Is John Sweeney a Socialist? (RE: CIA feminist backs Gore

Tom Lehman uswa12 at Lorainccc.edu
Fri Jan 28 08:34:18 PST 2000


My definition of a socialist:

"That's a guy who want's to give everybody a gun, a badge and a firehose and put 'em on the city payroll."

Tom Lehman

JKSCHW at aol.com wrote:


> >
> > During his campaign for the AFL-CIO Presidency, Sweeney rather publicly took
> > out a membership card in the Democratic Socialists of America as one of the
> > marks of his break with the past. Since Samuel Gompers left his socialist
> > origins back in the 19th century, .
> >
> > If being a card-carrying member of a socialist organization does not make
> > you a socialist, what does?
>
> Uh, socialist politics? I mean, Felipe Gonzalez, lately PM of Spain, was head of the SP, and a neoliberal. He probably carried a card too.
>
> I'm glad Sweeney's there and I am even glad that he indicated a break to reflexive right wing union politics by joining DSA and advertizing the fact. But I called him comrade he'd probably have a heart attack. He doesn't want to take away the capitalists' property, he just wants a less anti-union environment more conducive to collective bargaining, and a higher, stronger welfare safety net. I support these goals, as any socialist would. But those are the limits of your politics, those politics are not socialist.
>
> --jks
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