Wednesday, November 06, 2024


‘How we win in the international age of right-wing populism’


Photo: Jonah Elkowitz/Shutterstock

In many ways what happened in this country on 4 July went against the international picture that sees right-wing populism’s appeal endure. A resurgent Labour Party, rooted in centre-left politics and with a manifesto for change, won a landslide and gave many people the hope for the first time in years that a different society, one that worked in the interests of ordinary people, was possible. 

Certainly, none of us should be under any illusions about the challenges faced by the Labour government in dealing with the toxic legacy of 14 years of the Conservatives. We inherited public services that have been continually undermined, an economy that had been plagued by short-term thinking, and a political system scarred by the erosion of trust under characters like Boris Johnson. 

This erosion of trust can also be seen in the US, where the popularity of Trump mirrors the heightened support we saw at the general election for the Reform party.

This is in part driven by people feeling that elected politicians and “the establishment” do not properly represent their interests and that society does not work in their favour anymore. As people look to who to blame, misinformation spreads, culture wars become inflamed, and attitudes towards immigrants harden.

The challenge for both Labour and the US Democrats is to remain relevant to these voters and to improve their lives in tangible, meaningful ways. Experience and history show us that a politics of protest does not cut through in the same way when people can see things are getting better.

We must deliver the real change that people are yearning for and which we promised to deliver. Without working people seeing a substantive improvement in their lives and a better future for their children, the simplistic slogans and ideas of the populist right will continue to flourish.

‘Challenge to Labour in 2029 will be holding off Reform and a populist Tory Party’

In my seat of Rochester and Strood, we fought a positive general election campaign based upon rebuilding public services and a commitment that Labour would put the interests of working people first. On the doorstep we heard many complaints that it was too difficult to get a GP appointment, that the roads were in a poor condition, and that crime and anti-social behaviour was going unpunished due to cuts in policing and council services. 

In overturning a 17,000 Conservative majority, we succeeded in convincing many voters who had previously put their trust in the Tories and UKIP (who briefly held the seat from 2014-15) that the Labour Party had changed and could be trusted to deliver the change they wanted to see.

But while many switched to Labour, Reform gained just under 10,000 votes and finished a strong third, their populist slogans resonating with many voters. The challenge for Labour here, and in the eighty-nine seats where Reform finished second to Labour, will be holding off the threat of Reform and a resurgent populist Conservative Party under Kemi Badenoch.

‘We can stop the rise of populist by delivering on our manifesto’

In my view, the way that we stop the rise of the populist right is by delivering on our manifesto – simply doing what we said we would do, thereby making people’s daily lives easier and restoring a bit of trust and faith in politicians. And, as government finances improve over the course of the Parliament, tackling those deeper structural inequalities in our society like poverty and inequality that are unjust and hold people back.

As a new MP I am also acutely aware of the need to continually work at the local level, including working with unions, business, the voluntary sector, and community groups, to build a broad coalition of change.

READ MORE: Labour ‘holding up strong’ with support for Budget among voters, claim MPs after national campaign weekend

The Budget last week was the first step in fixing the foundations of the country on which we can build a system that works for the many and not the few. By protecting the incomes of working people and committing to the pension triple lock, taking the first steps to fix our broken housing system, and supporting things that people care about most in their communities like the High Street and pubs, we have demonstrated that our priorities are well-aligned with most voters.

‘Sense that proceeds of success have not been shared fairly has given Trump a real opportunity’

As we wait to see which way critical voters in a small number of swing states in the US decide to vote, it is also worth remembering that statistics do not win elections. Despite the US economy experiencing consistent levels of growth in every quarter since 2021, a general sense that the proceeds of this success have not being shared fairly has given Trump a real opportunity to sit once again in the Oval Office. 

At the next general election, we must both have delivered on our promises and crafted narratives and messages that tap into how people feel and what they aspire to do or be. British voters will give their verdict by asking themselves, “do I feel better off than I did in 2024?” We cannot afford to let them down. 

US election result: first thoughts

 

“Trump will put billionaires, corporations & fossil fuel companies first.”

By Michael Roberts

Former president Republican Donald Trump is heading for a convincing victory in the US presidential election. The Republicans have won control of the Senate and control of the House of Representatives – a clean sweep.

It also looks like Trump will also poll more overall votes than the Democrat candidate Harris (he polled fewer votes than Hillary Clinton when he won the presidency in 2016).

Why has Trump won? A first thought. Nearly every incumbent government in office during the pandemic slump and post-inflationary period has been ousted from power.

According to the AP Votecast survey, four in 10 voters named the economy and jobs as the most important problem facing the country.

One quote sums up why sufficient numbers of voters switched from Democrat to Republican. “I’ve been a Democrat my whole life and I haven’t see any benefits from that. Democrats have been sending funds to wars and resources to migrants rather than to Americans who are struggling. I trust Trump to put us first.”

The trouble is that Trump will put billionaires, corporations and fossil fuel companies first.

I’ll comment on the psephology of the election figures when all the details are available.


  • This blog was originally published here.


Keir Starmer and David Lammy build special relationship with Donald Trump

Labour is cosying up to the global far right figurehead


Keir Starmer and David Lammy are cosying up to Donald Trump to keep in with US imperialism (Picture: Keir Starmer on Flickr)

By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
Wednesday 06 November 2024
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue

Labour prime minister Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy fell over themselves to congratulate Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Starmer congratulated Trump on an “historic election victory”—and said he was looking forward to working with the president-elect in the coming years. “As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise,” he said.

Lammy posted on X, “Congratulations to Donald Trump on your victory. The UK has no greater friend than the US, with the special relationship being cherished on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 80 years.

“We look forward to working with you and JD Vance in the years ahead.”

Number 10 briefed journalists that Starmer would welcome Trump visit to Britain.

Lammy has previously praised vice president-elect JD Vance. “We share a similar working class background with addiction issues—and we’re both Christian,” he said in the summer.

Those remarks came just after far right Vance said Britain could be “the first truly Islamist country that will get nuclear weapons”.

When Lammy was trying to get on under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, he knew how to make the right noises to appeal to grassroots members. He had called Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath” and “a tyrant in a toupee”.

What’s behind Starmer, Lammy and Labour cosying up to Trump, a figurehead for the global far right?

It stems from the Labour Party’s commitment to the British state—and its role as a junior partner to the US since the end of the Second World War.

The right and left of the Labour Party is committed to “Labourism”, the idea that what happens in parliament is most important to winning changes rather than working class struggles.

While the party may articulate working class people’s aspirations, it aims to take the reins of the British state and rule in the “national interest”. There is no such thing as a national interest between bankers, bosses, landlords and working class people.

But if you want to deliver reforms through the capitalist state, you have to prove that you’re a “responsible” manager of the system. It’s the politics of “nation” over class, which infects that Labourite tradition and trade union bureaucracy.

This means cosying up to the British state and bosses’ interests—and to the US.

It’s why Labour backs Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. It’s why the Labour Party has always supported Zionism even before Israel’s creation in 1948, in the hope that it would be an outpost in the Middle East.

And it’s why Lammy shook hands with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, giving Israel the green light to escalate its slaughter in Gaza.

As Lammy said, “The truth of our relationship is that it is a special relationship. We saw how special it was over the skies of Israel and Jordan where our militaries came together to stop those missiles falling on those two countries.”

What Lammy refers to was dangerous escalation in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, not some finest hour. And, more to the point, why does the US have a base in Jordan? Why does Britain have bases in Cyprus which allow it to fly missions over the Middle East?

Lammy’s only worry is that Trump wants too much of a “go it alone” strategy, which focuses on China at the expense of the Middle East and Ukraine.

But he’s hopeful that, by sucking up to the far right bigot, he can influence him. “There is a lot of rhetoric from Trump, but look at the action,” he says. “He was the first to give javelin missiles to Ukraine after 2015. He talked about withdrawing from Nato, but he actually increased troops to Nato.

“In a grown up world, in the national interests of this country, we will work as closely with him as we can and we will seek to influence him where we disagree.”

That’s what Labour’s grown up politics means—slaughter abroad and making working class people pay for it at home.

Let’s build working class struggles and the Palestine and anti-war movements where our strength lies—we can expect more war from Labour.
Labour’s special relationship with the US

Here are just a few examples of Labour governments backing murder for the sake of the “special relationship” with the US:

1949: The Labour government allows the US to set up permanent military bases in Britain and was key in setting up the warmongers’ alliance Nato.

1950: The Labour government sends British troops to fight in Korea, a proxy war between US imperialism and Russian imperialism.

Over 1,000 British soldiers—and three million Koreans—died. As the historian John Newsinger writes, “The only reason for this military commitment was to maintain the ‘special relationship’ with the US.”

1951: US Democratic president Harry Truman and Clement Attlee’s Labour government overthrow the democratically-elected Iranian government. The CIA and MI5 toppled the liberal Mohammed Mosaddeq, who’d nationalised British oil interests, and installed the Shah as an absolute monarch.

1964-70: There’s a myth that Harold Wilson, the then Labour prime minister, is the “man who kept us out of Vietnam”.

The Labour government didn’t send troops to Vietnam. But that was only due to the strength of the left and the Vietnam solidarity movement in Britain, which mobilised mass demonstrations in 1968.

Wilson said as much to US president Lyndon B Johnson in a telegram in 1967. “I would like you to understand our political situation here,” he said. “For two years, whether with a majority of three or a majority of a hundred, I have been able to hold my party.

“On the Thursday before (Soviet premier) Alexei Kosygin’s visit I had a hostile vote of 68 on a resolution specifically demanding that Her Majesty’s Government should associate itself with (a UN) appeal to you to stop the bombing unconditionally.

“The vote would have been much larger if I had not made a short personal appeal not to rock the boat.”

1999: In the 1990s the West intervened in the bloody civil wars in the former Yugoslavia.

Nato—led by Labour’s Tony Blair—launched a vicious bombing campaign lasting 78 days against Serbia.

General Joseph W Ralston, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was pleased with the policy. He said in September 1999, “Despite the weight of bombs dropped, Serbian civilian casualties were amazingly light, estimated at less than 1,500 dead.”

2001: The US’s real chance to assert its might came after the terror attacks of 9/11, when the US, Britain and Nato launched an invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban.

After 20 years, at least a ­quarter of a million killings and trillions of pounds spent on military assaults, the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government.

2003: Tony Blair lied to make sure Britain joined the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that murdered over a million people.

The Western invasion was an attempt by the US to send a signal to rival powers, such as China, that it was still top dog in the world.

Iraq was the only time a substantial number of Labour MPs rebelled against war—138 voted to delay the invasion, 84 voted against war.

Once again, that was due to the mass movement against the war organised through the Stop The War Coalition.
US elections 2024

Democrats’ failures allow far right Trump to win US presidential election

The Democrats' pro-genocide, pro-corporate and anti-migrant policies have laid the ground for Trump's return


Donald Trump, Republican candidate in the US election
 (Picture: Gage Skidmore)

By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
Tuesday 05 November 2024
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue 2930

A racist, sexist far right figurehead is heading to the White House. Donald Trump declared an “incredible” victory in the United States presidential election on Wednesday morning.

He has won 51. percent of the vote and 279 electoral votes of the 270 needed to win. Several states are yet to declare.

He took Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina—four of the seven swing states that determine who wins the presidency.

Democratic candidate, vice president Kamala Harris, had already sent her supporters home from the watch party at her headquarters. She was on 47 percent with 223 electoral college votes.

Trump also looked on course to win a majority of the popular vote, increasing his share of the vote even in states that went to Harris. And the Republicans took control of the US Senate in elections that took place on the same night.

Trump’s victory will be a boost to every fascist, far right politician and racist thug. Nigel Farage, leader of the far right Reform UK party in Britain, was already celebrating at Trump’s watch party after Georgia was declared.

A torrent of resistance on the streets, campuses and workplaces is required in the United States, Britain and elsewhere. Hope lies with the mass movements that have rocked US society and the uptick in workers’ strikes—but on a much higher level.

A Trump victory is a damning indictment of the Democrats, whose pro-genocide, pro-corporate and anti-migrant policies have laid the ground for his return.

“Not to be too glib, but could it simply be that what Americans have in common is simply that they don’t like the Democratic Party?” says one liberal New York Times (NYT) writer.

Around two thirds of voters said economic conditions in the United States are bad, with only 35 percent saying they are good.

An AP poll showed that eight in ten voters wanted at least a “substantial change” in how the country is run—including one quarter who said they want “total upheaval”.

Harris’s support for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians helped deny her victory in some key areas. In Dearborn in Michigan, a town with a Muslim and Arab majority population, Trump was on 47 percent of the vote. Harris was on 27.5 percent—while the Green Party’s Jill Stein, who ran on a pro-Palestine ticket, was on 22 percent.

Trump’s rise has been underpinned by the death of the “American Dream”. He fed off the accumulated anger and grievances at 30 years of neoliberalism, which depressed working class people’s wages, destroyed decent jobs and fueled inequalities.

He corralled a lot of that anger through whipping up racism, scapegoating migrants and deflecting anger onto “liberal elites” away from the real elite—billionaires, bosses and bankers—that he belongs to.

Trump’s infamous Madison Square Garden’s speech in New York dripped with racism and sexism—and revealed the far right play book.

He tapped into the social crisis facing millions of people, slamming Harris for “shattering our middle class” in “less than four years”.

He latched onto that deep pain and twisted it against migrants. “I will protect our workers. I will protect our jobs,” he said. And in the next breath—“I will protect our borders. I will protect our great families.”

Trump and the far right play on nostalgia for the “American Dream” in the decades that followed the Second World War. It was an era of full employment, rising living standards and economic boom and the apex of US power in the world.

But that American Dream is not coming back—and was always a nightmare for black people, women and LGBT+ people.

Trump, a billionaire backed by a substantial section of big business, offers nothing for working class people whether white, black or Latino.

But he injects racism and bigotry into people’s nostalgia for the American Dream and promises a return of US supremacy. “I will protect the birthright of our children to live in the richest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth,” he said in New York.

The Democrats’ lesson will be to move further to the right to match the Trump campaign’s politics and win over voters.

But this is precisely the strategy that Harris pursued—and it failed. As polls were neck and neck in the weeks running up to the election, she bent further to the right.

Harris pitched herself as a champion of abortion rights. She then campaigned alongside “moderate” Republican Liz Cheney—a well-known anti-choice bigot.

Harris celebrated the Democrats presiding over “lower undocumented immigrants and illegal immigration than Trump when he left office”. She criticised Trump for only building “about 2 percent” of the US-Mexico border wall.

It shows that lining up behind the mainstream “centre” does not stop the far right and racists. The mainstream politicians, with their pro-corporate and racist policies, fuel the far right.

The alternative lies with struggle on the streets against the far right and racism—and for a genuine alternative to 30 years of neoliberal attacks. We saw a glimpse of that with the recent Boeing and dockers’ strikes. And in the US, the movements must not fall in behind the Democrats.
UK

Jeremy Corbyn on Trump election victory: ‘We will never abandon hope in a more equal, sustainable and peaceful world’



Chris Jarvis Today
 Left Foot Forward

He also said "The election of Donald Trump is a dark day for reproductive healthcare, the rights of refugees and the future of our planet."



Donald Trump’s election victory in the USA has been sparking reaction from political figures in the UK. Among those to release a statement is the former Labour leader (now an independent MP) Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn tweeted: “The election of Donald Trump is a dark day for reproductive healthcare, the rights of refugees and the future of our planet.

“As we speak, people are being slaughtered in Gaza and Lebanon. Our demands on our governments have not changed: stop enabling genocide and end all arms sales to Israel.

“We are a global movement, made up of all faiths and backgrounds, united in our opposition to racism and hatred. We will never abandon hope in a more equal, sustainable and peaceful world.”

Image credit: Jason – Creative Commons

‘A climate change denier, a proud racist and misogynist’ – Green Party slams Trump following his election victory


Chris Jarvis Today


Carla Denyer also branded Trump a 'fascist'


The Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Carla Denyer has branded Donald Trump ‘a climate change denier, a proud racist and misogynist’. Her comments came following Trump’s election as the next president of the USA.

Denyer said: “A dangerous bigot, bully, and liar is once again set to become the leader of the most powerful country in the world. A climate change denier, a proud racist and misogynist, and a man who has sought to subvert elections and incite insurrection.”

She went on to say that the Green Party stands in solidarity with Americans who are worried about the forthcoming presidency. She said: “On this dark day, we stand in solidarity with all US citizens who fear a convicted criminal and a fascist in the White House. And we stand with all those around the world who dreaded this moment and must now live with its consequences, including those in Gaza and Ukraine.

“Together, those of us who believe in democracy must work together to overcome authoritarianism and the politics of hate.”

‘A dark, dark day’: Ed Davey responds to Trump’s election victory



Chris Jarvis Today

The Liberal Democrat leader branded Trump a 'demagogue'



The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has responded to Donald Trump’s apparent victory in the US presidential election. Striking a very different tone to the prime minister Keir Starmer, Davey said the results of the election mean it is a ‘dark, dark day’.

In a series of tweets, Davey said: “This is a dark, dark day for people around the globe. The world’s largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue.

“The next President of the United States is a man who actively undermines the rule of law, human rights, international trade, climate action and global security.

“Millions of Americans – especially women and minorities – will be incredibly fearful about what comes next. We stand with them.

“Families across the UK will also be worrying about the damage Trump will do to our economy and our national security, given his record of starting trade wars, undermining NATO and emboldening tyrants like Putin.

“Fixing the UK’s broken relationship with the EU is even more urgent than before. We must strengthen trade and defence cooperation across Europe to help protect ourselves from the damage Trump will do.

“Now more than ever, we must stand up for the core liberal values of equality, democracy, human rights and the rule of law – at home and around the world.”

Anti-racism protest planned at US embassy in response to Trump’s election victory

Chris Jarvis Today


Stand Up To Racism has organised a 'No to Trump' demonstration



Protesters are set to descend on the US embassy at 6pm this evening (6 Nov) in response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the USA. Organised by Stand Up To Racism, the demonstration will be branded ‘No to Trump’.

Speaking on the decision to call the demonstration, Stand Up To Racism’s co-convener Weyman Bennett said: “Trump is a racist who gives every fascist and far-right activist a boost. His last presidency saw millions march against him. We are coming out to oppose him – and his racism, sexism, bigotry and Islamophobia again.”

The London demonstration will be supported by other groups, including the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Abortion Rights Campaign.

Similar demonstrations are also set to take place this evening in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Stand Up To Racism has said that another London demonstration will take place on November 9.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward


Image credit: Alisdare Hickson – Creative Commons



Reactions from across the Labour Party as Trump secures his return to the White House


Credit: Jonah Elkowitz/Shutterstock.com

As Donald Trump celebrates his return to the Oval Office, Labour figures have warned that the party must deliver on the economy to stem the rise of right wing populism in Britain.

Keir Starmer was quick to congratulate the former president on his victory over Kamala Harris, saying: “As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.

“From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”

Trump defeated Vice President Harris after winning in several key battleground states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. He had campaigned hard on issues including inflation and immigration, while the Democrats sought to highlight abortion rights and threats to democracy.

Other figures in the Labour Party have warned the UK is not immune to the rise of right wing populism – and that the government must deliver tangible for the electorate to avoid this trap.

Countering right wing populism

Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, who was Labour’s candidate in Clacton against Nigel Farage, posted on social media: “It would be an oversight and politically ignorant to suggest or imply that the UK is immune from a Trump style politics. With Farage in the Commons, we’ve got our work cut out to quell the populist right here at home. A Labour government can never be complacent.”

Labour’s candidate in Islington North Praful Nargund also posted: “Lesson for the UK this morning from across the pond. A growing economy isn’t enough, if it’s not felt in people’s lives. Inflation is a big part of the story in the US election.”

These sentiments were echoed by former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell – who does not currently have the Labour whip. He posted: “The key lesson of the Trump victory for us is that Labour has to deliver the significant improvement in quality of life that people can feel or we face the rise of right wing populism that has swept America. Half measures won’t be enough.”

Outgoing President Joe Biden had initially launched a re-election campaign, but withdrew after a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June.

Caerphilly MP Chris Evans argued Biden should have exited the race sooner. He posted: “So looks like Trump is back. The Democrats only have themselves to blame – Biden should have stood down before the primary season. Giving Harris only 100 days to campaign was not enough.”

‘Inequality is rocket fuel for populists’

Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne said that the big lesson for Labour after Trump’s return to the White House is a simple one: “We have to have a project that closes the yawning gulf in inequality that divides our nation – not just inequality of income, but inequality of wealth.”

“Inequality is rocket fuel for populists,” he said.

Middlesborough and Thornaby East MP Andy McDonald said that the result was a “heavy defeat for progressive politics”.

He said that the world is watching to see how Trump impacts the rules based system and observes international humanitarian law that the UK and US were pivotal in creating.

“This will be a monumental challenge of statecraft for all of America’s friends and allies,” McDonald said.

A return to Trumpism

Trump’s victory and return to the White House have opened many questions about the future of transatlantic relations and European security – with the former president having promised to implement major tariff hikes if re-elected.

Many women in America also fear what it will mean for abortion rights as Supreme Court justices appointed by Trump were instrumental in the overturning of Roe vs. Wade – since which many states have implemented tight restrictions.

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy posted: “Stop blaming women wanting rights, as if the men who vote for a man who denies them aren’t accountable. Recognise globally we must rebuild the case for a politics that unlocks talent not hatred. Prioritise our relationship with Europe as our best defence of all our freedoms.”

Neal Lawson, director of cross-party campaign group Compass, said: “Trump’s victory in the US could be the final wake up call for progressives across the world, but especially in the UK.

“The USA has seen a big economic bounce back since Covid and yet Trump still won. Here, the OBR projects near zero increases in living standards and growth. These are the conditions in which the far right thrive.

“Harris seemed devoid of an economic plan, a vision for the future or have anything to say about the state of American democracy. Labour must look and learn and provide answers that provide real economic security and democratic hope.  Worse than Kemi Badenoch is waiting in the wings.”

‘London is, and will always be, for everyone’

Without directly addressing Trump’s election, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan reminded Londoners that their city “is, and always will be, for everyone”.

He said: “We will always be pro-women, pro-diversity, pro-climate and pro human rights. These are some of the values that will continue to bind us together as Londoners.”

Brent East MP Dawn Butler echoed his words and said: “We have to be vigilant to ensure that hard-won rights are not eroded.”


Why are some Christians opting for the American Solidarity Party?

(RNS) — The American Solidarity Party is gaining traction with a subset of highly engaged Christian voters who see their pro-life commitments as more expansive than just opposing abortion.


Peter Sonski, presidential candidate of the American Solidarity Party, with running mate Lauren Onak. Courtesy American Solidarity Party website.
Aleja Hertzler-McCain
November 4, 2024

(RNS) — Some Christians who consider themselves more “pro-life” than just anti-abortion have had enough.

Disenchanted with Donald Trump and no longer home in a party that this summer abandoned its plank opposing abortion, this subset of highly engaged Christian voters has been turning to the eight-year-old American Solidarity Party.

“The weird way that the two-party system here has grown means that you kind of have to pick which vulnerable person you want to help protect. And a lot of people just get tired of that,” said Lauren Onak, the party’s vice presidential candidate, who is a stay-at-home mom and self-described “community organizer” from a Boston suburb.

Onak cites both “the unborn” and “people living in Gaza” as examples of concerns close to their hearts that neither major party consistently defends.


Discussed since 2011 but only legally incorporated in 2016, the party calls itself “the fastest-growing political party in the United States.” In its first presidential cycle, its candidate drew 6,697 votes, then 42,305 in the 2020 presidential campaign. This year, the party is on the ballot in six states and has write-in access in the majority.

Peter Sonski, the party’s presidential candidate, is a highly involved Catholic, as is Onak. While the party has attracted some high-profile evangelical Christian boosters, many of the most enthusiastic supporters of the party are Catholic, and the party’s platform closely resembles the Vatican’s guidance on public policy issues and Catholic social teaching.

Pope Francis has called both Kamala Harris and Trump “against life” for their stances on abortion and migration, respectively.
RELATED: Pope slams Harris and Trump on anti-life stances, urges Catholics to vote for ‘lesser evil’

Sonski, a graduate of The Catholic University of America, worked for eight years as director of communications at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and previously served as assistant editor at the National Catholic Register, owned by EWTN News.

The father of nine, who lives in Connecticut, is against the death penalty and assisted suicide and has served in local office for more than 12 years, most recently on his local board of education.

American Media podcast host Gloria Purvis, a former host of an EWTN radio show, has educated Catholics about the American Solidarity Party.

“It’s no secret that Harris-Walz is pro-abortion,” she told RNS. “That’s not news, but what is news to many is that Trump-Vance support abortion and IVF and a host of other anti-life positions. What’s also news to people is that there is a third party that doesn’t support any of that.” Purvis has also said the “racist rhetoric” of the Trump campaign undermines “a culture of life.”


A supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, argues about abortion rights with supporters of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, protesting alongside an event kicking off a national “Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour” by the Harris-Walz campaign, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Boynton Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

The ASP platform opposes abortion, in-vitro fertilization, the death penalty, euthanasia, no-fault divorce, same-sex marriage, gestational surrogacy, pornography, cash bail, federal subsidies for fossil fuels, highway expansion, most military intervention and American arms sales to foreign countries. It promotes guaranteed universal health care, labor unions, “generous” asylum policies, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children and subsidies for Indigenous land restoration.

Its candidates speak the language of Catholic social teaching, and Onak’s underlined the importance of local political races. “The Solidarity approach is building up communities,” she said. “It’s based on the principle of subsidiarity; the people closest to a decision should be stakeholders in making that decision.”

Onak emphasized that, while driven by Christian thinking, the party embraces religious pluralism and is not a Christian nationalist movement. Instead its leaders apply Christian ideas “to policy in ways that can help everyone,” noting that “everybody comes with their perspective.

Six party members are currently in local elected office, and beyond the Sonski-Onak ticket, 13 are running for office: three for the U.S. Senate, one for the U.S. House of Representatives, two for state legislatures, two for other state positions, and five for the Lombard library board in Illinois.

Of those, only two are women. Onak said that while many couples are involved in the party, often only one spouse runs for office, adding, “There can be for women, at least in my experience, a sort of intimidation around politics or thinking that you need to be an expert to jump in,” a misconception she is working to dispel.

Onak voted for the American Solidarity Party presidential candidate in 2020, but first logged on to a party meeting shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Having grown up in a Democratic family, she said she became a single-issue abortion Republican voter in college. But witnessing the events of Jan. 6 and their fallout “and realizing that people had really stopped communicating and trying to see things from each other’s point of view,” Onak said, “I felt like I needed to contribute to the political world in a way that felt positive, that felt in line with my values.”

“I felt like my children would ask me, what did you do to make things better?” she said, “and I wanted to have an answer.”

While Catholics have taken the most prominent roles in the party, particularly this election cycle, some Protestants have become vocal advocates. Matthew Martens, a lawyer and author of the 2023 book “Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal,” has written several articles, many social media posts and appeared on a Christianity Today podcast speaking about his support for the party.

Martens said his affiliation as a Southern Baptist may cause people to draw certain political conclusions; he’s largely voted Republican, but never for Trump. “I believe based on the teaching of Scripture that the fundamental obligation of government is to protect innocent life at all its stages,” Martens said. “When I have the major party candidates of both parties disclaiming that obligation, I don’t think I can, as a moral matter, vote for them,” he said.

Martens occasionally disagrees with the party on tactical issues but wholeheartedly supports its goals. “I haven’t found Protestants who are put off by the platform merely because it has a close alignment with Catholic social teaching.”

Sonski and Onak are not the only faith-based alternative candidates inspired by dissatisfaction with the two major parties. Running to the left of the Democrats is Cornel West, the Dietrich Bonhoeffer professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary, who is on the ballot in 16 states, according to his campaign.

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West’s campaign says his campaign began during a “national crisis of moral bankruptcy and spiritual obscenity driven by a derelict duopoly of both major parties that equally places profits over people and the planet.” His vice presidential candidate, Melina Abdullah, is Muslim.

Also running on the left is Claudia De la Cruz, of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which is on the ballot in 18 states. De la Cruz, a graduate of Union Theological Seminary and former pastor of a United Church of Christ church, cites liberation theology as the inspiration for her organizing work.



A “Your Voice Matters” sign at First United Methodist Church in Madison, Wis., Wed., Oct. 30, 2024. (RNS photo/Bob Smietana)


In an incredibly close race between Trump and Harris, the votes that go to third-party candidates in swing states could decide the race. De la Cruz and West are on the ballot in Wisconsin, and West is also on the ballot in Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan.

According to Onak, taking votes from the major parties is part of the long-term strategy of the party because she sees it as a vehicle to effect policy change. “If every pro-lifer voted for us this campaign, the GOP would definitely think twice about having taken out language from its platform, which they did, protecting the unborn,” she said.

But their policy supporting direct cash payments to families has gained traction in both parties, she said, explaining they hope to drive support for their other policy priorities.

Podcast host Purvis said her hope for Catholics is that “we can again not be consumed by idolatry and seduced by temporal power and choose to follow the risen Christ who’s often found in the face of the poor and the oppressed,” and that “Catholics will not be beholden so much to parties that don’t speak for them.”

She also hopes that “the American Solidarity Party is able to change the conversation and the outlook of American politics writ large.”

Ultimately, Onak said that seeing people become reengaged and hopeful about the political process has been the best part of the campaign.

“We want to give you someone to vote for and not against, and we think candidates should earn your vote, not scare you enough that you vote for their opponent,” she said. “We really want people to be able to walk away from the ballot box on election day feeling good about their choice.”
Diwali brings light to Unitarian Universalist congregation

BETHESDA, Md. (RNS) — Diwali's transcendent message of good over evil comes at the perfect time, say Unitarian Universalist congregants, who celebrated the festival of lights in the DC area just days before a critical presidential election.


Alexandra Dass performs a Bharatnatyam dance to help start the evening’s festivities on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. 
RNS photo by Richa Karmarkar


Richa Karmarkar
November 4, 2024

BETHESDA, Md. (RNS) — As he stood at the pulpit on Sunday, the final day of Diwali (Nov. 3), the Rev. Abhi Janamanchi addressed his congregation in the words of one of the oldest Sanskrit mantras, the Gayatri Mantra, said to illuminate and guide the mind toward truth and righteousness.

“Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (peace, peace, peace),” chanted the group of more than 100 worshippers in response, their heads bowed. “May we carry forward the light, the strength and the resolve of this sacred celebration,” added Janamanchi, an immigrant from India who describes himself as a “Hindu UU.”

Diwali marks the new year in some traditions, an “opportunity to begin anew, similar to Rosh Hashanah,” said Janamanchi, who pulls tenets from all faith traditions in his sermons. “We say Unitarian Universalism is many windows, one light. While Diwali does have Hindu origins, it transcends a religious perspective. There is a universality in it and a unity, not conformity. It is a unity that is centered in diversity, in our differences.”

Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, established in 1951 in this suburb on the northern edge of the nation’s capital, was celebrating the Hindu festival of lights in partnership with Hindus for Human Rights, a progressive advocacy organization, adding a call to action to go with the holiday’s traditional dance, food, song and fireworks.

“We are living in critical, troubling and troubled times, and there is a need for us to be coming together in finding ways in which we can recommit ourselves to the work that we are charged with,” said the minister, “to rise up against injustice, to rise up against oppression and to rise up against authoritarianism.”

Rev. Abhi Janamanchi speaks to the gathered congregation on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. RNS photo by Richa Karmarkar
A large crowd filled in Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church for their annual Diwali celebrations on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Bethesda, Maryland. RNS photo by Richa Karmarkar
Lakshmi Swaminathan is a dance teacher and joined in for the annual Diwali celebrations on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. RNS photo by Richa Karmarkar

The line of oil lamps that many Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists use to light their homes and temples, said Janamanchi, represent the divine light of truth meant to “guide us through the darkest of times,” he said, including the looming American presidential election. “My faith enjoins me to speak to the moral issues we are confronted with.”

Pranay Somayajula, organizing and advocacy director for Hindus for Human Rights, told the congregation in his address that rather than treat Diwali as an “abstract or detached celebration,” it is important to remember that the ancient holiday’s lessons apply while “we are still grounded here in the real world,” and against the backdrop of injustice across the globe.

“If we are talking about this being a festival of good triumphing over evil, and knowledge over ignorance, and truth over falsehood, that actually has to mean something in terms of how we carry that spirit forward after today, in the way we engage with the world, whatever that looks like for each of us,” said Somayajula.
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Celebrated across the worldwide Indian diaspora over a span of five days, Diwali’s significance varies from region to region. Somayajula said Sunday’s event demonstrated the vast diversity of stories told on Diwali, of Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and victory over Ravana; Lord Krishna’s defeat of the demon Narakasura; and the Sikh observance of Bandi Chhor Diwas, commemorating the release of Guru Hargobind from Mughal imprisonment, along with 52 kings he freed along with him.

At the evening service at Cedar Lane, young children reenacted the battle between Krishna and Naraka, a duo sang Indian and American folk hymns and three Sikh men sang a kirtan, a traditional devotion.

“True Diwali is if we see the lamp as the name of the God, if we see the wick as the name of the God, and the oil as a name of the God, so that the life of the Creator should come to our values,” said Mandeep Singh, one of the kirtan performers.

Mmamohau Tswaedi and Balaji Narasimhan, a couple in their mid-30s from Germantown, Maryland, have been attending Cedar Lane services together since the pandemic and celebrated Christmas and Ramadan there. Tswaedi is the daughter of a Lutheran pastor from South Africa, and Narasimhan is from a religious Hindu family in Chennai, India.


The Narasimhans family brought their baby for his first year of Diwali celebrations on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. RNS photo by Richa Karmarkar

Bringing their 2-month-old son to his first Diwali celebration, the couple feels strongly that this congregation, where they have been “educated on what is out there,” is where their family belongs and where their son will eventually be able to “figure out what he wants to keep and what he wants to give up.”

“The culture where I grew up is very communal, and I find the U.S. is more individualistic, just generally,” said Tswaedi. “So I think spaces where you feel community — not necessarily that look like the community I grew up in, but where you can feel the togetherness — are places that you want to be in. And I think that’s what this space and events like this create. It’s that level of togetherness that transcends, like, one belief or another.”

Diwali is not new to Cedar Lane. Students at Lakshmi Swaminathan’s Natanjali School of Dance have been dancing Bharatanatyam, a traditional Indian form, at Cedar Lane’s celebrations for almost a decade. In 2010, they performed at the Washington National Cathedral, dancing to music of Hindu gods and goddesses in front of Jesus on the cross. For their teacher, the performance yielded a profound realization. “God is one. When you’re connecting with God, where you are doesn’t matter,” she said. “Whether you’re in a church or in the basement of your home, God is within you.”

It was the first Diwali for Beth Brofman, a member of the UU fellowship for the past month. A long-time member of a Dutch Reformed Church in New York, Brofman sought a more diverse and socially active spiritual community on moving to Bethesda, happily trading “How Great Thou Art” for “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley, she said, the latter of which played after Sunday’s sermon.



Congregants huddled outside to paint rangoli, or colorful mandala patterns, with chalk after the Diwali service on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. RNS photo by Richa Karmarkar

After researching the correct greeting for Diwali, and the most auspicious colors to don, Brofman said her first Diwali came at the perfect time.

“I’m actually needing to distract myself and to be around other people who will reflect my values,” said Brofman, a retired social services worker whose level of anxiety has reached that of the 2016 elections, when she was a canvasser. “Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, we will have that community of like-minded individuals who will continue to advocate for the things I consider important. You know you’re not alone, and the people we know are way more important.”

Janamanchi agreed and said Sunday’s celebration was well timed. “The ‘Narakas’ of the world are pretty active,” he said, citing the evil figure battled by Lord Krishna and his queen, Satyabhama, in Hindu lore. “Like Krishna and Satyabhama, we can recognize that we’re not in this alone, that together, we can overcome, overcome evil, overcome oppression and overcome injustice.”

“In all of this, there is joy,” he added. “Joy is not the opposite of sorrow. Joy is present even through sorrow and challenge and despair and hopelessness. And to me, those are also messages that Diwali presents us with. So if there is one thing I want people to take away, it is joy.”
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