Vol. 74/No. 28      July 26, 2010

After six hours of collecting signatures and talking with working people throughout the city, campaigners shared experiences over a barbecue dinner and short program, chaired by Williamson.

“Socialist workers are getting a serious hearing from working people and youth. We are finding an openness to our explanation of why there is such a crisis for workers and farmers today and what the working class can do about it,” said Williamson. “Young people are very much affected, too. Today a student I had previously met at a local community college was convinced to sign my petition after I pointed to recent struggles like the Puerto Rican students’ strike that show a fight is possible.”

Campaign supporters sold two Militant subscriptions and 19 copies of the paper to working people who wanted to know more about what communists stand for. Six people signed up to get more information about the campaign.

Diana Newberry, SWP candidate for governor of Minnesota, spoke about the recent one-day strike by Minnesota nurses, who signed a three-year contract July 6, winning some of their demands. “I met nurses here who have followed the Minnesota nurses’ fight,” she said. “The nurses did something important—they began discussing how to use their union to defend their wages and protect health and safety.”

“Think about the recent explosion of the BP oil rig and the destruction it unleashed,” Newberry continued. “Our life and limb can be saved by timely action as we begin to strengthen, organize, and mobilize union power.”

Stephanie Wright, 40, a certified nursing assistant and mother of three, signed a petition for the socialist candidates after explaining her concerns about what is happening to working people. “Everything’s going up,” she told Trowe. “After you pay your bills, there’s nothing.”

Andy Jackson, 82, a retired farmer and Maytag assembly worker from Newton, Iowa, responded to Trowe’s comments that we’re in the first years of the kind of economic depression not seen since the 1930s. “Yes, my wife and I were just talking about how our children and grandchildren are going into a different cycle from anything they’ve experienced,” Jackson said.

The following day Williamson and Meyers met supporters in Davenport, Iowa, where they spent the afternoon campaigning. They collected 136 signatures and sold six Militants. In Des Moines, petitioners had a class titled “Korea Must Be One,” and then went to locations around the city.

After the first weekend, campaign supporters have collected 522 signatures for Rosenfeld and Meyers, one-quarter of the goal, and 375 signatures for Williamson, more than 80 percent of what is needed. “Our goal is to wrap up collecting signatures on the July 24 weekend and file them soon after,” Trowe said. “But we will continue campaigning across Iowa after that.” The campaign is going to Iowa State University this week, and to the Iowa City Book Fair on July 17.
 
 
Related articles:
Socialist campaign in N.Y. defends workers’ interests
Socialist candidate: Cops serve capitalists’ interests  
 
 
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