Socialist candidate Claudia De la Cruz moves to counter Democrats' Pennsylvania ballot challenge

There’s an simple way to counter it — get enough people registered to cover all the positions on the ballot. Or register as an independent and get enough support across the entire state. — but that takes two election cycles of support I believe.

For the socialist party, running for president really isn’t the best serious route forward; better route is to put congressional representatives in races where they have a chance of winning. Then they become actual swing votes that can affect policy.

Once enough representatives have been elected, THEN it’s time to consider a presidential candidate.

It’s because the PSL isn’t a serious socialist party. It’s basically a cult that depends on constant recruitment efforts to stay intact due to its abusive internal politics and constant shedding of members.

A national political campaign is one of the easiest ways to attract lots of new members who don’t know anything about your organization.

It’s very similar to mlm or abusive call center companies where most of the effort goes into recruitment rather than real organizational goals.
Even where there is no prospect of achieving their election the workers must put up their own candidates to preserve their independence, to gauge their own strength and to bring their revolutionary position and party standpoint to public attention. They must not be led astray by the empty phrases of the democrats, who will maintain that the workers’ candidates will split the democratic party and offer the forces of reaction the chance of victory. All such talk means, in the final analysis, that the proletariat is to be swindled. The progress which the proletarian party will make by operating independently in this way is infinitely more important than the disadvantages resulting from the presence of a few reactionaries in the representative body. If the forces of democracy take decisive, terroristic action against the reaction from the very beginning, the reactionary influence in the election will already have been destroyed.

Karl Marx 1850, Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League
- Karl Marx was an idiot, what else is new?
I totally agree that building grassroots support and focusing on congressional races is crucial for the Socialist Party’s long-term success.

However, running a presidential candidate also plays a vital role in raising awareness and bringing issues to the national stage that might otherwise be ignored.

While congressional representation is important for affecting policy, a presidential campaign helps to build a broader movement and can inspire more people to join the cause across the country.
- However, running a presidential candidate also plays a vital role….
  
  I disagree. It adds a veneer of legitimacy that may pick up a few votes, but that’s it. Nobody not already aware of real socialism is going to give such a candidate the time of day. Having such a candidate doesn’t magically give them access to the national stage. All they get is a slot on the already crowded ballot, and since they aren’t D, R, or a famous independent, nobody will remember them seconds after seeing them on the ballot.
  
  Grass roots need to be in place backing them up before having the candidate will make any difference nationally.