Hummmmmm... we now have the leader of the COMMUNIST PARTY USA welcoming our new president and his coalition to the scene.
Now... why would the leader of the Communist Party USA be so excited about an incoming president and his administration?...This movement, or if you like, this loose coalition in which labor plays a larger and larger leadership role, can exercise an enormous influence on the political process. Never before has a coalition with such breadth walked on the political stage of our country. It is far larger than the coalition that entered the election process a year ago; it is larger still than the coalition that came out of the Democratic Party convention in August.
The task of labor and its allies is to provide energy and leadership to this wide-ranging coalition. Yes, we can bring issues and positions into the political process that go beyond the initiatives of the Obama administration. But we should do this within the framework of the main task of supporting Obama’s program of action.
We can disagree with the Obama administration without being disagreeable. Our tone should be respectful. We now have not simply a friend, but a people's advocate in the White House.
When the administration and Congress take positive initiatives, they should be wholeheartedly supported and welcomed. Nor should anyone think that everything will be done in 100 days. After all, main elements of the New Deal were codified into law in 1935, 1936 and 1937.
Of course, change won’t be easy. The pressures to weaken, even mothball, progressive, anti-corporate measures will come from many quarters.
That said, the opportunities for working class and people's gains are extraordinary.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.Starring us in the face are some immediate challenges.
First, we have to support the passage of the President's stimulus bill in the Senate.
Second, we have to bloc any Republican efforts to derail the nomination of Hilda Solis, the nominee for the Secretary of Labor. This is the first round in the battle to pass the EFCA. Some may think this is a struggle of only the labor movement. But nothing could be further from the truth. A bigger labor movement in this country would strengthen the struggle on every front. No one expressed this point better than Martin Luther King toward the end of his life.
Third, we have to join others in resisting evictions and foreclosures – not to mention cutbacks and layoffs at the state and city level.
Fourth, the wars of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan have to be brought to a close. As former President Lyndon Johnson realized too late, wars of occupation (in this case Vietnam) can quickly ruin a presidency that has great promise.
Well, you probably have other and probably better ideas.
In any case, we have our work cut out for us. But I think we can confidently say that change is coming. And we will build a more perfect union.
Yes We Can!
communist party usaI wonder if Big Labor knows how much they are... liked by the USA communists? And, to refer to this administration as a "once in a lifetime opportunity"...
And to see the list of CPUSA objectives they think/hope that will be addressed by our president...* Public ownership of the financial system and the elimination of the shadow banking system and exotic derivatives.
* Public control of the Federal Reserve Bank.
* Counter-crisis spending of a bigger size and scope to invigorate and sustain a full recovery and meet human needs – something that the New Deal never accomplished.
* Strengthening of union rights in order to rebalance the power between labor and capital in the economic and political arenas.
* Trade agreements that have at their core the protection and advancement of international working class interests.
* Equality in conditions of life for racially minorities and women.
* Democratic public takeover of the energy complex as well as a readiness to consider the takeover of other basic industries whose future is problematic in private hands.
* Turning education, childcare, and healthcare into “no profit” zones.
* Rerouting investment capital from unproductive investment (military, finance and so forth) to productive investment in a green economy and public infrastructure.
* Changing direction of our nation’s foreign policy toward cooperation, disarmament, and diplomacy. We can’t have threats, guns and military occupations on the one hand and butter, democracy, goodwill, and peace on the other.
* Full scale assault on global warming.
And all this and much more in the article coming directly from the Communist Party USA...
Pretty sobering stuff.
xtnyoda, shalomedH/T World Net Daily
