Peace and Freedom in 2003? Perhaps in California
By Jim
Smith
In recent months there has been a
resurgence of progressive and left politics around the world. Lula da Silva and
the Workers Party won the presidential election in Brazil.
Socialist-oriented parties and candidates hold
power in Venezuela and Ecuador. Soon, Californians may rock the world by putting
a peace party on the ballot - and a party that was founded in Venice, at
that!
California has been moving to the
left for several years. The Republicans hold not a single statewide office.
Whites no longer make up a majority of the state’s residents, and the
Golden State is at odds with the federal government on everything from medical
marijuana, off-coast drilling to protecting our forests. Clearly, if radical
politics can become a force anywhere in the U.S., it is in
California.
The Peace and Freedom
Party’s obituary was written by many political pundits when it lost ballot
status in 1996. Before then, P&F had run candidates such as Black Panther
Eldridge Cleaver, Elizabeth Martinez, Dr. Benjamin Spock, and a number of
Venetians including John Haag, Rick Davidson and Marge Buckley. In the last two
years, the remnants of the party have been transformed into a new political
movement whose membership base is largely made up of Californians of color.
Without much publicity, these new
activists have signed up more than 30,000 new registrants and are closing in on
the 78,000 required to qualify for the ballot. Party leaders say they need only
4,000 members statewide to achieve that goal by February. At the same time, they
worry about the stringent enforcement of the California Secretary of
State’s policy of knocking people off the rolls if they have not voted in
two elections and have moved. That policy affects P&F more than the
Republicans or Democrats since P&F members tend to have lower incomes and
are more likely renters. If P&F doesn’t achieve the net gain of 4,000
by February, it will have to wait until October to qualify for the
ballot.
“We need ballot status
now,” says P&F organizer and Venice Chapter Co-Chair Yolanda Miranda.
“There are millions of working-class Democrats who feel they have been
betrayed by their party but have no where to go,” she
says.
“We are building a
socialist and democratic party that is militantly anti-racist and
anti-war,” says Miranda. “But we need ballot status to win
credibility with many voters who are looking for a left-wing alternative to the
Democrats.”
Peace and Freedom
describes itself as “...committed to socialism, democracy, ecology,
feminism and racial equality.”
It
is the only California electoral party that says it is based on a particular
class - the working class.
P&F
believes there should be democratic, public ownership of essential industries
and services such as electrical, water, transportation, communications and oil.
P&F is in favor of legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing drug
use.
The new Peace and Freedom Party
has focused a lot of attention on building a presence in the community.
“We are an everyday party, not just an election day party,” says
Miranda. In this regard, the Venice P&F chapter might be a model of
grassroots community organizing by a political party. In less than two years,
the chapter has initiated and helped to maintain weekly anti-war marches and
rallies on the Venice Boardwalk (63 at last count); helped to restart this
famous underground newspaper, the Free Venice Beachhead; campaigned for a
monument to the Japanese-Venetians who were taken off to the camps in World War
II; and initiated a slate of progressive candidates, including P&F, Greens
and Democrats who won most of their elections for the new neighborhood
council.
Miranda, who is co-chair of
the Venice Chapter, says the party is working to establish chapters in
communities and campuses around the state. “We’re not sitting still
and waiting to get on the ballot. There are too many problems right now,
including homelessness, no health care, no affordable housing and
criminalization of our youth. We need strong community chapters that can take on
these issues, and also point a finger at the root cause, capitalism,” she
says.
Registration forms are available
at libraries and post offices, or by calling 399-2215 or visiting
<www.peaceandfreedom.org>. You’ll have to check “other”
and write in Peace and Freedom.
Posted: Wed - January 1, 2003 at 08:37 PM