While Eugene Debs is certainly not running for president in 2016, another socialist is in the race. I thought this article about Debs might be fun to read.
"At his trial, Debs freely conceded his guilt. “I have been accused of having obstructed the war,” he stated. “I admit it. Gentlemen, I abhor war.” Facing a possible 60-year prison sentence, the aging Socialist leader refused to flinch. “Your Honor,” he said, “years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better. . . . While there is a lower class, I am in it; . . . while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”
"many of the democratic socialist ideas he championed—minimum wages, maximum hours, unemployment insurance, the abolition of child labor, collective bargaining rights, health and safety regulations, worker’s compensation, social security, and a variety of publicly funded services—having attained some popularity, became incorporated into the program of the Democratic Party and, later, enacted into law."
While a socialist party never had a chance, the Democratic party at that time was actually invested in democratic ideals and was not just a slightly more moderate version of the GOP. At this point in history some of the very things Debs championed and the Democratic Party built its platform on are now under attack.
Almost a Century Ago, Another Democratic Socialist Ran for President of the United States—from His Prison Cell
http://commondreams.org/views/2015/1...ted-states-his