Darcy Richardson at Battleground Blog reports:
Delegates to the Socialist Party USA national convention in Los Angeles turned to their 2008 vice-presidential nominee yesterday to head the party’s ticket in the 2012 presidential sweepstakes. In nominating Stewart A. Alexander, an early frontrunner for the party’s top spot, the delegates turned back a late but spirited challenge from sociology professor Jerry Levy, a longtime activist in Vermont’s Liberty Union Party.
The 60-year-old Alexander defeated Levy by an unofficial count of 32-17 on the convention’s first and only ballot.
Alejandro (Alex) Mendoza of Fort Worth, Texas, an ex-Marine and owner of a lawn care business, was named as Alexander’s vice-presidential running mate. The little-known Mendoza, 35, was a last-minute recruit for the party’s second slot.
An attempt earlier in the day to place Cindy Sheehan’s name in nomination for the vice presidency was blocked by national secretary Greg Pason and other party leaders on the grounds that the celebrated antiwar activist — a member of the California-based Peace & Freedom Party — isn’t currently a dues-paying member of the Socialist Party USA.
In rejecting her potential candidacy, the party expressed its gratitude and admiration for Sheehan’s tireless work in the antiwar movement and the struggle for economic justice.
Alexander was the SPUSA 2008 VP nominee. He was also seeking the 2012 Green Party presidential nomination, but has dropped out of that race.
What is Comrade Alexander’s ballot access plan?
What is his media strategy?
Jason, I thought it was time for a black president in 2008. That’s why I, a Republican, voted for him.
I take it that means you voted for Alan Keyes?
IPR sells….but who’s buying?
@31 thanks for the suggestion, I’m on my way!
@30 For the most part yes, but there are limits to everything.
As far as “finally”…what do you mean? IPR has been around for about 3.5 years and is not more free speech now than it has been. It did have comment registration way back in 2008, but that’s about it.
Or:
If you mean to be sarcastic…well, join the line of people complaining that speech at IPR is either too restricted or not restricted enough.
Or go to crazyforliberty.com; 100% unmoderated comments there.
Glad to see there’s finally a good forum for voters to access uninterrupted free speech. Things aren’t the same as they used to be.
“I see that the IPR FOR SALE notice is gone. Perhaps the new owner is proud to be associated with posts like #8 and #17. Whether s/he is or not, it certainly diminishes the value of the property and encourages folks to stay away. I am disappointed that none of the editors has seen fit to act, whether on this thread or others. I expect better of them.”
I see that they got deleted now. Maybe it’s just that nobody noticed them earlier?
Also, what makes you think that IPR got bought?
Maybe the owners finally realized that their asking price was not going to be met and took the for sale sign down because leaving it up for almost a year was not doing them any good.
Just guessing, I don’t actually know if it got bought or not, but I would have thought there would be an announcement if it had.
I was wrong, abt 10k. Walt Brown actually got a little over 10000. But before him the SPUSA never got more than in 1952, but those are really two different Socialist Partes.
100000 votes for the SPUSA candaite would be groundbreaking. A new day.
I was being irked at the socialists in the US inability to create even a modicum on unit in elections. That the SPUSA has already nominated Alexander, and is not taking part officially in the NOC2012 effort seems to me to indicate there will probably a handful f competing socialists of various parties on the ballot for president next year.
I could be wrong. Things might not play out like they have in the past. maybe there is enough fresh blood on the Left to find the bickering and personal infighting of the past foolish and irrelevant. But if the conniving used at tthe PS natcon to keep Cindy Sheehan from being nominated for VP are any indication, plus the lack of the SPUSA’s desire to create a united electoral front, makes me worry come Nov 2012 it willl once again be “what could have been”?
But like I said, maybe I’m wrong.
BTW, when posts are deleted would it be possible to put a place holder in where the deleted post once was? Perhaps a statement as to why the post was deleted and who deleted it. That way the numbers don’t get all messed up when people are referring to an earlier post by its number. Thank you.
10,000 votes? Didn’t you mean 100,000 votes?
AE? As in Americans Elect? AE is a political organization run and funded by hedge fund managers, they have nothing to do with socialism, except the corporate kind. Alexander should definitely seek the endosement of the nascent National Organizing Committee 2012, and thus the P&FP. But suggesting Alexander seek the nomination of AE is like suggesitng he seek the LP’s nod. The two things can’t exist in the same spot of space and time.
I think his best hope of breaking 10,000 votes in 2012 is to try to get the NOC2012 nod and to get support from elements of the #Occupy movement that favor electoral politics and who aren’t Obama supporters to start new state parties. IMHO.
@11 [after purge]: Jason, have you forgotten Martha Layne Collins? She was elected governor of Kentucky from 1983 to 1987.
I wish Alexander luck. If I were him I would work on ballot access both by petitions and trying to get the endorsement of other parties [like P&F or AE] that already have ballot access.
There is an interesting side story abt how one faction in the SPUSA had convinced Cindy Sheehan to seek the parties VP slot, but another faction blocked her nomination because she is not an SPUSA member. Even though SPUSA party rules do not specify any such disqualification for nominees.
I see that the IPR FOR SALE notice is gone. Perhaps the new owner is proud to be associated with posts like #8 and #17. Whether s/he is or not, it certainly diminishes the value of the property and encourages folks to stay away. I am disappointed that none of the editors has seen fit to act, whether on this thread or others. I expect better of them.
@Jimmy, yes I believe we do “have to put up with racist rants, ignorance, and stupidity here”. We have to put up with it when we engage with conventional politicians, so why not here as well?
While I am all for freedom of expression, do we have to put up with racist rants, ignorance, and stupidity here?
Jason, I thought it was time for a black president in 2008. That’s why I, a Republican, voted for him. And, and, notice in my post that I stated had the other minor parties nominated candidates of the caliber of the SPUSA over the years……………Many of those candidates were in fact female. Thanks.
@18 Deran: Yes, flush the nazi please. It is impolite to leave turds for the next person to see/smell.
@19 Jason: I support ranked choice or approval voting for president and at-large proportional election of US House members and presidential electors within each state.
I’m against artificial gender quota systems. I judge each person on their individual merits, not on whether they have a penis or a vagina.
@16 wrote: “My interests don’t include discrimination…”
Then you’re right in line with me, because women are being discriminated against in single winner districts, and they aren’t winning their fair share.
I can prove this mathematically, if you care to continue your reading.
Single winner districts, prevent the majority of 66.66% plus two votes from electing a gender balanced team. For example, the Libertarian Party elects prez/vp teams as two single winner districts of 50% plus one (i.e. Bob Barr selecting Wayne Root, two males) as two single winner districts. First is president with 50% plus one vote, and second is vice president with 50% plus one vote.
However, when elected as a two-member districts, the threshold is raised to 66.66% plus two votes, so that when those who favor gender balance team (prez/vp) rank the top male(s) and top female(s), then they are guaranteed to win in two-member districts (i.e. prez/vp is the only two-member district in USA national elections).
Currently, there is no guarantee that the 66.66% plus two votes majority will elect the prez/vp team in all single winner district elections.
So, whose side do you support, the 50% plus one who voted for one seat at a time in a single winner district, or 66.66% plus two, who voted for gender balance?
The lower majority (50% plus one vote), doesn’t guarantee gender balance, since both seats (prez & VP) can be elected as males by the 50% plus one vote faction, one at a time.
The ones who support gender balance at 66.6% plus two votes get nothing, because their first choice of the balanced slate may have had less than 50% and was defeated by the candidate who was not for gender balance.
So you must like what I like, since you’re against discrimination towards women.
Again, why are these racist neo-nazi posts by @17 deleted?
The problem with the SP is their interpretation of “socialism” is pretty ossified, they add elements to their program to bring it up to date socialy and culturealy, but they lack new thinking in most other areas. That said, if they can get on teh ballott in WA, I’ll probably vote for Alexander. Unless something better comes along.
My interests don’t include discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, religion or race/ethnicity — including compensatory/”affirmative” discrimination.
You got a problem with that?
I’ll vote for my interests, you vote for yours.
Our two interests don’t always match.
You have a problem with this?
Jason,
Why do you think what junk a politician has in his/her trunks is so important?
Consider the brains, not the sex organs, maybe?
There has never been a woman elected as the USA’s president or vice president.
I don’t see why we can’t have gender balance.
I’m for balance.
7 & 11, there has never been a female elected as president of vice president, and the US Senate is disproportionately represented by women.
There has never been a female elected as Gov or Lt. Gov of California or Kentucky either, in the history of those states and perhaps others.
Maybe it’s time to take turns?
The Socialist Party has had two female presidential candidates in past years, Willa Kenoyer in 1988, and Mary Cal Hollis in 1996.
The Socialist Party is experiencing a growth in membership. I joined a few months ago, and while there is no state chapter in my state, I am working with others to change that.
Power to the working people,
Andrew
@8 go sit on a spiked flagpole and rotate.
Jimmy (or others),
Do you know why Alexander dropped out of the Green Party race?
Jason,
Unless I am trying to have sex with someone I don’t care whether they are male or female.
Either a man or woman is equally qualified IMO; their other tributes – particularly ones that are not an accident of birth – are far more important IMO.
That said, it is a shame Cindy Sheehan was not qualified.
While I like Stewart Alexander as a friend and comrade, don’t you think it’s time for a woman to be president?
Join the Frees,
Opposite gender #1!
Hi Indy,
Very good post and point, ha! What I am saying is if those other parties nominated people of the caliber of the SPUSA’s nominees over the years, they could do very well. The only reason the SPUSA doesn’t do well is lack of organization, membership, ballot access, media exposure, and money. If Alexander were the Green nominee in 2012, I predict he would get more votes than whoever the eventual nominee actually is. Could be wrong but………….Thanks for the civility of your post.
Jimmy,
So the vote totals of SPUSA in recent elections are what the Greens and Libertarians should strive for? Did I read you right?
Once again, the Socialist Party USA nominates a non-kook. If only the other third parties would stop nominating kooks and oddballs, they might have a chance to do fairly well in the general election. But people like Barr, McKinney, Peltier, et. al., make such parties look bad, very bad.
Now it will be interesting to see if Alexander can convince the socialist parties participating in the National Organizing Committee 2012 will accept a SPUSA nominee as the choice for their nascent united Left presidential campaign iniative.
Getting the Peace and Freedom Party nominatio will make the difference. IMO
Spirited challenge or not, I heard Alexander was pretty much the man all along.