Yari Osorio knows he’s got a tough job in the US political arena. He’s the Vice Presidential candidate for the Party for Socialism & Liberation or PSL.
In a US political system that only favors major party candidates, Osorio says the task of getting his message out to the public is tougher than many may think.
Socialism is demonized in the United States. It’s such a criticized platform at times that it’s often used to attack candidates as shown in this picture of President Barack Obama depicting him as a socialist.
Osorio says that socialism is often misrepresented and shunned by a majority of working class Americans–a voting block that he says socialism actually represents.
Osorio has been involved in the Occupy movement as a prominent anti-war and anti-racist activist while promoting the ideals of Socialism.
Socialism is often a dirty word in American politics. In fact, if a political candidate is labeled as a socialist or have a somewhat socialist platform their political career may be over even before it started. But Osorio and others in his party are trying to change the perceptions of socialism and the negative stereotypes associated with it.
But for now, it won’t be through the usual channels. Osorio says he petitioned to be a part of the debate process but was shut out by the debate commission.
Osorio and Presidential candidate Peta Lindsay are on the ballot in 13 states — including New Jersey and New York. Osorio knows that his party has no shot of winning in November but says he hopes to increase awareness about his party before the next election.
