Social Democrats USA
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- For the earlier political party, see the Social Democratic Party (USA).
Social Democrats USA (SD USA), one of the successors of the Socialist Party of America, is a small coalition of intellectuals and trade unionists.
SD USA was one of three organizations to emerge from a split of the Socialist Party of America in 1972-1973. In 1972, the leadership of the SPA around Max Shachtman, believing that the Vietnam War was a necessary struggle against totalitarianism, endorsed Scoop Jackson for President and refused to oppose Richard Nixon after Jackson was defeated in the Democratic primaries. In response, two groups broke off: the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, which supported anti-war Democrat George McGovern, and the Union for Democratic Socialism, which backed People's Party anti-war candidate Benjamin Spock. The DSOC later became the Democratic Socialists of America and the UDS later became the Socialist Party USA. Following the split, the Shachtmanites who remained in the SPA changed its name to Social Democrats USA.
Although most of SD USA's members are Democrats, the organization has maintained ties with both major political parties and has, in the past, supported a strongly interventionist foreign policy. It has been unwavering in its support for Israel, and also strongly supported the 2003 war in Iraq. The organization retains its membership in the Socialist International despite its relatively conservative orientation. This may not be as idiosyncratic as it might seem however - under Tony Blair, with the domination of his Labour Party in concert with the former ruling parties of the Soviet bloc over the International, it has come to generally favor the international policies of the United States under George W. Bush.
[edit] Cold War
In the 1970s and 1980s, members of the SDUSA were sometimes derisively referred to as "State Department socialists" for their support of hard-line Cold War policies. Prominent SDUSA members served in the Reagan Administration on the staff of the State Department, Labor Department and on Jeane Kirkpatrick's staff when she was US Ambassador to the United Nations. SDUSA members have long been prominent at the National Endowment for Democracy and Freedom House[citation needed].
[edit] Influence on Neoconservative movement
Although some former members are now neoconservatives, the SDUSA as an organization holds many positions that are different from those of most neoconservatives. For instance, they strongly support workers' rights at home and overseas and oppose many of the Bush administration's domestic policies. In the 1980s the SDUSA was perhaps best known for its support of Poland's Solidarity trade union.
One of its leading members was the late civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, though by the 1980s he was distant from the organization and focused most of his energies on the issue of gay rights. Other notable members have included Ben Wattenberg, Sandra Feldman, and Ronald Radosh.
There has been much speculation that the death of the group's long time leader Penn Kemble will be SDUSA's demise. This tone was strongly felt in the recently published reminiscences of SD veteran Joshua Muravchik in Commentary Magazine
