A forwarded post from David McReynolds, Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA. Note Doug's name on list to be considered :) -- NN
-----Original Message----- From: owner-jhurd_newparty at indiana.edu [mailto:owner-jhurd_newparty at indiana.edu] On Behalf Of DavidMcR at aol.com
First, Shannon can you relay this to RedYouth (it is a list I'm not on). Second, anyone is welcome to relay this to their own lists of "concerned citizens".
At some point soon the McReynolds/Hollis campaign committee wants to begin putting together a "shadow cabinet". Not because we have illusions a miracle will catapult Mary Cal Hollis and myself into the White House, but because we want to show what kind of people a serious socialist movement would put in positions of power and influence.
For your general information, in addition to the Cabinet itself, the key posts designated by the President (but subject to approval by the Senate) include the head of the CIA, head of Domestic Policy Council, head of National Economic Council (a great place to put someone interested in conversion of military industry), the National Security Council, Science and Technology, and about a dozen others, most of which are not of importance to those on this list (ie., Public Liaison, Press Secretary, Presidential Personnel, etc.).
The Cabinet posts are: Dept. of Agriculture
Dept. of Commerce
Dept. of Defense
Dept. of Education
Dept. of Energy
Dept. of Health and Human Services
Dept. of Housing
Dept. of Interior
Dept. of Justice
Dept. of Labor
Dept. of State
Dept. of Transportation
Dept. of the Treasury
Dept. of Veterans' Affairs
(And then, of course, the Supreme Court).
When I agreed to run on the Socialist Party ticket I made it clear then, and in later posts and discussions, that while I was certainly hoping the Socialist Party would win members, and I was unabashedly happy with being in the Socialist Party, I was not running "against" the Greens, and certainly not running against other democratic socialist groups. Instead, I saw this campaign as a SOCIALIST campaign, which must draw upon support of socialists from groups which could not, for whatever reason, give an endorsement. As well as from the peace movement, the civil rights movement, the gay/lesbian community, etc., etc. And from independents simply burned out by two corrupt parties.
So when I ask for suggestions on what kind of people might reasonably be set forth as people we would designate, it is to show that the broad Left has responsible people for high office. That we haven't a chance of winning this election doesn't diminish the importance of taking the electoral process seriously in laying out position papers, and in suggesting the kind of people we would appoint if we won the election.
I know that one of those seeking the Green nomination is saying he wants Mumia Abu Jamal as his running mate. That is the kind of approach which, while it has charm to it, is trying to have the best of both worlds - to engage in electoral politics while also engaging in a kind of posturing. (On the Mumia case itself, with which I've struggled, since I think there may be substance to the comment that "he is guilty but he was framed", my position is that I join in any demand for a new trial for Mumia, but if I were President I would issue a blanket amnesty for a number of political prisoners, including Mumia, on the grounds - in Mumia's case - that every person accused of a crime has the right to both a fair and a speedy trial. There is virtually unanimous agreement his trial was unfair. The time he has already served is the length of time for what - if he were guilty - would have been appropriate).
My question is one aimed at making us responsible. We can agree on the dissolution of the CIA - one cabinet post less. We can agree that the Department of Defense ought to be given its old and more accurate name - The Dept. of War. But who are the people we would have confidence in for some of these posts? I'd suggest Debbie Meier (of DSA) for Department of Education but I think she might be trapped in a bureaucracy and is doing more good where she is.
Think about the names of men and women you think qualified, who ought to be called to serve. Forget about the State Department - that one I already have named, Dr. William Pelz of the Socialist Party. But let me toss out a dozen names of people to help you think of others.
Ron Dellums / Grace Paley / Michiu Kaku / Saul Mendlovitz / Seymour Melman / Dennis Rivera / Angela Davis / Joel Kovel / Susan Brownmiller / James Steele / Joanne Landy / Jim Haughton / Staughton Lynd / Roger Newell / David Krieger / J. Hughes / Barbara Garson / Randy Kehler / Barbara Ehrenreich / Ralph Nader / Ron Daniels / Karin Kubby / Todd Gitlin / Doug Henwood / Leslie Cagan / Jay Schaffner / Bill Fletcher
I'll stop there for the moment - there are so many possibilities we could and should set forward - a commission on the Middle East headed by Noam Chomsky and Edward Said, for example. A similar suggestion of top people for Africa, Latin America. A commission on how to end the Drug War and what alternatives we recommend. Yes, these aren't all socialists. Yes, I've tried to find someone from every group to make it clear I really am thinking of the need for a broad Left, a responsible Left, one that needs to begin the process of defining itself.
And it wouldn't hurt to even list some nominations we might make for the short list for the Supreme Court. What about Arthur Kinoy?
Don't spend too much time arguing about the names on my brief list - suggest others. At some point in the weeks and months ahead a "shadow cabinet" will indeed begin to take shape. Part of a process which, after the election, might lead us - together - to think in terms of something similar to the shadow cabinets in Europe, where the folks in the shadow cabinet were always up to date, always competent, and always thinking of ways to expose the flaws in the administration.
Those of you in the SP, only Frank Zeidler's age keeps him off the list but he ought to head a special commission on cities and be a key adviser to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As Quinn Brisben should head a special Commission on the disabled. And many others in the SP whose names I didn't list because I didn't want to "front load" this suggestion to make it seem to be only an appeal to Socialist Party members.
I'll be out of town for ten days, so it may take me a while to respond, but I'll take note. All suggestions welcome.
Fraternally, David McReynolds Votesocialist.org