Socialist Alternative Party On The Move

The success of Socialist Kshama Sawant getting elected to the city council is giving the Socialist Alternative Party the impetus to set up an office and develop a strategy to gain more traction.

[It] “was a watershed moment for the socialist movement across the country,” said Philip Locker, a national organizer for the Socialist Alternative party and the Sawant campaign’s political director.

While Sawant hires staff for her City Hall office, Locker is dreaming big about his organization. A recent recruiting event drew 35 people, and hundreds of people have expressed interest, he said. The party has about 80 active members in Seattle.

Locker’s goals reach beyond membership. He would like to see Seattle’s major labor groups leave behind their longtime allies in the Democratic Party to support Socialist Alternative candidates instead.

He wants to elect a slate of Socialist Alternative candidates, taking on housing, wages and health-care issues.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.