Comrades,
It is amazing how two great people can be born in the same month and belong to the same movement. Eugene V. Debs was born on November 8, 1855 and Norman Thomas was born on November 20, 1884. Of course, I learned about American socialism originally through reading about Eugene Debs in History. It eventually led me to reading about Norman Thomas. W.A. Swarmberg's "Norman Thomas: the Last Idealist" is one of the most enjoyable books I ever read. I like to tell people that the Norman Thomas Campaigns for President was the reason we had a New Deal in the first place. Although our ideas and reforms were taken from the Platform of the Socialist Party (the predecessor of both the Socialist Party USA and Democratic Socialists of America), we won in convincing people that the public accountability of certain services outweighs any benefit of the private sector. We've done a lot, and there's more to do. To Norman Thomas, I wish him a Happy 119th Birthday. We need someone like Norman Thomas today!
In Left Unity, "When you wake up in the morning to find out that your paper is Tory, just remember that there are two sides to every story." "If you want a symbolic gesture, don't burn the flag; wash it." "I believe in socialism, because I believe in humanity. "I would never trade one form of tyranny for another." "Today, far more than in 1914, our socialism must be
international and anti-militarist or it has absolutely no meaning at all." "How many television programs, address the failure to provide national health care, the unfair distribution of income in our country, and our low wages?"
Melvin Little
Socialist Party USA
Democratic Socialists of America
---Billy Bragg
---Norman Thomas
---Eugene V. Debs
---Tommy Douglas
---David McReynolds
---Bernie Sanders