In the past week candidates from New York and Illinois took their campaigns on a solidarity trip to Puerto Rico, joining commemorations of the 1868 Grito de Lares uprising for independence from Spain. Candidates Martín Koppel, for governor in New York; Paul Pederson, for U.S. Congress; and Chessie Molano, for Illinois lieutenant governor, found broad interest among Puerto Rican independence advocates in what they had to say about Washington’s imperialist war aims and the unfolding world economic depression.

The candidates set up a literature table at the September 23 Grito de Lares rally, which drew a few thousand people. Thirteen independentistas purchased subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial and some $200 in communist literature. Many discussions revolved around Washington’s war preparations. Many participants were also interested in learning about resistance among working people to the assault on their wages and working conditions, as well as the attacks on workers’ rights. The table was a few yards away from an ice cream shop, reports Koppel. The woman who owns the store was surprised to find that candidates from New York were supporters of the Puerto Rican independence struggle. She was even more interested to hear their explanation of how the anticolonial struggle strengthens the hand of the U.S. working class in fighting against a common oppressor.

She invited the candidates and their supporters for ice cream in order to talk some more and show them her photos of Pedro Albizu Campos and other independence leaders.

"I’m a patriot. It’s necessary to do anything we can do from here or from the U.S. to fight colonialism," she said, as she purchased a subscription to Perspectiva Mundial and a copy of Nueva Internacional no. 5, which includes "U.S. Imperialism Has Lost the Cold War."

The candidates also visited the island of Vieques, where Puerto Ricans have renewed protest actions demanding an end to U.S. Navy bombing practices there.

Earlier in the week the candidates had sold five Perspectiva Mundial subscriptions at an ecumenical fast demanding the U.S. military leave Vieques, and a picket line and benefit for political prisoners.  
 
Chicago campaign picnic a big hit
In Chicago, workers from meatpacking and garment plants joined other supporters of the Socialist Workers campaign of Joel Britton for governor and Chessie Molano for lieutenant governor at a September 22 barbecue in the Back of the Yards workers district on Chicago’s South Side.

At the picnic were four members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1546 who work in a nearby packing plant where butchers are discussing how to fight against a speedup drive by the bosses. Part-way through the day shift the previous week, they said, the company spread a rumor that an immigration raid was imminent. About 180 of 200 workers on the day shift decided to take the rest of the day off. When the afternoon shift workers arrived, most of them also decided to go home.

Gerardo Sánchez, the Socialist Workers candidate for the 4th Congressional District and a meat packer, welcomed everyone to the picnic and introduced Joel Britton, who explained that his running mate had joined the fact-finding and reporting trip to Puerto Rico. The event helped raise funds for Molano’s trip.

Britton also introduced the other Socialist Workers candidates in Illinois: Lisa Potash for U.S. Senate and Claudia Hommel for Illinois secretary of state. He condemned the U.S. rulers’ war against the people and government of Iraq and outlined other points in the campaign platform. In the discussion that followed one supporter asked where the campaign stands on the issue of the death penalty. Illinois governor George Ryan is reportedly considering a commutation of some or all death row sentences before he leaves office this fall.

Britton noted that Ryan--a supporter of capital punishment--placed a moratorium on executions in Illinois earlier in his term after more than a dozen death row inmates were released from prison after being exonerated, in some cases after being locked up for more than a decade. Britton said the socialist campaign demands that the death penalty terror weapon be taken out of the hands of the rulers in both Illinois and the United States.

A student from the University of Illinois took two buses and a train from the North Side to get to the campaign event. He had purchased the Militant at a literature table near the campus and came to the picnic to find out more about the communist movement. After some discussion, he decided to deepen his understanding of the socialists’ program, buying the Pathfinder pamphlet, The Working Class and the Transformation of Learning: The Fraud of Education Reform under Capitalism by Jack Barnes.

Two of the meat packers present signed up for introductory subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial and another renewed his subscription to the Militant. A garment worker decided to purchase four issues of Nueva Internacional to complete her set. One of the young Mexican workers who subscribed to Perpectiva Mundial also purchased Nueva Internacional no. 1.  
 
Soapboxing in Washington
On September 21, three socialist campaigners from New York traveled down to join supporters of Sam Manuel for mayor of Washington, D.C., soap-boxing near the campaign headquarters. One Militant subscription and the pamphlet Farmers Face the Crisis of the 1990s as well as several copies of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial were sold at that location.

Later in the day they took their soap-box street campaigning to Mt. Pleasant where four people picked up subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial and one bought El desorden mundial del capitalismo.

Another group of socialists campaigned at Howard University, selling another subscription and a couple of books. By the end of the day seven workers and youth had signed up to get more information on the Manuel for mayor campaign.

On September 21 Eleanor García, the Socialist Workers candidate for U.S. Senate, and James Harris, running in the 5th Congressional District, campaigned in a working-class neighborhood in Atlanta.

"Why can’t everyone have a job?" was the question that the candidates were asked most frequently. "They say we are coming out of a recession," said a textile worker from La Grange, Georgia, "but I just don’t see it."

Harris responded, "Capitalism is a system that cannot provide jobs for all. In fact capitalism cannot exist without joblessness and the competition for work among us. And now we are entering a period in which we are going to see increasing unemployment." Campaigners sold one subscription to the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial.
 

As of week two campaigners remain on target, but now is not the time to let our guard down. Special sales target weeks, set for October 5–13 and October 26–November 5, can help local areas get ahead in the drive. Militant salespeople are encouraged to set up or join regional sales teams, all-day sales, and other special efforts to get ahead of schedule.  
 
 
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