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....”

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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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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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Intervista a Mimi Soltysik, il socialista che vuole cambiare l'America

18 January 2016

Facciamosinistra!

Emidio 'Mimi' Soltysik ha 41 anni ed è un socialista negli Stati Uniti. Musicista professionista, corpaccione tatuato, spesso vestito con le magliette e le felpe dei suoi gruppi musicali preferiti. Attivista a Los Angeles, il suo obiettivo per quest'anno è di correre per la presidenza degli Stati Uniti in un ticket con Angela Walker, sotto le insegne del Socialist Party of the Usa, il partito dei lavoratori nato da una scissione dai Social Democrats nel 1973. Nel 2014 Soltysik si candidò a rappresentante del 62°distretto della California, raccogliendo il 2.5% dei voti.

Essere socialista negli Stati Uniti non deve essere facile. Dopo la crisi finanziaria degli anni passati, pensi che negli Usa si sia sviluppata una coscienza di classe?

«Questa domanda mi fa pensare a una frase di Steinbeck: “Il socialismo non ha mai preso piede in America perché i poveri non si vedono come dei proletari sfruttati, ma come dei miliardari in difficoltà temporanea”.

Credo che ci sia consapevolezza dell'incredibile disuguaglianza degli Stati Uniti. Ma penso che molti ancora pensino che non sia necessario porre questioni di classe, sembra quasi che la classe lavoratrice abbia bisogno di lavorare più duramente per colmare le differenze con i più ricchi. Credo che se tu parlassi di 'coscienza di classe', molti da queste parti ti risponderebbero: “Cosa?”. Non dico che suonerebbe dispregiativo, ma che non è una parte del discorso che viene affrontato dai nostri media e nelle nostre scuole. La gente è molto stanca e quando ha un momento libero, penso che preferisca usarlo per distrarsi. Questo non significa che una coscienza di classe non funzionerebbe o non potrebbe svilupparsi, anzi, io credo che ci siano possibilità e che ciò avverrà. Mi sembra che molti si stiano ribellando per combattere contro un sistema opprimente, e questo sta incoraggiando altri a fare lo stesso».

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Bernie Sanders is no socialist: Socialism is his brand, but he’s a Democrat in every way but name

16 January 2016

By Harry Jaffe
Salon

"Socialist Party of USA co-chair Mimi Soltysik sees the world differently: 'We don’t see capitalism as a reformable institution.' Sanders does...."

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17-Year-Old Presidential Candidate Proposes Lowering the Voting Age to 15 in Broward

7 January 2016

By Jess Swanson
Broward Palm Beach New Times

"Manley identifies as an Independent. In October, he spoke at the Socialist Party USA National Convention. He didn’t receive the party's nomination for president but says he made strides in his fundraising campaign...."

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