2022 - A call for independent working class socialist candidates in Massachusetts
The working class needs a Workers Party
The capitalist class already has two political parties of their own. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are organizations built to uphold the capitalist system. The ruling class has differences among themselves when it comes to the specific ways that the working class should be exploited but they are united in their commitment to a destructive system that has outlived its usefulness. Until the working class develops a party of our own we will continue to be used and betrayed by parties that rule against our interests.
The working class needs our own independent political organization. We need a workers party that rejects capitalism and fights for a socialist future with the working class in political power. A genuine workers party needs to rely on mass working class support, use election campaigns to expose the true nature of the system, and build power in the streets. The Workers Party of Massachusetts is taking steps towards building the political organization the working class needs by running independent socialist candidates in the 2022 elections and we call on other socialist groups and individuals to do the same.
Building a Workers Party at the ballot box and in the streets
Over the past 2 years the Workers Party of Massachusetts has taken concrete steps to build a serious political organization capable of rising to the challenges we face. Our members and supporters gathered signatures to establish an official political designation which allows people to choose the Workers Party when they register to vote. We have also created a Workers Party Political Action Committee to support our endorsed candidates. We ran a candidate for State Representative in 2020 and received 5% (over 1200 votes) and have announced 5 Workers Party candidates for the Massachusetts Legislature in 2022.
Members of the Workers Party of Massachusetts are also engaged in a wide variety of mass movements and non-electoral organizing activities related to issues that affect the working class. Our emphasis is on working class communities outside of large cities, college campuses, and other spaces traditionally favored by most existing socialist groups. Our model is to pull together local organizing committees wherever we have enough active members to do so. These local organizing committees provide an expanded opportunity for working class involvement in political activity in new areas. The working class is everywhere. We need working class organizations everywhere.
Socialist consciousness and political organization in working class communities
Despite the unprecedented rise in the popularity of socialism and the growth in membership of socialist organizations in the United States, our movement’s concrete political impact in working class communities ranges from marginal to nonexistent. There are vast working class suburbs and small cities in Massachusetts where the material conditions call for socialist politics and it is way past time that we answer this call. We need to take advantage of the opening provided by rising class consciousness and take responsibility for organizing the working class into a political force that fights for our own interests instead of those of our ruling class enemies.
Revolutionary socialists need to create an organizing model that pushes out into working class communities and breaks our political isolation. Running independent socialist candidates can do a lot to establish our presence in new areas and allow us to create local organizations that last beyond the election campaign. Having candidates for office gives socialist groups a reason to go to new places and talk to new people. Elections provide the best opportunity for small political groups to deliver a socialist perspective to an audience of thousands or millions. Independent working class political activity is a bridge that can connect the socialist movement with the masses of workers who would otherwise be left to choose between politicians who represent our oppressors.
The Workers Party of Massachusetts does not believe that we can vote our way to socialism and we are realistic about the limitations of reforms won at the ballot box but we do see electoral activity as an important arena of struggle that can be utilized as a platform to reach the working class. Only the working class in political power guided by socialist principles can defeat the capitalist ruling class and their miserable system of exploitation. In order to win political power we need to use every opportunity to raise working class consciousness and build socialist organizations. Independent socialist electoral activity is the most direct route to achieve both of those goals.
A call for independent socialist candidates
The Workers Party of Massachusetts acknowledges the contributions of other socialist parties and organizations who we share common interests with and we believe that collaboration on electoral work can strengthen both our own organizations and the overall socialist movement. Our goal is to spread revolutionary socialist politics out into working class communities that have not been reached by existing organizations. The Workers Party invites all socialist organizations and individuals to adopt this outward looking approach and we encourage everyone to put this approach into action by running candidates for the Massachusetts Legislature in the 2022 elections.
We believe that participating in elections at the state level is the best entry point for bringing socialist politics to large sections of the working class. Our movement lacks the resources for meaningful participation in national politics and the non-partisan nature of local elections makes it difficult to use campaigns to build socialist organizations or consciousness. Running candidates for the state legislature allows us to present a socialist perspective on a broad range of issues and give us the experience to build stronger organizations capable of using every level of elections to fight for working class political power.
The Workers Party currently has 5 candidates running for seats in the Massachusetts Legislature; 2 for State Senator and 3 for State Representative. We also plan to run at least 1 candidate for statewide office with the aim of getting at least 3% of the vote and achieving official party status. Our party also has a goal of registering 50,000 voters with the Workers Party political designation. This will secure our status as an official party regardless of election results. We have also created a Workers Party Political Action Committee to raise funds to support all independent socialist candidates endorsed by our party.
Beyond just calling for candidates, the Workers Party of Massachusetts is willing to offer any assistance and share our experiences to help get other socialists on the ballot. We would also like to explore any possibility of cooperation between campaigns that could lay the groundwork for a broader socialist electoral alliance. Our entire movement would gain from the experience of having a variety of approaches to independent socialist electoral activity and we can learn from each other as we move forward together. We ask all socialist organizations and individuals to seriously consider participating in this effort to offer working class alternatives to the parties of capitalism at the ballot box. If you are interested in running as a Workers Party candidate, are part of a socialist organization that is considering running candidates, or are an unaffiliated individual who is interested in running as an independent socialist candidate we ask you to get in touch to start discussing potential ways to collaborate.
Workers Party of Massachusetts
(617) 297-7239
PO Box 5 Weymouth MA 02191
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