Social Democrats USA

:"For the earlier political party, see the Social Democratic Party (USA)."

Infobox_American_Political_Party
party_name = Social Democrats USA
party_articletitle = Social Democrats USA
party_
chairman = | senateleader = None
houseleader = None
foundation = 1973
ideology = Social democracy
fiscalpolicy = Left-wing, Soft left
socialpolicy = Left-wing, Soft left
international = Socialist International (lapsed)
colours = Red
headquarters = 815 15th Street, NW, Suite 921
Washington, DC 20005

website = [http://www.socialdemocrats.org/ Social Democrats USA]
footnotes=

Social Democrats USA (SD USA), one of the successors of the Socialist Party of America, is a small coalition of intellectuals and trade unionists.

SD USA was one of three organizations to emerge from a split of the Socialist Party of America in 1972-1973. In 1972, the leadership of the SPA around Max Shachtman, believing that the Vietnam War was a necessary struggle against totalitarianism, endorsed Scoop Jackson for President and refused to oppose Richard Nixon after Jackson was defeated in the Democratic primaries. In response, two groups broke off: the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, which supported anti-war Democrat George McGovern, and the Union for Democratic Socialism, which backed People's Party anti-war candidate Benjamin Spock. The DSOC later became the Democratic Socialists of America and the UDS later became the Socialist Party USA. Following the split, the Shachtmanites who remained in the SPA changed the name of the party to "Social Democrats USA." This name selection is notable, as the European social democratic political parties were uniformly opposed Fact|date=February 2008 to the very war which the Shachtmanites vocally endorsed.

Although most of SD USA's members are Democrats Fact|date=February 2008, the organization has maintained ties with both major political parties Fact|date=October 2007 and has, in the past, supported a strongly interventionist foreign policy. [ [http://www.socialdemocrats.org/IraqLetter3.html Letter advocating the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq] ] It has been unwavering in its support for Israel, strongly supported the 2003 war in Iraq, and has come to generally favor the international policies of the United States under George W. Bush Fact|date=February 2008, a stance which is also at odds with the views of the Continental European social democratic parties. [ [http://www.socialistinternational.org Socialist International] : for official positions of the SI ]

Cold War

In the 1970s and 1980s, members of SD USA were sometimes referred to as "State Department socialists", for example by journalist Michael Massing cite web |url=http://rightweb.irc-online.org/gw/2810.html |title=Group Watch Profile: Social Democrats, USA |accessdate=2008-08-05|publisher=Interhemispheric Resource Center] due to their support of hard-line Cold War policies. Prominent SD USA members served in the Reagan Administration (e.g. Elliot Abrams), on the staff of the State Department, Labor Department and on Jeane Kirkpatrick's staff - one of SDUSA's leading figures, Carl Gershman, served as Kirkpatrick's aide when she was US Ambassador to the United Nations. SD USA members have long been prominent at the National Endowment for Democracy (Gershman is the NED's president [cite web |url=http://www.ned.org/about/president.html |title=Meet Our President |accessdate=2008-08-05|publisher=National Endowment for Democracy] ) and Freedom House (SDUSA member Bruce McColm served as Freedom House's executive director).

Influence on Neoconservative movement

Although some former members are now neoconservatives,Joshua Muravchik, " [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/cm/main/viewArticle.html?id=10013 Comrades] ", "Commentary Magazine", January 2006 (accessed 15 June 2007).] , SD USA as an organization holds many positions that are different from those of most neoconservatives Fact|date=February 2008. For instance, they strongly support workers' rights at home and overseas and oppose many of the Bush administration's domestic policies Fact|date=February 2008. In the 1980s, the SD USA was perhaps best known for its support of Poland's Solidarity trade union.

One of its leading members was the late civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, though by the 1980s he was not active in the organization and focused most of his energies on the issue of gay rights Fact|date=February 2008. Other notable members have included Ben Wattenberg Fact|date=February 2008, Sandra Feldman Fact|date=February 2008, and Ronald Radosh Fact|date=February 2008.

History since 2005

There was much speculation Fact|date=February 2008 that the death of the group's long time leader Penn Kemble would be SD USA's demise. This tone was strongly felt in the January, 2006 reminiscences of SD veteran Joshua Muravchik in "Commentary Magazine". The SD USA website has not been updated since 2005, in 2007 the organization's membership in the Socialist International lapsed, [ [http://www.socialistinternational.org/viewArticle.cfm?ArticlePageID=926 Socialist International: North American Member Parties] ] and the two telephone numbers and one fax number listed on the official website have been disconnected.

Three groups (or at least three websites), http://socialdemocratsusa.org http://www.socialdemocraticpartyofamerica.org and http://www.socialdemocrats.org claim to be the current incarnation of, or successors to, the SDUSA. The relations between these groups are unclear and subject to change.

References

ee also

* [http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/rbmscl/socdem/inv/ Preliminary Inventory of the Social Democrats, USA Records, 1937-1994]
* [http://www.socialdemocrats.org/IraqLetter3.html Letter advocating the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq]