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Roots of socialism in America

The roots of socialism in America can be traced to the arrival of German immigrants in the 1850s when Marxian socialist unions began, such as the National Typographic Union in 1852, United Hatters of 1856, and Iron Moulders` Union of North America in 1859. Theodore H. White, author of Fire in the Ashes: Europe in Mid-Century (1953) wrote, "Socialism is the belief and the hope that by proper use of government power, men can be rescued from their helplessness in the wild cycling cruelty of depression and boom."

Progress of socialism

The Socialist Party in America was born and grew dramatically between 1900 and 1912. Under the charismatic leadership of Eugene V. Debs in 1912, 160 councilmen, 145 aldermen, one congressman, and 56 mayors, including Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Berkeley, California, and Schenectady, New York, were elected as Socialists. At the time, Socialists published 300 newspapers, including the Appeal of Reason, which was a Kansas-based publication with 700,000 subscribers. Membership in the Socialist Party totaled 125,000.

Debs converted to socialism while serving jail time for his part in the Pullman Strike in 1897, and began to edit the Appeal to Reason publication. From 1900 to 1920, he ran for president on the Socialist ticket while increasing membership to the Socialist Party tenfold. Although Debs insisted he was a Marxist, he spoke more about poverty and injustice than typical socialist concerns about the class struggle and the dictatorship of the proletariat (Marx).

In 1912, Debs received 900,000 votes, which was six percent of the presidential votes cast that year, principally for his stand against America`s involvement in World War I. Debs appealed to blue collar workers hungry for improved working conditions and higher wages, but also such intellectuals as authors Jack London and Upton Sinclair.

Prominently with President Theodore Roosevelt and through the 20th century`s first years, the Progressive Movement came into view with its belief in the perfectability of man, and in an open society where mankind was neither chained to the past nor condemned to a deterministic future; one which people were capable of changing their condition for better or worse.

The Socialist Party was included within the Progressive Movement. The party dealt with American problems in an American manner. Unlike the Communist Party, the Socialist Party at that time felt no obligation to adhere to an international party line. For example, socialists and other progressives campaigned at the local level for municipal ownership of waterworks, gas and electric plants, and made good progress in such endeavors. In 1911, there were 18 Socialist candidates for mayor, and they nearly won the Cleveland, Ohio, and Los Angeles, California, mayoral races.

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Socialism in America - United States American History

By Emma Dumain Posted at 5:03 p.m. on Feb. 6

Van Hollens economic plan, with its transaction tax on Wall Street, has Grijalva and other members of the CPC encouraged. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

For members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the question of whether Democrats shouldmove to the centeror double down on left-leaning populism after Novembers midterm whacking was never in doubt.

Three months after those historic losses, it seems party leaders agree as CPC-endorsed policies once dismissedas fringe ideas are increasingly providing a new framework for the party.

Progressives are especially optimistic about the massive economic overhaul proposal championed byRep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the Budget Committees top Democrat and a de facto member of leadership.

Van Hollen pitched the proposal Friday inPhiladelphia at the CPCs annual summit.

If economic populism is the new brand and the message, quite frankly and with no bragging the Progressive Caucus has been carrying that brand and message for five or six years, said Rep. Ral M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., during a phone interview a few hours before Van Hollen was scheduled to speak. Mr. Van Hollen being here is an acknowledgment of that.

Van Hollens self-described action plan to grow the paychecks of all, not just the wealth of a few puts a new emphasis on wage growth and income disparity, progressives say.

Were glad he prioritizesjobs, not just deficit reductions, said Grijalvas co-chairman, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota.

Most exciting for CPC members is Van Hollens inclusion ofa transaction taxtargeting high-frequency trading to minimize systemic risk in the financial market.Progressives appreciate the symbolism: The tax goes after Wall Street. Not even President Barack Obama has taken the leap of including a transactiontax in his budget proposals.

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House Progressives Cheer Populism in Van Hollen Plan

By Niels Lesniewski Posted at 3:58 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2015

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

A Democratic senator has launched a new campaign-style effort to lend a voice to progressives in foreign policy, saying theres a void in the current debate.

Sen. Christopher S. Murphys newcampaign, which features a new website and social media engagement, makes the case thatthose with more liberal views on foreign affairs have been underserved in current debates about global hotspots, with the conversation focusing on disagreements between the likes of President Barack Obama, and hawkish and libertarian Republicans like the split between John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky, for instance.

The dominance of the President, Senator McCain, and Senator Paul on foreign policy should trouble progressives. Why? To state the obvious, because none of these three camps adequately represents the views of most American progressives, Murphy wrote in a post on Medium.

In that post, Murphy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said that a progressive view might includea substantial increase in the budget for diplomacy relative to the Pentagon.

A substantial transfer of financial resources from the military budget to buttress diplomacy and foreign aid so that our global anti-poverty budget, not our military budget, equals that of the other world powers combined, Murphy said. A new humility to our foreign policy, with less emphasis on short-term influencers like military intervention and aid, and more effort spent trying to address the root causes of conflict.

Murphys viewis also interesting given the extent to which Connecticuts economy has been reliant on defense production, with facilities that manufacture everything fromjet engines and helicopters to submarines. Its also a stark contrast from his predecessor, independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, who while a member of the Democratic caucus generally aligned with McCain on defense and national security questions.

The Murphy website, which is run through his campaign operation, urges supporters to submit ideas. It comes as the Senate isgoing to be faced with a number of foreign policy issues in the coming months, including a battle over imposing additional conditional sanctions against Iran and authorizing the use of military force against the terror group ISIS.

The 114th: CQ Roll Calls Guide to the New Congress

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Murphy Seeks to Be Progressive Voice in Foreign Policy Debates

February 7, 2015 by Tunde Ajaja with agency report 154 Comments

Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said it will be too bad if the Independent National Electoral Commission allows itself to be compromised to shift the general election or allow irregularities in the voting process.

Buhari made the statement in an interview published on Reuters on Friday, saying he was optimistic that he would win the election and that he would approach the courts if there are irregularities in the voting process. He said he would not call his followers into the streets.

Buhari said, Im optimistic that I wont lose. But we signed an undertaking that it will be violence free. We are attempting to stabilise a multi party democratic system.

There will be no delay. But if INEC is compromised then it will be too bad, Buhari said.

The APC had said that the only reason the pro-Jonathan camp was pushing for a delay of the elections was because it knew that the president would lose if voting should hold as planned.

On the insurgency in the country, the APC candidate said it was a disgrace that neighbouring countries like Chad, Niger and Cameroon had been more successful than Nigeria in the battle against the Boko Haram insurgency.

Buhari told Reuters that, Its a big disgrace for Nigeria. It is now Cameroon and Chad fighting the insurgency more than Nigeria. We will build the capacity and Nigeria should be able to secure its territorial integrity

Our main objective is to secure the country. We will not tolerate insurgency, sabotage of the economy by blowing up of installations, by stealing crude and so on. All these things will be things of the past.

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Too bad if INEC shifts election Buhari

National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Lai Mohammed

The All Progressives Congress has flayed the persistent call for the postponement of the next general elections by those it described as desperate advocates of evil.

In a statement signed by the APC National Publicity Secretary on Friday in Abuja, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the desperadoes will always fail in their evil machinations because no power is strong enough to defeat a determined people.

The APC said the provocative call by the bogus Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly for the postponement of the elections and the arrest of Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, is one of the new antics of the election postponement campaigners.

The statement read, It is shameful that those who should be working hard to promote peaceful elections as scheduled are the same ones doing everything possible to trigger violence.

Those who should ordinarily be seen as elder statesmen have degenerated to dangerous partisans and shameless promoters of a narrow, parochial interest, at the expense of the national interest.

Who does not know that wherever President Goodluck Jonathans interest lies, therein you will find Chief Edwin Clark, whether or not it is in the national interest?

Who does not know that the anarchic call by Chief Clark and his cohorts are being made at the behest of a frenzied presidency?

It also pointed to a statement credited to the spokesperson for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party which it said was an indication that those working hard to scuttle the polls were not about to give up.

The APC dismissed claims by the ruling party that INEC was working hand in hand with it to disenfranchise supporters of the PDP by making sure they do not get Permanent Voter Cards without a shred of evidence beyond sheer emotions.

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Evil advocates behind poll shift APC