Socialist student groups have cropped up this year on college campuses all throughout Ohio as the memory of McCarthyism and the Cold War shrinks away.
Among the schools where the groups have formed are Wright State, Ohio State University, Kent State, Youngstown State, University of Cincinnati, Ohio Wesleyan, Xavier and Ohio University, in addition to established groups at Oberlin and Wooster.
Dan La Botz, the Socialist Party candidate for Senate, said the moment feels right for the idea to take hold.
When you have that many people who are hurt
people are looking for answers La Botz said. The Tea Party was giving the wrong answer.
He said that in a time where government is tangled in corporate interest, supporting a third party caught in the same snarl won't change anything. He added, however, that Tea Party attacks on Barack Obama, describing the president as a socialist have brought the definition of the term to the front of political conversation.
We're not asking for everyone to have all the same things; that is one of the biggest misconceptions
said Tyler Barton, a senior studying chemistry and treasurer of Young Democratic Socialists at Ohio University. He said not everyone needs to have the same TV, same job or the same pay, but there is a minimum standard of living that should be upheld for all U.S. citizens.
The Ohio University chapter of Young Democratic Socialists was originally set to be the Progressive Students Alliance until a decision the night before the Involvement Fair led Barton and President Brent Lawson to label the group as Socialist instead.
More than 95 students signed up.
La Botz's campaign has served as a unifier for Socialist Ohioans, but it's not a cause-and-effect relationship.
The Socialist groups are coming about independent of La Botz
and although it's been a rallying point
it's not the main reason many of these groups were founded
Barton said.
Barton said there is a general tone of being fed up and a want for change that people can identify with and that Socialism provides.
Michael Cannon, campaign manager for La Botz said, I think a lot of people are frustrated that our economy has been falling apart and the government is doing little about it. And the Tea Party has been good at scapegoating certain ethic groups and putting it on them.
Cannon said the Tea Party has the advantage of more money from corporate backers, but citizens should be skeptical of corporate involvement in politics.
Barton explained the differences between the Young Democratic Socialists and other political groups such as College Republicans or College Democrats.
We're a lot more ideological as opposed to political
Barton said.
He said that while the group has political motivations, it more often discusses issues such as a corporate-free Court Street and planning to work on more ways to advocate for free higher education.
The Republican Party started out as 14 people in a room
so it's not unreasonable to believe that 10 people in Bentley Hall can start something that has a real impact too
said Barton.
It's not about us sitting around
patting ourselves on our back saying
