I signed on to this letter (click on link) very reluctantly with the following "comment:"
# 43 16:35, Dec 09, Alan Maki, MN
Liberals, progressives and the left in general have failed failed to articulate a clear program the American people can relate to. Obama is clearly a Wall Street con-artist and flim-flam man. Government has to become the employer of first choice in putting 14,000,000 people to work solving the problems of this country. National Public Health Care and Child Care Programs would put over 13,000,000 people to work. End the wars and tax the hell out of the rich to pay for it all. People before profits.
My reluctance was for these reasons:
1. Because I could see from some of the initial endorsers that Trotskyites would try to use this letter to argue for the creation of a "left" Party in the United States. We don't need another "left" Party we already have the Communist Party USA (and in spite of its current internal problems, it is being rebuilt.) Everyone is welcome to join the CPUSA... an example of this problem, below, is the comment by Trotskyite Dan DiMaggio:
# 243 04:01, Dec 10, Dan DiMaggio, MN
We need the most powerful united independent left challenge to Obama and the Republicans in the 2012 elections, as a step toward building a new left-wing party in this country.
2. Obama needs to be challenged in the Democratic Primary by a united movement of liberals, progressives and the left... not the left by itself because the left is too weak. The left should play its role as a catalyst in pushing to "Primary Out" Barack Obama.
3. What this country needs is a new labor-based people's party similar to the New Democratic Party in Canada and the old Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party... such a party should not include only the "left" as is being suggested by the movement splitting and wrecking Trotskyites; this party should include all those who are part of the developing historic coalition of liberals, progressives and the left--- free from the manipulative shenanigans for which the Trotskyites and ultra-leftists are so well known for trying to control people and movements.
4. It is foolish and absurd to think that the left, alone, can mount a challenge to Obama.
5. The Trotskyites are opposed to trying to Primary Out Obama because they have these fears that in some way this will contribute to building the Democratic Party.
6. This statement is very heavily influenced by this Trotskyite thinking in that it does not even explain the need to struggle for specific reforms funded by ending these dirty imperialist wars, taxing the rich and corporate profits. An example would be funding a National Public Health Care Program providing the American people with free health care through 30,000 neighborhood and community health clinics supported by 800 health care bases providing more specialized and complex health care requirements. Such a project would create some ten-million new jobs. A National Public Child Care Program would create over three-million new jobs. Combined with an expanded WPA and CCC programs we could eliminate unemployment in this country with the government becoming the employer of first choice enforcing affirmative action and real living wages all paid for with funds from ending these wars and militarism and taxing the hell out of the rich and corporate profits. In fact, a National Health Care Program could be financed just like Social Security... something the Trotskyites don't even want to think about or consider.
The Trotskyites have long been opposed to Affirmative Action (Federal Executive Order #11246). This "letter" does not even mention the fact that Obama has refused to enforce Affirmative Action which is very important to people of color, women and the handicapped. And, its lack of enforcement should be of utmost concern to all working people because this huge pool of unemployed depresses all of our living standards rather than pulling us all up.
Those specifically singled out for criticism are well deserving of criticism for the way they intentionally confused people and mislead people--- in most of the cases it was for their own selfish personal financial gain. In the case of some of the signatories to this letter it is similarly a step towards drawing people in to mislead them on another wild goose chase that will result in no gains and advances for working people, no peace and no justice.
What is really needed now more than ever is an appeal to the American people from liberals, progressives and the left to Primary Obama out and unite behind a real progressive alternative agenda and program calling for specific solutions to the problems being experienced by the working class... and this particular letter being circulated does in fact highlight many of these issues and problems and points out that Obama is on the wrong side of finding solutions to these problems. But, with such criticism comes a responsibility to provide at least an example or two how these problems should be solved... for some of these people merely calling for revolution is there idea of solving problems.
As discussion on this letter evolves we will see that some of these people have no understanding of how it is necessary to solve the immediate problems of working people with reforms as we struggle to get rid of this rotten capitalist system which is the source of social and economic injustices and wars, racism and all kinds of social inequalities. Because some of the signers don't support or understand such a "people's front" strategy they are deserving of a kind of criticism they themselves are leveling because they provide no ideas on how to unite and bring people together in struggles.
Calling for the building of a "left" party is a very divisive maneuver when what is needed on all the fronts of struggles is liberal, progressive and left unity.
These Trotskyites would like us to equate working in the Democratic Party towards legitimate and needed reforms with building the Democratic Party when nothing could be further from the truth--- real leftists are willing to work with people in trying to solve the problems of the working class no matter what party workers might be involved in for whatever reason.
There is a reason why an example like in my point number six is not included in this letter to the "left establishment;" because some of those who signed would not have attached their name to such a letter.
Let's work to try and Primary Obama out with a liberal or progressive Democrat as we continue to build electoral independence from the two-party trap Wall Street has had us trapped in for so many years.
I would point out that the Trotskyites, when asked point blank if they would participate in helping to organize a new political party welcoming liberals, progressives and the left like the Canadian NDP or the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party they will say, "NO." Because they have neither supported either of these two very important political parties in the past; and, they have spent decades upon decades attacking the party of the left, the Communist Party USA. Their attack has been on the very basis that they are opposed to a political party that includes along with socialists and communists liberals and progressives because they think these liberals and progressives will end up betraying the left even though there isn't one iota of proof to support this utterly stupid contention.
The main ideology in the working class movement is liberalism and there are much smaller progressive and left ideological currents... without working with liberals and progressives the left is too weak to win any struggles no matter how gallantly it tries.
If you don't believe what I say and you know that this is the correct way to proceed just ask a Trotskyite what they think of this:
6. This statement is very heavily influenced by this Trotskyite thinking in that it does not even explain the need to struggle for specific reforms funded by ending these dirty imperialist wars, taxing the rich and corporate profits. An example would be funding a National Public Health Care Program providing the American people with free health care through 30,000 neighborhood and community health clinics supported by 800 health care bases providing more specialized and complex health care requirements. Such a project would create some ten-million new jobs. A National Public Child Care Program would create over three-million new jobs. Combined with an expanded WPA and CCC programs we could eliminate unemployment in this country with the government becoming the employer of first choice enforcing affirmative action and real living wages all paid for with funds from ending these wars and militarism and taxing the hell out of the rich and corporate profits. in fact, a National Health Care Program could be financed just like Social Security... something the Trotskyites don't even want to think about or consider.
I would encourage everyone to sign on to this letter but with their eyes wide open:
Let's not go down another dead end even though it might be a different road.
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