Out of Left Field, Almost.

I was surprised by an article that I read in today's Buffalo News (May 30 2016).

Then again, maybe I shouldn't have been.

The Buffalo News actually ran an article (from the Tribune News Service) that actually mentioned the Socialist Party-USA candidate, Mimi Soltysik. Granted it was in an article that was being critical of Bernie Sanders. But an actual socialist was mentioned in an pro-capitalist newspaper.

And even interviewed. Now the article wasn't exactly flattering for Soltysik. Rather than focusing on policy positions that the SP-USA has in this year's campaign, it focused on the apartment cluttered with alt-rock memorabilia and cat toys. (I have 4 cats. Can I get a member of the news media to interview me? Please?) This negativity is not surprising.

Now, to be fair, there was some criticism of Sanders from the SP-USA perspective – he's a warmonger, imperialist, supports Israel's wars, and evidently he also supports some issues that are incompatible with socialism. What exactly? I would like to know specifics. This is not discussed.

And the Tribune paints a horror story of socialism (by which I think they mean Stalinism) – strict collectivism, no military, and no centralized police force. As a socialist I support worker owned cooperatives, community owned utilities like gas, electric, cable, and Internet (BTW – These have been shown to save the community members tons of money, something the pro-Wall Street media won't tell us). I see a need for police, as crime will exist. I see a police force that is accountable and responsible to the community in which it serves, has community oversight, and is opposed to racism and racist methods and practices.

And no military? Until the entire world is socialist we will need defense forces. What military we will have will be more along the lines of the National Guard and not a tool of large multi-national corporations. It will serve the needs of the people in times of disaster and other threats.

The entire article is not about the SP-USA though. There is more from the Green Party, an environmentally conscious party that supports some socialist policies, like single payer health care, immigrant rights, women's rights, and rights for LGBTQ individuals. I'm sure there might be a few more. They, however, advocate “green capitalism” - or environmentally friendly capitalism. I've heard Dr Jill Stein and other environmentalists talk about how if energy companies realized how much profit they (the capitalist companies) could make from promoting green technology, they would go into it much faster.

And the Green Party is given no space to talk policy in the article at all. Instead they (Dr Jill Stein & Howie Hawkins) talk about the Green Party members that were lured into the Democratic Party by Sanders and his rhetoric and how they are now starting to walk away now that they realize that the Sanders revolution is not going to change much given the Democratic National Committee's hostility to anything but capitalist policies in the party platform. They also talked about the Nevada Democratic Party problems – the delegate problems and the infighting at the Nevada convention were a bit much for some people. That and how if enough people defected from the Democratic Party & voted Green, the Green Party could qualify for federal election funding.

None the less, Sanders is committed to keeping his followers in the Democratic Party and away from revolutionary organizations that would change (or threaten) the status quo. The powers that be will tolerate Sanders social-democratic talk. But that's about it.

Sadly, this is about all we are going to hear about socialism and socialist policies in the Buffalo News. Never mind that in the 18-30 year old demographic socialism is more popular than capitalism. And that these people don't read newspapers but go on-line to find their news. If the News and other media organizations were serious about increasing circulation, etc, they would give more coverage to socialist candidates, parties, and policies. And not the negative Cold War rhetoric either. They would seek out alternatives to the capitalist pawns that spout off (wrongly more often than not) interpretations of what is going on and why.

But that doesn't support their agenda – prop up capitalism in any way possible for as long as possible.

The Green Party might get some more coverage as it gets closer to their convention in August. (Gutsy move on their part – having it in Austin, Texas. Then again Texas does generate a significant part of their electricity from wind energy.) But that's about it. I'm not counting on any more coverage of the SP-USA or any socialist party that runs a candidate in this election. Be it at federal, state, or local level.

So, socialists received some coverage in the News today. 

It wasn't very flattering and was more anti-Bernie than explaining socialist policies.

Then again, what should we have expected from a capitalist owned and controlled press?

The fact that we received even this much is amazing.