Labour Party (USA)

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Labour Party

Social Democratic Labour party
AbbreviationLP, SDLP
LeaderGreg Casar
FounderHenry George
Eugene V. Debs
Founded4 June 1901
HeadquartersWashington DC
IdeologySocial Democracy
Democratic Socialism
Progressivism
Laborism
Georgism
Factions
Agrarian Socialism
Co-operativism
Political positionCenter Left to Left-Wing
ReligionSecular
National affiliationPopular Front
Colors  Rose-Red
House of Representatives
133 / 435
Senate
31 / 100

The Labour Party, officially the Social Democratic Labour Party of America, is a political party in the United States of America. The party would be co-founded by Henry George and Eugene V. Debs on June 4th, 1901. Currently, its headquarters are in Washington DC, however conventions are often times hosted in various cities such as Chicago and Detroit. The party is a center-left to left-wing party that believes in Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, Progressivism, and Georgism, whilst factions within the party believe in Agrarian Socialism and the use of Cooperatives. The Party currently has 133 members in the House of Representatives, including 9 members of its associate party, Bloc Acadie, and 31st members in the Senate, including 2 members of Bloc Acadie. Formerly a Big Tent Socialist and Georgist party, the party would be reorganized under a more moderate Socialist Progressive light under the leadership of various leaders such as George Norris, Upton Sinclair, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Henry Wallace to become more appealing. The party itself has most appeal amongst working class workers in the rust belt whilst simultaneously often times competing with the People's Party and the Reform Party over rural farmers. .

History

<nowiki>The History of the Labor Party largely begins in the Gilded Age, where a rise in Progressivism combined with the relative poor working conditions amongst many as well as the rise in income inequality had led to many left-wing, progressive, and reform movements to become increasingly popular amongst the people. Various cities had been crammed with pollution, overcrowdedness, as well as poor living conditions for families, forced to be compacted in small apartment tenements, without sewage, water, etc. Numerous issues amongst working class Americans, with terrible work quality and efficiency would exist throughout the Gilded Age, as income inequality continued to skyrocket across the American nation. It would be this that various reform movements would begin to rise up, one of them being Georgism, a political movement, that advocated for the creation of a Land Value Tax in order to drive down land costs and to ensure that land could be developed without accumulating property taxes, land speculation would be prevented, and that the goverment would have more money to lower other taxes. Many Georgists believed that in turn, the government could use this extra money to also increase social spending for the poor and needy. Other political movements that came to rise would be the rise of left-wing movements, such as Socialists, Democratic Socialists, and Marxists, who advocated for, among other things, more proletarian control in order to effectively establish worker welfare and to ensure that the working class would control the means of production, although unlike other Socialist movements they largely agreed to exist within the democratic process. These two groups, the Georgists and the Broad Socialist Groups, would unite together into the United Labor Party, nominating Henry George for mayor of New York in 1886. Despite all odds, George would succeed in the elections, defeating Democrat Hewitt and Republican Roosevelt in the elections. His term is widely considered to be one of the best terms in the city's history, as in his two terms as mayor, he clamped down on Corruption, led an investigation on political machines, as well as implemented many social and economic policies that succeeded in lifting many out of poverty by implementing government jobs, as well as implemented a city Land Value Tax to replace Property Taxes, as well as instituting a law banning tenements, fixing the city sewage and waste issues, increasing the rights and quality of workers by forcing through factorial control systems and raising the city minimum wage. His term saw income inequality drop, and many lifted out of poverty. From his success as mayor, he would run for governor of New York, succeeding with the help of voters from New York City. From there, he would largely continue policies that worked in New York City, implementing a state Land Value Tax to replace Property taxes, increasing quality and rights of workers, amongst many others. His success as governor would attract the attention of many, as his popularity continued to grow.

Around this time, the Social Democratic Party of America would be formed as striking railway workers of the American Railway Union would launch, at that point, one of the largest strikes in American history. This party would attract many socialist movements throughout the United States, and quickly grow in traction, however soon found itself in cooperation with the United Labor Party in New York under Henry George. In 1901, the SDPA and the ULP would merge into the Labor Party, which essentially united the various left-wing labor movements in the United States under one banner.

Electoral History

Presidential

Year Candidate Result
1904 Endorsed Theodore Roosevelt Won
1908 Eugene V. Debs/Ben Hanford Lost
1912 Eugene V. Debs/Emil Seidel Lost
1916 Allan L. Benson/George Ross Kirkpatrick Lost
1920 Parley P. Christensen/Eugene V. Debs Lost
1924 Robert M. La Folette/Burton K. Wheeler Lost
1928 Upton Sinclair/Norman Thomas Lost
1932 George Norris/Franklin D. Roosevelt Won
1936 George Norris/Franklin D. Roosevelt Won
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt/Henry A. Wallace Won
1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt/Henry A. Wallace Won
1948 Henry A. Wallce/Glen H. Taylor Won
1952 Glen H. Taylor/Wayne Morse Lost
1956 Vincent Hallinan/Darlington Hoopes Lost
1960 Endorsed Liberal Party Won
1964 Endorsed Liberal Party Won
1968 Robert F. Kennedy/William Guy Won
1972 Michael Harrington/Irving Howe Won
1976 Michael Harrington/Irving Howe Won
1980 Michael Dukakis/Caesar Chavez Lost
1984 Carl Gershman/Michael Dukakis Lost
1988 George McGovern/Tom Kahn Lost
1992 George McGovern/Tom Kahn Won
1996 George McGovern/Al Gore Won
2000 Al Gore/Penn Kemble Won
2004 Al Gore/Penn Kemble Won
2008 Endorsed Liberal Party Lost
2012 Dennis Kucinich/Robert Reich Lost
2016 Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren Won
2020 Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren Won
2024 Greg Casar/Mark Pocan Won