| 1. How do you personally define socialism? |
Socialism must rest on democracy in the social and economic arena so that people are free to determine their own lives free from exploitation and domination by others. This means ending systems of domination based on class, race, and gender. I picture a number of strategies to achieve this and believe that we ought to be open to see what works in obtaining this goal. |
| 2. Do you plan on running on the Socialist Party platform and the principles embodied in Socialism as Radical Democracy (including social ownership, worker control, and production for use -- not profit)? Is there anything in the Socialist Party Platform or Statement of Principles with which you disagree? |
In the broad outlines I find much to agree with in the SoP and the platform. The principles' affirmation of the multi-tendency basis of the SP as well as its embrace of diversity sets the SP apart from other organizations. Its recognition of other forms of domination from sexism to racism suggests a more developed sense of the problems we face as a society. Much of the platform I would be eager to run on from national health care to reforming our labor laws. My disagreements is found in the temptation to go with centralized solutions rather than decentralized ones. In the platform, why a national bank as opposed to local cooperative financial institutions? And there's a temptation to be prescriptive, especially with how socialism will come about. Will the transition to socialism be rapid or slow, in one nation or many, etc? I don't believe we can know such things. We can't have road maps, but must be open in how the movement to a just society will develop and look like. We should feel free to treat the SP principles and platforms as indications of where the SP convention is at currently, not as litmus tests of what a "correct" socialism must look like. No one group or strategy or concept alone is likely to get us to a better society. |
| 3. If you take any positions that differ from those of the Socialist Party, are you willing to make clear at all times that your views differ from those of the Party? |
I would campaign on areas of agreement. I would not campaign on areas of disagreement but if asked I would make a distinction between the party's view and my own. |
| 4. In what way will your campaign take a working-class orientation? How will it differ from mainstream appeals to the working class? |
The campaign will be directed to all people of good will who want to see a more just society. It will be orientated to the working class in that it will stand with the key planks and interests of the labor movement from national health care to pension reform to labor law reform. The GOP uses wedge issues to prevent discussion of matters affecting the weal or woe of working people. The Democrats often pit American and foreign workers. A socialist campaign will base its appeal on an international basis, seeking to defend workers here and around the world and connecting up a range of issues to the maldistribution of wealth and power in our world. |
| 5. What would be the top three issues you would address in your campaign and why? |
- National health care. The biggest threat to most people's well being is the lack of access to health care. The way that one medical emergency can lead to financial ruin, the way the poor don't receive proper preventative care, the way a few companies are enriched at the expense of most Americans. This one solution will address more social ills than any other. It provides space to raise the question: if placing human need over profit works for health care works, could it work for other areas of our common life?
- Immediate withdrawal from Iraq. We cannot begin to address the range of problems in our society from poverty to the environment without scaling down our military and ending our involvement in Iraq. It will be my first action if elected.
- Reforming labor laws. Without growing the labor movement and providing a way that all who want to join unions can, we won't be in a position to improve wages and working conditions in this country and we won't have the basis for building a majoritarian movement that can change our country for the better.
|
| 6. Please describe your position on the following issues. |
|
| 6a. Do you support a woman's right to choose? |
As a clinic escort trained by Missouri NARAL, I am convinced of the the importance of protecting women's reproductive health care choices. Everything from contraception to abortion to providing the financial basis by which free decisions can be made on these issues are central for a more just society. |
| 6b. Do you support Affirmative Action? |
Yes, inequalities of race, gender, class, and along other lines must be tackled and providing access to opportunities in education and the economy are a beginning step in this. |
| 6c. Do you support equal rights for non-heterosexuals? |
I'm proud that the SP ran the first openly gay candidate who received ballot status. That was David McReynolds in 1980. As a gay man, I believe that full equality is required and that the SP platform provides an excellent place to start moving in the right direction. |
| 6d. Do you support equal rights for non-citizens? |
The separation of families, raiding people's homes and places of employment, all in the name of fear must end. We need an immigration policy that welcomes people, provides a ready access to citizenship and a basis for people regardless of nation of origin to have access to the goods of life from education to health care. |
| 6e. To what extent do you support establishing a socialized healthcare system? |
I would make this the central issue of my campaign. I support the SP's position working with the model of the British NHS but am willing to consider the possibilities of Canada's single payer health care system. |
| 6f. How do you envision a socialist solution to the most common problems in the public school system (i.e., funding, assessment, and integration)? |
The biggest education problem we have is poverty and the lack of opportunity in too many areas of the country. This must be addressed if one hopes to improve education. Ending the funding situation that makes schools dependent on the resources of local communities and providing the resources that reduce teacher student ratios and allows for a range of programs is key. |
| 6g. How do you intend to address living wages and affordable housing? |
The SP's living wage of $15 an hour is a good start. Supporting the development and expansions of unions is another. Passing a constitutional amendment to insuring the right to housing is another. Both issues as well as public education require a dramatic redirection of resources away from the military and to these vital human needs. |
| 6h. How do you propose to address the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? |
I would begin the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, my first day as president. I would work with the UN and international relief agencies to insure that a sufficient amount of resources would be devoted to preventing a human rights catastrophe. I would consult with NATO, the UN, and NGOS to re-evaluate what kind of commitment is required in Afghanistan. |
| 7. Do you have any experience running for and/or holding public office? For what office(s) have you run? Have you ever run before as a Socialist? |
I have none. |
| 8. Do you satisfy the Constitutional requirements for being elected president of the United States (e.g., you are a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years of age, and have at least 14 years of U.S. residency [foreign military service notwithstanding])? |
I was born 04/19/1972 in Billings Montana, meaning that I fulfill the constitutional requirements. |
| 9. To what extent are you willing/able to travel while campaigning? Do you have any personal commitments that would significantly limit the amount of time you can dedicate to campaigning (i.e., family, school, work, etc.)? |
I'm seeking professional work around the country, so my time and financial resources are unknown as of yet. But I do have confidence that I can engage in fund raising and living in the Midwest provides some means to reach much of the country. I also have contacts in most states in the union so I believe this can be done cheaply. |
| 10. What strategies and/or methods do you think would be most effective in promoting your campaign? Do you have access to any community resources that might aid in publicizing your candidacy? |
I've been a web designer for 12 years and have a set of relations through the internet. I've been involved in the SP for over a decade and therefore have some name recognition in the party from which to fundraise from. I've been involved in state and national religious and political organizations which allows me to know contacts in most of the fifty states. |
| 11. Are you comfortable writing campaign statements, speaking to large audiences (including the media), and participating in debates when opportunities arise? |
As a campus minister who is called to preach in area congregations as well as to represent religious concerns for university sponsored programs, and as an instructor who has lectured to rooms of 200 or more folks I have some experience and am comfortable with public speaking. |
| 12. What resources (financial, skills, etc.) do you bring to the SP Presidential campaign? And what resources would you request or need from the Socialist Party USA? |
My income right now is uncertain as I look for employment possibilities around the country. But my ability to fundraise and connect with folks outside the socialist left, to connect with religious folks, and my history in the SP provides a resource for representing the party in 2008. |