Daniel Cantor, a former staffer with [[Jessie Jackson]] during his 1988 presidential campaign, and sociology/law professor Joel Rogers from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) created the New party, drawing many members from the [[Democratic Socialists of America]] and the civil organization group [[ACORN]]; the chapter in Chicago included former Maoists, Trotskyists, and Communist Party USA members who had gathered together under the group name "Committees of Correspondence". Among their most prominent members is [[Barack Obama]], first picked to succeed Illinois state senator Alice Palmer while in the home of [[Weather Underground]] terrorist [[William Ayers]]. | Daniel Cantor, a former staffer with [[Jessie Jackson]] during his 1988 presidential campaign, and sociology/law professor Joel Rogers from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) created the New party, drawing many members from the [[Democratic Socialists of America]] and the civil organization group [[ACORN]]; the chapter in Chicago included former Maoists, Trotskyists, and Communist Party USA members who had gathered together under the group name "Committees of Correspondence". Among their most prominent members is [[Barack Obama]], first picked to succeed Illinois state senator Alice Palmer while in the home of [[Weather Underground]] terrorist [[William Ayers]]. |