I Hella ♥ Rosanne
Yep, she’s got my vote. Like many others, I was skeptical at first, but as I’ve learned more about Rosanne and who she is, my skepticism has changed to enthusiasm and I’ve come to believe that the Barr/Sheehan ticket is the best hope for our party and for our class.
Before explaining, let me note that, as the “Top Two” candidate in the 15th Assembly District (Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland), I endorse all the candidates and will be honored to share the ballot with whoever is chosen by our Convention. Until this week, I had planned to vote for the Durham/Lopez ticket out of the great respect I have for the Freedom Socialist Party. I have equal respect the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Socialist Party, and Rocky Anderson and hope they will all continue to work in our Party for real Peace and real Freedom.
To begin, let me stress that Rosanne is a socialist who, for many Americans, defines “working class.” She is one of us. She is an established author (I just ordered her latest, Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm.) Rosanne has expressed her support for building Peace and Freedom and for our Platform. Her endorsement of the strongest platform on the American left should calm the fears of any who might question the “purity” of her socialism. The addition of the “Peace Mom,” Cindy Sheehan, further underscores the left credentials of her campaign. Cynthia McKinney and the Black Caucus of the Green Party have endorsed Rosanne’s campaign. All this adds stength to a Barr/Sheehan/Peace&Freedom campaign.
In a few short weeks, the Barr/Sheehan campaign has put together an impressive web presence, as may be seen in the Rosanne for President website and Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox blog. She has addressed all the questions we have thrown at her in what is, to my mind, a more than satisfactory manner. However, my support for Barr/Sheehan is not based primarily on my intellectual assessment of their program (although that is important), but rather on my feeling that she is uniquely qualified to generate the kind of mass enthusiasm needed to transform us into a mass movement.
A Barr/Sheehan campaign will speak to millions of working class Americans in a way than our Peace and Freedom Party alone is unable to do. It will also provide an opening to the Occupy forces, our natural allies (although this may not be realized by many in Occupy). Like most Americans, they love Rosanne.
For these reasons, I will vote for Rosanne Barr for our presidential nomination and urge all my comrades on the Central Committee to give serious consideration to the campaign of Rosanne Barr and Cindy Sheehan. They cannot, by themselves, save us. But they do provide an unprecedented opportunity for us to transform ourselves into a mass, national party that speaks to the real issues facing the working class in America and the world.
Eugene E Ruyle Peace and Freedom Candidate, 15th Assembly
District Retired Anthropology Professor August 2, 2012
Yep, she’s got my vote. Like many others, I was skeptical at first, but as I’ve learned more about Rosanne and who she is, my skepticism has changed to enthusiasm and I’ve come to believe that the Barr/Sheehan ticket is the best hope for our party and for our class.
Before explaining, let me note that, as the “Top Two” candidate in the 15th Assembly District (Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland), I endorse all the candidates and will be honored to share the ballot with whoever is chosen by our Convention. Until this week, I had planned to vote for the Durham/Lopez ticket out of the great respect I have for the Freedom Socialist Party. I have equal respect the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Socialist Party, and Rocky Anderson and hope they will all continue to work in our Party for real Peace and real Freedom.
To begin, let me stress that Rosanne is a socialist who, for many Americans, defines “working class.” She is one of us. She is an established author (I just ordered her latest, Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm.) Rosanne has expressed her support for building Peace and Freedom and for our Platform. Her endorsement of the strongest platform on the American left should calm the fears of any who might question the “purity” of her socialism. The addition of the “Peace Mom,” Cindy Sheehan, further underscores the left credentials of her campaign. Cynthia McKinney and the Black Caucus of the Green Party have endorsed Rosanne’s campaign. All this adds stength to a Barr/Sheehan/Peace&Freedom campaign.
In a few short weeks, the Barr/Sheehan campaign has put together an impressive web presence, as may be seen in the Rosanne for President website and Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox blog. She has addressed all the questions we have thrown at her in what is, to my mind, a more than satisfactory manner. However, my support for Barr/Sheehan is not based primarily on my intellectual assessment of their program (although that is important), but rather on my feeling that she is uniquely qualified to generate the kind of mass enthusiasm needed to transform us into a mass movement.
A Barr/Sheehan campaign will speak to millions of working class Americans in a way than our Peace and Freedom Party alone is unable to do. It will also provide an opening to the Occupy forces, our natural allies (although this may not be realized by many in Occupy). Like most Americans, they love Rosanne.
For these reasons, I will vote for Rosanne Barr for our presidential nomination and urge all my comrades on the Central Committee to give serious consideration to the campaign of Rosanne Barr and Cindy Sheehan. They cannot, by themselves, save us. But they do provide an unprecedented opportunity for us to transform ourselves into a mass, national party that speaks to the real issues facing the working class in America and the world.
Eugene E Ruyle Peace and Freedom Candidate, 15th Assembly
District Retired Anthropology Professor August 2, 2012