Party for Socialism and Liberation

[[File:CleanEnergyMarch-4-1470281 (27925276614).jpg|thumb|right|165px|PSL protesting in 2016]]
{{communism}}
The '''Party for Socialism and Liberation''' (or '''PSL'''), formed in 2004,<ref>{{cite web |author=((Party for Socialism and Liberation)) |date=June 21, 2019 |title=15 years of building the Party, growing and learning |url=https://liberationnews.org/15-years-of-building-the-party-growing-and-learning/ |website=Liberation News}}</ref> is an [[American]], culty, secretive, authoritarian, "[[revolution|revolutionary]] [[Marxist-Leninist]]"<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ford |first1=Derek P. |title=Making Marxist Pedagogy Magical: From Critique to Imagination, or, How Bookkeepers Set Us Free |journal=Critical Education |date=June 1, 2017 |volume=8 |issue=9 |page=10 |url=https://ices.library.ubc.ca/index.php/criticaled/article/view/186183/185417 |quote=I want to turn our attention to the magical thinking of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. As a Marxist-Leninist Party in the United States, the PSL was founded in 2004.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kroitzsh |first1=Aleka A. |title=Local socialists see the "fog of anti-communism" lifting |url=https://missionlocal.org/2019/08/local-socialists-see-the-fog-of-anti-communism-lifting/ |newspaper=Mission Local |date=August 2, 2019 |quote=The PSL espouses a Marxist-Leninist ideology, one intent on "fighting the war program in the U.S., fighting imperialism, and fighting for Socialism," said Gloria La Riva, a socialist presidential candidate since 1993 and a PSL founder.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Community celebrates 14th annual Enero Zapatista event |newspaper=Liberation News |publisher=Party for Socialism and Liberation |date=February 4, 2018 |url=https://www.liberationnews.org/community-celebrates-14th-annual-enero-zaptatista-event/ |quote="As a Marxist-Leninist party we strive to uphold the tradition of the right to self-determination for oppressed nations."}}</ref> [[political]] organization, which split from the [[Workers World Party]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kroitzsh |first1=Aleka A. |title=Local socialists see the "fog of anti-communism" lifting |url=https://missionlocal.org/2019/08/local-socialists-see-the-fog-of-anti-communism-lifting/ |newspaper=Mission Local |date=August 2, 2019 |quote=That small group became the PSL in 2004 when they split from the Marxist-Leninist Workers World Party after deciding that its leadership was 'no longer capable of fulfilling [their] mission.' }}</ref>  As for their authoritarianism and cultiness, it's constitution states among other things that, "Decisions that are made at the national level are binding on all members", "each party is subordinate to the next higher body", and "all members who disagree are publicly bound to defend and carry out party decisions".<ref name="constitution">[https://archive.org/details/party-for-socialism-and-liberation-psl-constitution-2022/page/4/mode/2up?view=theater Party for Socialism and Liberation 2022 Consitution]</ref>  The party also has a history of monitoring members' social media and expelling members for liking certain posts.

The party is among one of many small socialist parties in the USA.  The PSL states that [[capitalism]] is on a collision course with the people of the world and the planet itself and must be stopped through the establishment of a [[socialist]] [[society]]. The party's stated goal is to lead a revolution paving the way towards "socialism", under which a "workers' [[government]]" would be formed. The PSL proposes many radical changes to be implemented by this government.<ref>[https://pslweb.org/about/ "About the Party for Socialism and Liberation"]. Party for Socialism and Liberation.</ref> Considering their opinions on existing nominally socialist states, one can wonder whether this socialist society would be much of an improvement.

The PSL has a record of making excuses and offering apologies for bloody dictatorships worldwide: Syria’s Assad, Russia’s Putin, Zimbabwe’s Mugabe, North Korea’s Kim Jung Un, and China’s Communist Party during the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20241113000457/https://newrepublic.com/article/184236/american-left-problem-antisemitism</ref>

The PSL typically performs about 6th place in the national US Presidential election, despite usually doing relatively well at ballot access.<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_election,_2020 "Presidential election, 2020"]. Ballotpedia.</ref><ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_election,_2024 "Presidential election, 2024"]. Ballotpedia.</ref><ref>{{wpa|Party for Socialism and Liberation#Election results}}</ref>  Like many other parties, its members have been active in [[Black Lives Matter]], and have been active in other anti-racism movements.<ref>{{wpa|Party for Socialism and Liberation#ANSWER Coalition}}</ref>.  They are very pro-Palestine and will lobby local US governments about it that have little or nothing to do about the issue.

== Program ==
Under their "socialist" government, "all public officials, without exception, would be elected" i.e. no appointed officials, which would be "subject to recall at any time" by the electorate, and unable to engage in [[lobbying]]. They falsely claim "[[freedom of speech]]" would be universal, as the PSL also admits they would censor by government means [[bigotry]] and endorsement of capitalism.<ref name="Party Program">[https://liberationschool.org/program-of-the-party-for-socialism-and-liberation/ "Program of the Party for Socialism and Liberation"]. Liberation School.</ref>

The party wants to achieve fully developed "socialism" and then open the way to [[communism]] and the end of [[class]] society. The PSL states it would, among other measures, prohibit the exploitation of labor for private profit, implement a working week of 30 hours, introduce "a guaranteed living income for any worker who is not able to find or hold a job," ensure "paid parental and family leave for up to two years," provide "paid sick and [[disability]] leave," require "a minimum of one month’s paid vacation," outlaw renting and selling land, provide free [[healthcare]] and [[education]] to all U.S. residents (citizens or otherwise), and eliminate "all [[fossil fuel]] and [[nuclear energy]] use."<ref name="Party Program"/> 

The PSL would grant the right for self-determination to what it considers oppressed groups of the United States, including "[[African American]], Native, [[Puerto Rican]] and other [[Latino]] national minorities, the Hawai'ian nation, [[Asian]], Pacific Islander, [[Arab]], and other oppressed peoples who have experienced oppression as a whole people under capitalism." It would grant independence and reparations to Puerto Rico, and is open to granting the same to [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the Virgin Islands, and the Mariana Islands; it considers all overseas territories colonies.<ref name="Party Program"/>

==Defense of human rights disasters==
PSL is very anti-[[imperialist]], but only in its capitalist incarnation, with communist and Eastern imperialism [[hypocrisy|getting a free pass]]. The party goes to extremes to support anti-American interests. PSL upholds [[Fidel Castro|Castro]]<ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/salute-great-revolutionary-leader-fidel-castro/</ref> and defends the [[Soviet Union]],<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110929113218/http://www.pslweb.org/party/why-socialism/3e-socialism-and-the-legacy-of-ussr.html</ref> especially [[Stalinism]], [[Mao Zedong]],<ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/09-10-01-psl-commemorates-60th-anniversar-html/</ref> [[North Korea]],<ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-orientation-on-the-potential-of-trump-dprk-negotiations/</ref><ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/u-s-not-dprk-threatens-peace/</ref> and [[Bashar al-Assad|Assad]].<ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/confronting-impending-war-danger-syria-psl-statement/</ref> The PSL condones the Russian invasion of Ukraine and places nearly all of the blame on the US and NATO. Their solution is to disband NATO.<ref>[https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-statement-on-russias-military-intervention-in-ukraine/ PSL Statement on Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine]</ref><ref>[https://www.liberationnews.org/ukraine-war-whos-to-blame-and-whats-the-solution-a-socialist-view/ Ukraine War: Who’s to Blame and What’s the Solution? A Socialist View]</ref><ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-statement-no-war-on-russia-abolish-nato/ PSL Statement: No War on Russia! Abolish NATO!</ref> They also have promoted the false allegations of genocide against ethnic Russians in the Donbas region,<ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-statement-on-russias-military-intervention-in-ukraine/</ref> a claim promoted by Vladimir Putin with no evidence behind it.<ref>https://theconversation.com/putins-claims-that-ukraine-is-committing-genocide-are-baseless-but-not-unprecedented-177511</ref> The PSL also proudly promote [[Uyghur genocide]] denial.<ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/why-china-is-not-the-aggressor/ Why China is not the aggressor</ref><ref>https://www.liberationnews.org/chinese-people-boycott-the-xinjiang-cotton-boycotters/</ref>

To put it simply, the PSL's entire platform is the epitome of eastern campism i.e 'AMERICA BAD EAST GOOD NO MATTER WHAT' and why or how they'd think they'd get anything done with not only insane moonbattery that they deem qualify as foreign policy, but with how Congress is with both Democrats and Republicans is anyone's guess.

==Cult-like activity==
The party is frequently accused of being a cult.  They are somewhat upfront about part of this in their short constitution which states, that "all members who disagree are publicly bound to defend and carry out party decisions".<ref name="constitution" />  But their culty behavior also goes beyond this.
 
===Monitoring of members' social media / expulsion===
Ex-member Jake Symbol recounts having his Twitter account monitored by a senior party member and being called in for a meeting for liking a wrong Twitter post.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210524083842/https://twitter.com/JakeSymbol/status/1341006201623068678</ref>  Former PSL member Jacob further confirmed the party monitored member Twitter accounts by expelling those members liking posts which disagreed with a PSL national statement.<ref>https://rosegardendsa.substack.com/p/psl-is-a-high-control-group-with#%C2%A7section-psl-is-high-control</ref>  Another former PSL member states, “both the national body and local branches have ppl checking on members[’] social media and other online activity”.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20171017043958/https://twitter.com/pretendingtobeu/status/919763473352945665</ref>

===Lack of transparency===
The party publicizes almost nothing about its internal activity.  The PSL has held  around 10 national conventions since 2004, but as of 2024 never publicized in any detail who was running, what debates occurred, or which resolutions passed or failed.  The party also has a history of not listing its current or former central committee members.<ref>https://rosegardendsa.substack.com/p/psl-is-a-high-control-group-with#%C2%A7section-psl-is-high-control</ref>

=="Strategy"==
Despite being a tiny party with little leverage, PSL engaged in underhanded tactics, including opportunistically endorsing a celebrity candidate they privately admitted they didn't align with, delaying announcements to block alliances with other socialist parties, and attempting secret negotiations to trade positions or favors with other campaigns.<ref>https://socialism.com/fs-article/leaked-recording-reveals-how-party-for-socialism-and-liberation-psl-cut-socialist-candidates-from-the-california-ballot/</ref>

==External links==
* [https://www.pslweb.org Official site]

==See also==
*[[Socialist Party USA]]
*[[Democratic Socialists of America]]
*[[Green Party of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{USPoliticalParty}}

[[Category:Communism]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:United States political parties]]
[[Category:Communist political parties]]
[[Category:Far-left political parties]]
[[Category:Tankies]]
[[Category:Vatniks]]
[[Category:Anti-Western]]
[[Category:Genocide denial]]

Categories: Communism, Conspiracy theorists, United States political parties, Communist political parties, Far-left political parties, Tankies, Vatniks, Anti-Western, Genocide denial