By Lee Cary ——Bio and Archives--May 27, 2019
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A recent Gallup article entitled "Four in 10 Americans Embrace Some Form of Socialism," by Mohamed Younis, featured the photograph above, credited to the source.
Tracking the DNA of street protest movements requires reading the signage. And, understanding the results of polling requires knowing the questions pollsters ask.
First, here's the intro to the Gallup piece:"WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans today are more closely divided than they were earlier in the last century when asked whether some form of socialism would be a good or bad thing for the country. While 51% of U.S. adults say socialism would be a bad thing for the country, 43% believe it would be a good thing. Those results contrast with a 1942 Roper/Fortune survey that found 40% describing socialism as a bad thing, 25% a good thing and 34% not having an opinion."No surprises there, except that in 1942 one-of-four Americans either didn't attach socialism to the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazis), or took into consideration that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was fighting the Nazis. The key words in the Gallup title are "some form of socialism." It leaves much room for elaboration. By analogy, as cancer comes in a many different forms, not all forms of socialism are alike. One of the key questions Gallop posters asked was: "Would some form of socialism be a good thing or a bad thing for the country as a whole?" Like a can of tuna with an expiration date of Aug 2005, it's an out-of-date question. America already has "some form of socialism." For example, we have Social Security, Medicare, and over 80 other federal welfare programs of various sizes and purposes. Likewise, not all polls are equally accurate. We learned that's true in the 2016 Presidential Election when Clinton was the projected winner, right up until she lost. For example, Gallup's Presidential Election 2016: Key Indicators for October 8-14, 2016, shortly before the election, had Clinton well in the lead with these stats: "Candidates' Image Among National Adults: Trump %Fav. 30, %Unfav. 65; Clinton %Fav. 40, %Unfav. 55."
"The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) was founded in 2004, following an organizational fissure within the Marxist-Leninist Workers World Party (WWP) that resulted in three WWP member branches--based respectively in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.--breaking away to form their own group. Openly allied with the International ANSWER Coalition (which is intimately tied to Ramsey Clark's International Action Center), PSL has also established branches in New York City (in Harlem), (and 24 other locations listed here)." "A proponent of "revolutionary Marxism," PSL's general raison d'etre is opposition to capitalism, which it defines as "the system in which all wealth and power is held by a tiny group of billionaires and their state," and the promotion of "socialism." The organization regards "U.S. capitalism" as the underlying cause of the war in Iraq (and all other wars) and regards "revolution" as the only viable alternative. PSL summarizes its thoughts about the power of the "big business media," the "Military-Industrial Complex," and "the [American] corporations and the banks" in a 64-page pamphlet titled--The Party for Socialism and Liberation: Who We Are, What We Stand For.--This publication articulates the group's belief in the "validity of Marxism and Leninism," expresses its support for "revolutionary Cuba," and attacks "U.S. imperialism" and America's "drive for global domination."
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"Though nominally an independent group, PSL mostly acts in concert with International ANSWER. A list of campaigns and events on PSL's website provides a summary of demonstrations and protests organized by ANSWER. PSL is staffed largely by ANSWER activists, among whom is PSL's 'leader,' Brian Becker. Other PSL members include ANSWER activist Gloria La Riva, a former gubernatorial candidate in California and a longtime apologist for communist Cuba, as well as several ANSWER coordinators and organizers, among them Muna Coobtee, Saul Kanowitz, and Caneisha Mills."
"The Party for Socialism and Liberation believes that the only solution to the deepening crisis of capitalism is the socialist transformation of society. Driven by an insatiable appetite for ever greater profits regardless of social cost, capitalism is on a collision course with the people of the world and the planet itself. Imperialist war; deepening unemployment and poverty; deteriorating health care, housing and education; racism; discrimination and violence based on gender and sexual orientation; environmental destruction--all are inevitable products of the capitalist system itself."Bernie Sanders could have written that statement. Maybe even A.O.C. Many, perhaps all, of the Democratic Party POTUS candidates align with significant parts of the PSL agenda, including this statement: "There are really only two choices for humanity today--an increasingly destructive capitalism, or socialism." As today's Democratic Party morphs into the Socialist Democratic Party.
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