Category: Election 2024

PSL Presidential Ticket Faces Philly Scandal

By Bob Small

During my time with Democracy Unplugged and our alternative presidential candidate forums, one political party that always sent articulate candidates was the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). They are still on point in their participation and have a debate scheduled for July 12.

 The PSL was founded in 2006 by a breakaway faction of the communist revolutionary wing of the Workers World Party and espouses a pro-Cuba/pro-China view. It has branches in 35 states.

Their presidential candidate this year is Claudia De la Cruz who has masters degrees in social work, from Columbia University, and divinity, from Union Theological Seminary.

She is the founder of Da Urban Butterflies which honors the three Mirabel sisters martyred under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. She has also served as pastor of NYC’s Santo Romero de Los Americas Church (UCC).

For the PSL Program, see Claudia & Karina 2024.

This year’s PSL platform includes seizing the 100 biggest US corporations and seven other impossibilities. They proposed revolution over election.

Vice Presidential candidate Karina Garcia is the founder of the Justice Center on El Barrio in NYC.

Like many political parties, there are the lesser known incidents. This document is subtitled “concealment and corruption in the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Philadelphia Branch”. It details allegations of a sexual nature against a Stephen P. of the Philadelphia Branch.

The whole 15 pages make fascinating reading but the one item that bothered me is that these allegations were brought to the PSL’s national committee but never to Philadelphia Police or the district attorney. My week-old email to our PSL local remains unanswered but one supposes creating a revolution is a full-time job.

Among the other organizations that are part and parcel of the PSL are; ANSWER Coalition Hom; Breaking the Chains and Liberation News

The Philadelphia branch is reachable through philly@pslweb.org or 267-281-3859.

PSL Presidential Ticket Faces Philly Scandal

Constitution Party Nominees Don’t Make It Easy To Keep A Promise

By Bob Small

For the many years that we were involved trying to get nomination petition signatures, we fought the Democratic party challenges to our Green Party candidates. Many of us also joined with The Constitution and Libertarian Parties in their challenges, either in Harrisburg or Philly.

PaBac Ballot Access Coalition was the result of this cooperation. Our unspoken promise, also, was, that if our particular party did not get on the ballot, we would vote for either of the other two Parties who were on the ballot, no matter the candidate. Some years, it’s a big ask.

The Constitution Party of Pennsylvania declares itself to be predicated on the following three documents; The Bill of Rights, The Constitution of the United State, and The Declaration of Independence, which we all support. Some of us might question some of their affiliated groups, such as the John Birch Society and the Oath Keepers. However this also applies to the Greens and Libertarians.

On their website they quote Dwight D. Eisenhower: Every step we take toward making the state the caretaker of our lives, by that much we move toward making the state our masters.

The Constitution Party is divided into six regions with Troy Bowman representsing the Southeast Region.

In 2024, they chose Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, as their presidential candidate . He has a lengthy arrest record for both violent and non-violent protests.

Operation Rescue’s motto was “If you believe abortion is murder, then you must act like it is murder” — implying that violence against abortion providers and staff was justified.

This is rather like a later day John Brown trying to bring people to Harper’s Ferry. That said, one has to admire his consistency, if not agree with all his tactics.

Randall Terry has a masters degree in Foreign Relations and Islamic Studies

The Vice-presidential Candidate is Afro-American Pastor Stephen Broden of Texas. He has a Masters of Arts in Communication from Michigan and a Masters of Arts in Bible Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a fervent Pro-Life advocate.

Maybe the Green Party will get their candidate on the ballot this year.

Constitution Party Nominees Don’t Make It Easy To Keep A Promise

Reform Party Nominates RFKJ

By Bob Small

We received an email, June 4, from the Reform Party of the United States that they had joined other “alternative” parties in nominating Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as their presidential candidate.

The Reform Party was formed by Ross Perot in 1995. In 2004 they nominated Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan in 2000.

Kennedy’s nomination by the Reform Party allows his campaign to raise “up to $48,000 per donor in Florida, six times as much as he could raise as in independent candidate.”

Kennedy cited the Reform Party’s motto, “it’s time to put people first”.

Other alternative parties that have nominated RFK, Jr. include California’s American Independent Party and Michigan’s Natural Law Party.

The Reform Party website has 15 separate items on their platform, many of which are worth reading They also state “It’s time to end the two-party system and return to government for the people”.

If only.

Kennedy has already gained ballot access in seven states; California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.

According to his campaign, they have sufficient signatures, to be on nine other states, barring the inevitable challenges. These are Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio. He’s already on the ballot in two of the “swing states”,

Michigan and Nevada. Pennsylvania has a deadline of Aug. 1 but, as they always say “All dates in this calendar are subject to change without notice.”

RFKJ says that Biden is worse for Democracy than Trump.

He also says Biden is spoiler for his campaign and calls for him to drop out.

We should add that there are now even RFK, Jr commercials on cable TV which we find truly amazing.

There is also a UK Reform Party, they way. , Reform UK, is a pro-Brexit, anti Covid-19 lockdown party whose most famous candidate, and leader, is one Nigel Farage, who will be standing for Parliament on their next general election, on July 4^th, a date one would think the British would rather not remember.

Reform Party Nominates RFKJ

Libertarians Chasing the Presidency

By Bob Small

Back in March, when my choice of the winner of the second 2024 Free and Equal Debates was one Chase Oliver we didn’t know that he would then become the winner of the recent, and hotly-contested Libertarian Presidential contest.

He beat out nine other candidates, including R. F. K.,Jr. at the recent DC convention.

The Libertarians will be on the ballot in at least 37 states. Like the Constitution and Green Parties, they won’t know their Pennsylvania ballot status until August, at least.

The Convention’s theme was “Become Ungovernable”.

The party “called for the release of the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, “ among other proposals.

Among the other quotes from Mr. Oliver is his self-description as being “armed and gay”

 “If you are living your life in peace,” then your life “is your life, your body is your body, your business is your business.”

He also reached out to younger voters who “don’t want octogenarians running their lives.”

He also added that “I’m ready to continue to be a fly in the ointment of the two-party system,” .

Chase Oliver has been running for president for the last year. He has appeared on CNN, CSPAN, FOX Business, Reason TV and Vice Media., among many. He has been profiled in Bloomberg, the Guardian, the New York Times, Rolling Stone and the Washington Post. One of the quotes in the above website is  “Armed people are harder to oppress and harder to attack.”

He has worked as a sales account executive and HR representative, among other jobs. He was in the restaurant industry for 13 years, and the corporate maritime trade industry.”

Other information is included in Chase Oliver and Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Party nominee for president

His running mate is Mike ter Maat who believes in the “Gold New Deal” and “police and justice reform”, among others.

Libertarians Chasing the Presidency