dall’estabilishment.
Fra questi rientra anche Mimi Soltysik, a capo del Partito socialista degli Stati Uniti, e molto diverso dal tipo di politico che siamo abituati a vedere in Italia. Soltysik abita in un piccolo appartamento di Los Angeles insieme alla moglie e a un gatto....
Read More
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Kelso, who? Meet 6 lesser-known candidates in the presidential race
30 March 2016
By Morgan Buckley
USA Today College
"The tattooed, T-shirt-wearing former national co-chair of the Socialist Party USA once called Bernie Sanders’ record “imperialist.”
“Bernie Sanders seems to advocate more of a social democracy,” Soltysik says. “It’s an expanded social safety net based upon the welfare state, maybe more like what we see in Scandinavia, whereas socialism starts with worker control over the means of production, community control and full democratic participation. They are very different things.”
Soltysik says capitalist societies simply can not foster true equality. And now, more than ever, he thinks change is imperative.
“With the science of climate change, we really don’t have time to spend on reforming capitalism or greening capitalism” Soltysik says. “The planet is literally telling us it cannot hold a capitalist society or economic system. Change has to happen now.”"
Read More
By Morgan Buckley
USA Today College
"The tattooed, T-shirt-wearing former national co-chair of the Socialist Party USA once called Bernie Sanders’ record “imperialist.”
“Bernie Sanders seems to advocate more of a social democracy,” Soltysik says. “It’s an expanded social safety net based upon the welfare state, maybe more like what we see in Scandinavia, whereas socialism starts with worker control over the means of production, community control and full democratic participation. They are very different things.”
Soltysik says capitalist societies simply can not foster true equality. And now, more than ever, he thinks change is imperative.
“With the science of climate change, we really don’t have time to spend on reforming capitalism or greening capitalism” Soltysik says. “The planet is literally telling us it cannot hold a capitalist society or economic system. Change has to happen now.”"
Read More
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Q & A with Angela Walker, Socialist Party USA candidate for Vice-President
27 March 2016
By Jim Brash
The North Star
TNS: First question, why were you chosen to be Mimi Soltysik’s running mate?
Mimi reached out to me about the campaign following my run for County Sheriff in Milwaukee. He said that he’d followed my campaign and really liked the fact that we took a very grassroots, people-centered approach. He felt that I would make a good running mate based on work I was involved in in Milwaukee, and the fact that I ran for sheriff unapologetically as a socialist.
TNS: Which public offices have you previously run for?
I ran for Milwaukee County Sheriff in 2014.
TNS: What did you accomplish by running?
I like to think that we reopened the discussion in Milwaukee about socialism, and how placing the needs of people at the center of the issues needed to be done, and could be done. We can demand, in very clear terms, the changes we want and agitate for those changes. People just need to be reminded of their power.
TNS: What would you like to accomplish with this current campaign?
I think we’d like to accomplish something similar with the presidential campaign. We want to remind people that they have power, and that worker ownership of their workplaces and communities makes as much sense now as it ever has. At a time when so many people have been victimized by deindustrialization, gentrification and institutional racism, we want people to be reminded that there really is another way to live. It’s not supposed to be this way, and people need to know that.
Read More
By Jim Brash
The North Star
TNS: First question, why were you chosen to be Mimi Soltysik’s running mate?
Mimi reached out to me about the campaign following my run for County Sheriff in Milwaukee. He said that he’d followed my campaign and really liked the fact that we took a very grassroots, people-centered approach. He felt that I would make a good running mate based on work I was involved in in Milwaukee, and the fact that I ran for sheriff unapologetically as a socialist.
TNS: Which public offices have you previously run for?
I ran for Milwaukee County Sheriff in 2014.
TNS: What did you accomplish by running?
I like to think that we reopened the discussion in Milwaukee about socialism, and how placing the needs of people at the center of the issues needed to be done, and could be done. We can demand, in very clear terms, the changes we want and agitate for those changes. People just need to be reminded of their power.
TNS: What would you like to accomplish with this current campaign?
I think we’d like to accomplish something similar with the presidential campaign. We want to remind people that they have power, and that worker ownership of their workplaces and communities makes as much sense now as it ever has. At a time when so many people have been victimized by deindustrialization, gentrification and institutional racism, we want people to be reminded that there really is another way to live. It’s not supposed to be this way, and people need to know that.
Read More
Friday, March 25, 2016
What, Exactly, Is A Modern Socialist?
25 March 2016
By Wayne Schutsky
Modern Times Magazine
With the presidential primary season in full swing, voters must decide which candidate they would like to support for president. And for Democrats that means choosing between former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Yep, despite a big loss in Arizona, Sanders campaign is still chugging along.
While Clinton has been a household name in American politics for decades, Sanders was relatively anonymous on the national stage until he parlayed what seemed like a gimmick run for President at first into a serious push for the Democratic nomination.
While many were initially put off by the self-described democratic socialist, Sanders’ leftist policies have gained traction with many (predominantly young and white) voters, and his upsets in states like Michigan have proven that some Americans are ready to embrace socialist-type policies like a single-payer healthcare system.
Sanders run raises many questions in an American political system that hasn’t seen a serious candidate skew this far to the left in some time. Is America ready for a socialist presidential candidate? And is Bernie Sanders a socialist at all?
To answer these questions, I spoke with socialist presidential candidate Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik. Soltysik, along with his running mate Angela Walker, represent Socialist Party USA....
Read More
By Wayne Schutsky
Modern Times Magazine
With the presidential primary season in full swing, voters must decide which candidate they would like to support for president. And for Democrats that means choosing between former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Yep, despite a big loss in Arizona, Sanders campaign is still chugging along.
While Clinton has been a household name in American politics for decades, Sanders was relatively anonymous on the national stage until he parlayed what seemed like a gimmick run for President at first into a serious push for the Democratic nomination.
While many were initially put off by the self-described democratic socialist, Sanders’ leftist policies have gained traction with many (predominantly young and white) voters, and his upsets in states like Michigan have proven that some Americans are ready to embrace socialist-type policies like a single-payer healthcare system.
Sanders run raises many questions in an American political system that hasn’t seen a serious candidate skew this far to the left in some time. Is America ready for a socialist presidential candidate? And is Bernie Sanders a socialist at all?
To answer these questions, I spoke with socialist presidential candidate Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik. Soltysik, along with his running mate Angela Walker, represent Socialist Party USA....
Read More
Friday, March 18, 2016
Meet the Socialist Running for President in the Shadow of Bernie Sanders
18 March 2016
By Mike Pearl
Vice
No matter who he's talking to, anytime there's air in the conversation, Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik (pronounced "saul-TISS-ick") tends to ask the other people what kind of music they're into, or what they listened to when they were younger.
When he first met his vice presidential candidate, Angela Walker, he picked her brain about music too, but his reasons were political. "What's one of the songs that shaped you politically? What were you listening to that pushed you to be who you are?" Walker recalls Soltysik asking. Music was important to Walker as well—her identity, she says, was shaped by "being a black metalhead." Her reply to Soltysik included Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy....
Read More
By Mike Pearl
Vice
"You gotta see this real quick. You're gonna shit," Mimi
Soltysik tells me. It's an afternoon in late February, and Soltysik, the
presidential nominee for the Socialist Party USA, is leaning over his
laptop in the living room of his cramped, cat-dominated Los Angeles
apartment, showing me a YouTube video of a legendarily awkward performance by a seemingly deranged Chicago pop singer named Bobby Conn.
"It almost makes you uncomfortable, which is great," he says.No matter who he's talking to, anytime there's air in the conversation, Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik (pronounced "saul-TISS-ick") tends to ask the other people what kind of music they're into, or what they listened to when they were younger.
When he first met his vice presidential candidate, Angela Walker, he picked her brain about music too, but his reasons were political. "What's one of the songs that shaped you politically? What were you listening to that pushed you to be who you are?" Walker recalls Soltysik asking. Music was important to Walker as well—her identity, she says, was shaped by "being a black metalhead." Her reply to Soltysik included Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy....
Read More
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Loud & Clear Radio Interview with Past SP Presidential Candidate Stewart Alexander
16 March 2016
Loud & Clear Radio Show
"On today's special episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Stewart Alexander, 2012 Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA and Gloria La Riva, the 2016 Presidential candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation."
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast
Loud & Clear Radio Show
"On today's special episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Stewart Alexander, 2012 Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA and Gloria La Riva, the 2016 Presidential candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation."
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Third Party Builders: Interview with Jen McClellan
10 March 2016
By Jacob Bloom
Green Ops
"Socialist Party USA doesn’t have immediate plans for [California] ballot access does it? What are its goals?
Jen: So as far as electoral work, we actually have it in our platform and principles to be involved electorally. So we have presidential candidates (facebook.com/Rev2016/) but their campaign is actually anti-electoral which means we’re using the unique media opportunities of election year to get people thinking about how to participate in political work in their communities rather than thinking they can just vote once every four years and shit will magically get better.
The platform’s an ongoing extensive piece of work but the simplest way I can explain it is that we’re for workers controlling the means of production, we’re anti sectarian, multi tendency and we don’t dig oppression of any kind. We’re really open to a variety of political ideologies and strategies because capitalism is a huge evil beast and we can’t afford to do any more infighting.
So when I’m working, I’m making sure I’m listening to what people are saying and trying to help them find solutions by discovering their strengths and skills and by connecting them to other people who I know who’s goals and skills complement theirs. That sounds like corporate work but you know, we’re not trying to profit of the exploitation of our fellow human beings..."
Read More
By Jacob Bloom
Green Ops
"Socialist Party USA doesn’t have immediate plans for [California] ballot access does it? What are its goals?
Jen: So as far as electoral work, we actually have it in our platform and principles to be involved electorally. So we have presidential candidates (facebook.com/Rev2016/) but their campaign is actually anti-electoral which means we’re using the unique media opportunities of election year to get people thinking about how to participate in political work in their communities rather than thinking they can just vote once every four years and shit will magically get better.
The platform’s an ongoing extensive piece of work but the simplest way I can explain it is that we’re for workers controlling the means of production, we’re anti sectarian, multi tendency and we don’t dig oppression of any kind. We’re really open to a variety of political ideologies and strategies because capitalism is a huge evil beast and we can’t afford to do any more infighting.
So when I’m working, I’m making sure I’m listening to what people are saying and trying to help them find solutions by discovering their strengths and skills and by connecting them to other people who I know who’s goals and skills complement theirs. That sounds like corporate work but you know, we’re not trying to profit of the exploitation of our fellow human beings..."
Read More
Monday, March 7, 2016
The Overlooked Candidates - An Interview With Activist: Mimi Soltysik
7 March 2016
By Kevin McGhee
The Vindicator
By Kevin McGhee
The Vindicator
Emidio
“Mimi” Soltysik is a political activist and ranking member of the
Social Party USA, a third party within the United States. He has been
nominated to be the party’s candidate along with running mate Angela
Walker for President of the United States in the 2016 presidential
elections. This is part one of a three part series of interviews with
third party candidates. The next two will be available on our website.
1. What is your campaign's central message or goal?
Mimi: I think this is all about doing whatever we can to make a contribution to the
revolutionary movement in the U.S. The Socialist Party USA is a radical organization, and as such, mainstream media isn't burning up our phone lines. That is, unless it's the general election. And in this particular general election, for obvious reasons, there is a heightened interest in all things socialism. So, we thought we'd use that exposure to put forth a revolutionary message, and as folks respond, we do what we can to help connect them to movement work wherever they might be in the country. We've also been using the Campaign as a forum for organizers to share their stories and their feelings. Ideally, this helps to humanize this work, perhaps putting folks who otherwise might be somewhat fearful of engaging in radical projects at ease....
Friday, March 4, 2016
The Other Socialist Candidate: An Interview with Mimi Soltysik
4 March 2016
By Garrett Griffin
Weekend Collective
In October, delegates of the Socialist Party USA gathered in Milwaukee and selected fellow political activist Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik of California as their candidate for president of the United States, with Angela Walker as their vice presidential candidate. Weekend Collective interviewed Mimi Soltysik to hear his thoughts on current American attitudes toward socialism, surprising ideas in the Socialist Party Platform, another democratic socialist named Bernie Sanders, and more.
WC: Many American voters may be unaware of the Socialist Party’s existence, much less its platform. What is the Socialist Party and what does it aim to do?
Mimi: The Socialist
Party USA is a multi-tendency revolutionary socialist organization that
emerged from the 1972 split of the Socialist Party of America (the party
of Eugene V. Debs). At the time, one group decided it made strategic
sense to work within the Democratic Party. The other group, called the
“Debs Caucus,” wished to operate independent of the capitalist parties,
and was also staunchly opposed to the Vietnam War. That second group is
the Socialist Party USA. As far as what the Socialist Party USA aims to
do, it makes sense to quote our Statement of Principles, which state
that “the Socialist Party strives to establish a radical democracy that
places people’s lives under their own control — a non-racist, classless,
feminist, socialist society in which people cooperate at work, at home,
and in the community.” Oh yeah....
Read More
By Garrett Griffin
Weekend Collective
In October, delegates of the Socialist Party USA gathered in Milwaukee and selected fellow political activist Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik of California as their candidate for president of the United States, with Angela Walker as their vice presidential candidate. Weekend Collective interviewed Mimi Soltysik to hear his thoughts on current American attitudes toward socialism, surprising ideas in the Socialist Party Platform, another democratic socialist named Bernie Sanders, and more.
WC: Many American voters may be unaware of the Socialist Party’s existence, much less its platform. What is the Socialist Party and what does it aim to do?
Read More
Monday, February 29, 2016
The Fifth Column Interview with SPUSA Pres. Candidate Mimi Soltysik
29 February 2016
The Fifth Column
Los Angeles, California (TFC) – Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik is an American political activist for the Socialist Party USA. He has been nominated to be the party’s candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 election. [from wikipedia]
John: How did you get involved in social justice/activism?
Mimi: I think like so many who do this sort of thing, it’s been a process shaped by life experience. For me personally, I went from being a punk rock skateboarding kid who got into a ton of trouble to an adult who played in a band, still got into a lot of trouble, and who added substance abuse as a bonus. Things got pretty ugly for me. My health had deteriorated and I reached a point where life essentially became meaningless. I was fairly-well disconnected from any feelings of care for others or myself. It wasn’t necessarily a specific moment, rather a period of time where I felt that I was either going to fade out or I was going to somehow start to learn again and engage life. It wasn’t easy, and I was frequently confused and frustrated. But, I started taking very small steps forward. I started to read. I spent a bit of time reflecting on who I was and why I was here. Ultimately, I made a choice and here we are....
Read More
The Fifth Column
Los Angeles, California (TFC) – Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik is an American political activist for the Socialist Party USA. He has been nominated to be the party’s candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 election. [from wikipedia]
John: How did you get involved in social justice/activism?
Mimi: I think like so many who do this sort of thing, it’s been a process shaped by life experience. For me personally, I went from being a punk rock skateboarding kid who got into a ton of trouble to an adult who played in a band, still got into a lot of trouble, and who added substance abuse as a bonus. Things got pretty ugly for me. My health had deteriorated and I reached a point where life essentially became meaningless. I was fairly-well disconnected from any feelings of care for others or myself. It wasn’t necessarily a specific moment, rather a period of time where I felt that I was either going to fade out or I was going to somehow start to learn again and engage life. It wasn’t easy, and I was frequently confused and frustrated. But, I started taking very small steps forward. I started to read. I spent a bit of time reflecting on who I was and why I was here. Ultimately, I made a choice and here we are....
Read More
Monday, February 22, 2016
A voice for the American Socialist: An interview with Mimi Soltysik, Socialist Party USA Presidential candidate
22 February 2016
By Eoin Higgins
The American Herald Tribune
As the primary season gets under way in the 2016 Presidential election, the nation's political focus is squarely on candidates from the two main parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.
Both parties have had a tumultuous time of it already. It’s a year for outsiders. On the Republican side, billionaire Donald Trump, whose outrageous ethno-nationalism has won him a devout following in the country’s right wing, is devouring all the oxygen in the party.
The Democrats are facing the possibility of an upset from surging independent Bernie Sanders. Sanders, a nominal socialist from Vermont, has upended what was supposed to be a smooth nomination-coronation for Hillary Clinton.
With all the excitement, it’s easy to forget that there are other candidates in the race for the presidency, outside of the two major parties. The American Herald Tribune is proud to feature a conversation with Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik, the Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA. Soltysik is running with activist and organizer Angela Nicole Walker as his running mate.
The Tribune and Soltysik collaborated over email for a question and answer dialogue after a brief phone call on Friday. What follows is a lightly edited transcript.
The American Herald Tribune: Hi Mimi. Thanks for doing this interview. Let’s start off with an introduction: Who are you?
Mimi: I suppose I'll always be trying to figure that one out. I think I look pretty silly when I'm clean-shaven, so I usually have a beard. I love music and I love to read. I love to laugh. I loathe injustice. It makes me feel violent.
My name is Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik and I am the Socialist Party USA's 2016 presidential candidate. I live in Los Angeles with my wife and two cats....
Read More
By Eoin Higgins
The American Herald Tribune
As the primary season gets under way in the 2016 Presidential election, the nation's political focus is squarely on candidates from the two main parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.
Both parties have had a tumultuous time of it already. It’s a year for outsiders. On the Republican side, billionaire Donald Trump, whose outrageous ethno-nationalism has won him a devout following in the country’s right wing, is devouring all the oxygen in the party.
The Democrats are facing the possibility of an upset from surging independent Bernie Sanders. Sanders, a nominal socialist from Vermont, has upended what was supposed to be a smooth nomination-coronation for Hillary Clinton.
With all the excitement, it’s easy to forget that there are other candidates in the race for the presidency, outside of the two major parties. The American Herald Tribune is proud to feature a conversation with Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik, the Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA. Soltysik is running with activist and organizer Angela Nicole Walker as his running mate.
The Tribune and Soltysik collaborated over email for a question and answer dialogue after a brief phone call on Friday. What follows is a lightly edited transcript.
The American Herald Tribune: Hi Mimi. Thanks for doing this interview. Let’s start off with an introduction: Who are you?
Mimi: I suppose I'll always be trying to figure that one out. I think I look pretty silly when I'm clean-shaven, so I usually have a beard. I love music and I love to read. I love to laugh. I loathe injustice. It makes me feel violent.
My name is Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik and I am the Socialist Party USA's 2016 presidential candidate. I live in Los Angeles with my wife and two cats....
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Is socialism now acceptable in the US?
26 February 2016
By Jeremy Au Yong
The Straits Times
"One of the few books offering an explanation of the ideology - Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey by Donald Busky - itself notes the struggle to find a consensus definition.For instance, it noted the disagreements over whether democratic socialism and social democracy are the same thing.
Following the US campaign, one might come to assume that the two are interchangeable, but Mr Busky - formerly a prominent member of the democratic socialist organisation known as Socialist Party USA - contends that they are not.
'Social democracy is a somewhat controversial term among democratic socialists. Many democratic socialists use social democracy as a synonym for democratic socialism, while others, particularly revolutionary democratic socialists, do not; the latter seeing social democracy as something less than socialism - a milder, evolutionary ideology that seeks merely to reform capitalism,' he writes.
Democratic socialism, he says, is the 'wing of the socialist movement that combines a belief in a socially owned economy with that of a political democracy.'
In short, it appears that while social democracy embraces capitalism but seeks to humanise it through state intervention, democratic socialists want to replace the privately owned profit-driven economy with one that is socially owned...."
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By Jeremy Au Yong
The Straits Times
"One of the few books offering an explanation of the ideology - Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey by Donald Busky - itself notes the struggle to find a consensus definition.For instance, it noted the disagreements over whether democratic socialism and social democracy are the same thing.
Following the US campaign, one might come to assume that the two are interchangeable, but Mr Busky - formerly a prominent member of the democratic socialist organisation known as Socialist Party USA - contends that they are not.
'Social democracy is a somewhat controversial term among democratic socialists. Many democratic socialists use social democracy as a synonym for democratic socialism, while others, particularly revolutionary democratic socialists, do not; the latter seeing social democracy as something less than socialism - a milder, evolutionary ideology that seeks merely to reform capitalism,' he writes.
Democratic socialism, he says, is the 'wing of the socialist movement that combines a belief in a socially owned economy with that of a political democracy.'
In short, it appears that while social democracy embraces capitalism but seeks to humanise it through state intervention, democratic socialists want to replace the privately owned profit-driven economy with one that is socially owned...."
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Friday, February 19, 2016
We Asked America's Young Socialists What They Think of Bernie Sanders
19 February 2016
By Mike Pearl
Vice
"But while Sanders may have been a young socialist, the groups he used to associate with haven't been too eager to claim him as one of their own. In particular, the current leaders of the Young People's Socialist League told VICE that they don't care much for the Democratic presidential candidate's brand of 'socialism.'
Today, YPSL mostly focuses on issues pertaining directly to students—specifically, students of Moorpark University, which is the only school that's had an active branch of YPSL since 2011, when the Socialist Party USA voted to let YPSL become a separate entity. According to the group's current chair, Jen McClellan, once YPSL was on its own, its members were free to think smaller...."
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By Mike Pearl
Vice
"But while Sanders may have been a young socialist, the groups he used to associate with haven't been too eager to claim him as one of their own. In particular, the current leaders of the Young People's Socialist League told VICE that they don't care much for the Democratic presidential candidate's brand of 'socialism.'
Today, YPSL mostly focuses on issues pertaining directly to students—specifically, students of Moorpark University, which is the only school that's had an active branch of YPSL since 2011, when the Socialist Party USA voted to let YPSL become a separate entity. According to the group's current chair, Jen McClellan, once YPSL was on its own, its members were free to think smaller...."
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Wednesday, February 17, 2016
SP Presidential Candidate Mimi Soltysik Interviewed on CBC Radio
17 February 2016
CBC Radio
Socialist Party presidential candidate Mimi Soltysik was interviewed on the February 17th episode of The Current on CBC Radio.
Click Here to Read the Interview Transcript
CBC Radio
Socialist Party presidential candidate Mimi Soltysik was interviewed on the February 17th episode of The Current on CBC Radio.
Click Here to Read the Interview Transcript
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
The North Star interviews Mimi Soltysik, 2016 SPUSA candidate for POTUS
16 February 2016
By Curtis Hanson
The North Star
Why run for president now?
Mimi: As a revolutionary organization in the United States, it’s not as if the media is regularly banging down our door for interview requests. That changes a bit during the general election. And, for obvious reasons, there’s an added interest in the socialist/radical perspective this time around. So, why not use that interest and the media coverage we might receive to offer a bottom-up, community-focused, revolutionary perspective? Why not use that interest and coverage to support an effort that seeks to facilitate community/local involvement in movement-oriented work throughout the country? We understand and acknowledge that it might look and sound a bit different from what folks expect, and we think that’s okay....
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By Curtis Hanson
The North Star
Why run for president now?
Mimi: As a revolutionary organization in the United States, it’s not as if the media is regularly banging down our door for interview requests. That changes a bit during the general election. And, for obvious reasons, there’s an added interest in the socialist/radical perspective this time around. So, why not use that interest and the media coverage we might receive to offer a bottom-up, community-focused, revolutionary perspective? Why not use that interest and coverage to support an effort that seeks to facilitate community/local involvement in movement-oriented work throughout the country? We understand and acknowledge that it might look and sound a bit different from what folks expect, and we think that’s okay....
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Monday, February 15, 2016
Interview: Bernie Sanders Isn’t The Only ‘Socialist’ Running for President
15 February 2016
By AJ Segneri
IVN News
What follows is my interview with Socialist Party USA presidential candidate, Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik. Soltysik previously ran in California’s 62nd Assembly district in 2014.
AJ: What is the motivation for running for an office, especially on a presidential ticket?
Mimi: I think we can acknowledge that a general election offers some pretty unique media opportunities for a radical socialist organization like the Socialist Party USA. Given the inclusion of Sanders and his use of “democratic socialism” throughout his campaign, it makes sense to use those opportunities to introduce different voices into the dialogue. In our case, we can use those opportunities to shift the focus from D.C. politics to the local level. The kinds of changes the people and the planet need will not happen in D.C. and a POTUS candidate certainly isn’t going to deliver those kinds of changes. This revolution will be led by the people, [at] the community level. So, using this platform, we can connect folks who are interested in the ideas to one another. When folks reach out to the Campaign, we can help to plug them into movement work in their communities....
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By AJ Segneri
IVN News
What follows is my interview with Socialist Party USA presidential candidate, Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik. Soltysik previously ran in California’s 62nd Assembly district in 2014.
AJ: What is the motivation for running for an office, especially on a presidential ticket?
Mimi: I think we can acknowledge that a general election offers some pretty unique media opportunities for a radical socialist organization like the Socialist Party USA. Given the inclusion of Sanders and his use of “democratic socialism” throughout his campaign, it makes sense to use those opportunities to introduce different voices into the dialogue. In our case, we can use those opportunities to shift the focus from D.C. politics to the local level. The kinds of changes the people and the planet need will not happen in D.C. and a POTUS candidate certainly isn’t going to deliver those kinds of changes. This revolution will be led by the people, [at] the community level. So, using this platform, we can connect folks who are interested in the ideas to one another. When folks reach out to the Campaign, we can help to plug them into movement work in their communities....
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Thursday, February 11, 2016
Eugene Debs, el gran «paria socialista» de Estados Unidos antes que Bernie Sanders
11 February 2016
By Javier Ansorena
ABC (Spain)
"Eugene Debs es hoy una figura respetada, pero el legado del Partido Socialista que él dotó de gran fuerza hoy apenas existe. La formación se disolvió en 1972 y dio lugar a varios partidos escindidos, que han tenido un impacto simbólico en la escena polÃtica contemporánea de EE.UU. Uno de ellos es el Socialist Party USA, que presenta para este otoño una candidatura encabezada por Mimi Soltysik y Angela Nicole Walker...."
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By Javier Ansorena
ABC (Spain)
"Eugene Debs es hoy una figura respetada, pero el legado del Partido Socialista que él dotó de gran fuerza hoy apenas existe. La formación se disolvió en 1972 y dio lugar a varios partidos escindidos, que han tenido un impacto simbólico en la escena polÃtica contemporánea de EE.UU. Uno de ellos es el Socialist Party USA, que presenta para este otoño una candidatura encabezada por Mimi Soltysik y Angela Nicole Walker...."
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The REAL socialist party weighs in on Bernie Sanders
11 February 2016
By Jennifer Harper
Washington Times
As a presidential hopeful, Sen. Bernard Sanders unapologetically describes himself as a “democratic socialist,” prompting much discussion among press and public about the candidate’s political pedigree. But wait. Mr. Sanders has also attracted the attention of some other socialists, like the New York-based Socialist Party USA, where the motto is, “Let’s build a future worthy of our dreams.” They too have a presidential candidate in mind for 2016. That would be Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik, who has a thought or two about Mr. Sanders.
“What I see is a candidate who’s running on the Democratic Party ticket. To me, Sanders sounds more like a progressive Democrat/social Democrat. I don’t see him putting forth a socialist proposal. I’m not seeing him talk about workers owning the means of production. I don’t see imperialism as a part of any socialist platform, period. So I think that there are some very fundamental differences,” Mr. Soltysik recently told The Socialist, the party’s official publication....
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By Jennifer Harper
Washington Times
As a presidential hopeful, Sen. Bernard Sanders unapologetically describes himself as a “democratic socialist,” prompting much discussion among press and public about the candidate’s political pedigree. But wait. Mr. Sanders has also attracted the attention of some other socialists, like the New York-based Socialist Party USA, where the motto is, “Let’s build a future worthy of our dreams.” They too have a presidential candidate in mind for 2016. That would be Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik, who has a thought or two about Mr. Sanders.
“What I see is a candidate who’s running on the Democratic Party ticket. To me, Sanders sounds more like a progressive Democrat/social Democrat. I don’t see him putting forth a socialist proposal. I’m not seeing him talk about workers owning the means of production. I don’t see imperialism as a part of any socialist platform, period. So I think that there are some very fundamental differences,” Mr. Soltysik recently told The Socialist, the party’s official publication....
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Thursday, February 4, 2016
Why Socialists Can’t Wait for Bernie to Lose
4 February 2016
By Bill Scher
Politico Magazine
"Others seem themselves as 'democratic socialist,' such as Socialist Party USA, which can claim one of two municipally elected socialists in the country: Red Bank, New Jersey school board member Pat Noble.....
Stein also sees hope for increased unity in a new coalition called LeftElect, which formed last year to improve coordination between socialist parties and other independent leftist organizations, in order to bolster electoral prospects at all levels of government. Stein sits on the steering committee, and she sensed much “common purpose” for 2016 at the group first conference. But other competing socialist parties are involved, including Socialist Party USA presidential nominee Mimi Soltysik...."
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By Bill Scher
Politico Magazine
"Others seem themselves as 'democratic socialist,' such as Socialist Party USA, which can claim one of two municipally elected socialists in the country: Red Bank, New Jersey school board member Pat Noble.....
Stein also sees hope for increased unity in a new coalition called LeftElect, which formed last year to improve coordination between socialist parties and other independent leftist organizations, in order to bolster electoral prospects at all levels of government. Stein sits on the steering committee, and she sensed much “common purpose” for 2016 at the group first conference. But other competing socialist parties are involved, including Socialist Party USA presidential nominee Mimi Soltysik...."
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Sunday, January 31, 2016
ELECTION 2016: Interview with Mimi Soltysik
31 January 2016
By Ethan Zakrewski
Hoof Print (McDonough, GA)
In the second
presidential candidate interview of our Election 2016 series, I got to
talk to the Socialist Party USA’s candidate for president Mimi Soltysik.
Soltysik was born on
October 30, 1974 and grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania. As a teen and
into his twenties, Soltysik was a self described “punk-rocker,
skateboard kid” who was a musician. During this time, Soltysik stated
that he got in a lot of trouble and struggled with substance abuse
problems until he reached rock bottom.
“I had gotten totally
disconnected from people,” Soltysik stated, “I could choose to keep
going and maybe die, or I could choose to re engage and start learning
again.” Together with his wife, Soltysik started organizing bicycle and
clothing drives. This work brought more thought to Soltysik. He stated
“We started to realize that these drives were an attempt to cure cancer
with a Band-Aid. While those services are essential, I wanted to attack
the cancer....”
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Left Wing Civil War over Bernie Sanders
24 January 2016
By Mark Wachtler
Opposition News / Whiteout Press
"The Socialist Party has also opted to nominate their own 2016 Presidential ticket rather than support independent Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party Primary. Party leaders haven’t released a statement explaining their decision. But as early as October 2015, SPUSA members voted overwhelmingly to nominate Mimi Soltysik for President and Angela Nicole Walker for Vice President...."
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By Mark Wachtler
Opposition News / Whiteout Press
"The Socialist Party has also opted to nominate their own 2016 Presidential ticket rather than support independent Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party Primary. Party leaders haven’t released a statement explaining their decision. But as early as October 2015, SPUSA members voted overwhelmingly to nominate Mimi Soltysik for President and Angela Nicole Walker for Vice President...."
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Friday, January 22, 2016
Bernie Sanders Doesn’t Support Reparations. Why Is That So Surprising?
22 January 2016
By Nick Wing & Matt Ferner
Huffington Post
Dyed-in-the-wool socialists are no doubt aware of their substantial differences with Sanders. The official platform for the Socialist Party USA specifically calls “for reparations from the federal government for its role in the slave trade and the genocide of Native American nations, with the reparations programs administered by the oppressed communities themselves.”
It also calls for the nationalization of all financial and insurance institutions, the abolition of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency and steps to begin cutting the U.S. military to 10 percent of its current level. None of those proposals appear on Sanders’ campaign website, unsurprisingly.
And while you might not have heard of the Socialist Party USA’s presidential candidates, they are running....."
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By Nick Wing & Matt Ferner
Huffington Post
Dyed-in-the-wool socialists are no doubt aware of their substantial differences with Sanders. The official platform for the Socialist Party USA specifically calls “for reparations from the federal government for its role in the slave trade and the genocide of Native American nations, with the reparations programs administered by the oppressed communities themselves.”
It also calls for the nationalization of all financial and insurance institutions, the abolition of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency and steps to begin cutting the U.S. military to 10 percent of its current level. None of those proposals appear on Sanders’ campaign website, unsurprisingly.
And while you might not have heard of the Socialist Party USA’s presidential candidates, they are running....."
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