Vol. 73/No. 37      September 28, 2009

The Student Political Science Association hosted the meeting. Some 40 students and others came out to hear DeLuca, Norman Siegel, a past executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union who is running in the Democratic primary, and Alex Zablocki, who is running as the Republican Party candidate. Professor Lina Newton moderated the debate.

Asked what is the role of the public advocate and how would you use its resources, DeLuca said when elected she would use the office “to support working-class struggles” and join in actions that “advance the working class in realizing its self-worth.” She said we live in “a class-divided society. We need to fight for what will strengthen the working class.”

Siegel said as public advocate he would listen to people’s complaints to find out what the systemic problems are. He criticized the socialist campaign as being biased against the wealthy. “The office can’t discriminate based on wealth,” he argued. “That is antithetical to what public office is about.”

DeLuca, a garment worker, responded that under capitalism “discrimination is based on wealth. Those who own the giant corporations exploit the labor of those of us who work for them. We produce the wealth and they expropriate it for themselves.”

She noted this was the first debate the New York Socialist Workers candidates have been invited to, because the other debates have limited participation to candidates who have spent at least $250,000 or more.

“What is the single greatest threat to the public interest in 2009?” all three candidates were asked.

Zablocki responded that the ailing economy and unemployment are the biggest threats. His solution was to fight “waste” in government and not raise taxes. “This country was built on capitalism,” he said.

“The world disorder of capitalism and the counterrevolutionary assault on our living standards is the biggest threat,” said DeLuca. “We need to organize to make a revolution that can take power out of the hands of the propertied rulers.” She explained while fighting to take political power, workers should also fight for immediate demands, such as unemployment compensation for as long as you are out of work, no cuts in medical benefits for those who are laid off, and for a federal-funded, crash public works program to put people to work at union scale.

Asked what is the most important part of your experience, DeLuca said, “Joining the struggles of the working class.” She cited participating in solidarity activities for the recently concluded strike of Stella D’oro cookie workers, fighting for legalization for all undocumented workers, and her attendance at rallies in support of a woman’s right to choose abortion in New York and Nebraska.

Zablocki said that he was the “most experienced” candidate, explaining that he was a 26-year-old small business owner and licensed real estate agent. He said he had put a career on Wall Street “on the back burner” in order to run for public office. Siegel cited his training as a lawyer.  
 
 
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