quote:

---

The Socialist Party 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.

We are committed to the transformation of capitalism through the creation of a democratic socialist society based on compassion, empathy, and respect as well as the development of new social structures. Socialism will establish a new social and economic order in which workers and community members will take responsibility for and control of their interpersonal relationships, their neighborhoods, their local government, and the production and distribution of all goods and services.

For these reasons we call for social ownership and democratic control of productive resources, for a guarantee to all of the right to participate in societal production, and to a fair share of society's product, in accordance with individual needs.

As we pursue a socialist transformation of society, we join with others in making radical demands on the existing system: demands that challenge the basic assumptions of a capitalist market economy while pointing the way to a new society. Although reforms will not in themselves bring about socialism, the fight for them will advance the cause by demonstrating the inherent limitations and injustice of the capitalist system. As we build the socialist movement, we organize around a platform committed to our common and interdependent struggles and aspirations.

---

According to Wiki:

quote:

---

The party's independence is also debated. Although the party's Statement of Principles explicitly rejects working within the two major parties, some feel that if the SP does not cooperate with progressive Democrats and other progressive organizations such as the Green Party and Labor Party (without compromising its socialist principles), it runs the risk of turning into an impotent, sectarian left-wing splinter group.

---

It might already be a "impotent leftwing splinter group", but we will see, I guess, based on how they do in the Presidential elections they are contesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Party_USA

Take a look at their campaign schedule!

Democratic Socialists of America were Michael Harrington's faction and entered the Democratic Party supporting George McGovern in 1972 and stayed becoming largely ineffectual left-wing though I believe David Dinkins was a member.

quote:

---

Originally posted by aka Mycroft:
The old Socialist Party of America (of Eugene Debs and Norman Thomas) split in about 3 directions in the 1970s - one became the truly awful Social Democrats USA that people like Jeanne Kirpatrick and Paul Wolfowitz were (reputedly) hangers on of. They supported Scoop Jackson's 1972 campaign for the Democratic nomination and then decided not to support McGovern when he became the nominee all but supporting Nixon. SDUSA members were on Kirkpatrick's staff when she was US Ambassador to the UN and others belonged to the Department of Labor during the Reagan administration. Left of centre domestic policy, ultra-hawkish (literally neo-conservative) international policy.

---

We always pronounced the acronym of SDUSA(Social Democrats USA)as "Seduce-Ah".