Why are Republicans "Red"? Posted by: McQ
on Saturday, August 19, 2006
Sounds like the beginning of any newsletter or blog entry one might see from the DNC:
There are 19 weeks until Election Day, Tuesday November 7.
Perhaps nothing underscores the significance of these mid-term elections more than the reality of 2500 killed and 18,000 maimed needlessly in Iraq, 100,000 Iraqi civilians lives lost.
And then on Thursday, the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives used the opposition of a small Klan-type group of legislators as an excuse to hijack the long-awaited vote to re-approve the Voting Rights Act, potentially denying and disenfranchising Black and Latino voters in the South.
And on Wednesday the Senate failed to get the 60 votes necessary to increase the minimum wage, while a third of children live in poverty, a quarter of manufacturing jobs have been lost since Bush took office, and cities and towns across the country are in crisis, being forced to choose between health care and schools.
Except it's not:
This election is a struggle to save our democracy and change the direction of our country.
This election is a struggle to bring out the deeply felt democratic traditions of the people and inspire voters weary of the political process because of the dominance of the ultra-right.
It is a struggle to develop center-left unity that can win conservatives away from the extreme right-wing. It is a struggle to strengthen the all peoples coalition and within that to strengthen the left and the Communist Party.
In a long and rambling cry for action, Joel Fishman, chair of the political action committee of the Communist Party USA sounds almost Dean-like in his plea to defeat the "right". I mean, reading this makes you almost wonder if it wasn't vetted by the DNC (OK, I'm not serious, but you read it and you tell me who it sounds like).
For instance yesterday we had Biden and Bayh attacking Wal-Mart. And we have Fishman doing the same, and for the same reasons:
These policies are designed by and implemented on behalf of the biggest, greediest, most corrupt corporate interests in the country, like Haliburton, Wal Mart, Delphi, Boeing, to name a few. They have looted the US economy to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars through war and military buildup, and through broad tax breaks that benefit all corporations and wealthy people, and through specific special-interest tax breaks, contracts, revolving-door arrangements that benefit specific companies and individuals with close ties to the administration and Republican congressional leaders.
The Bush Administration/Republican leadership is also attempting to institutionalize these policies, to make it difficult for future administrations to change policies. Legislation already passed like the bankruptcy law and changes in the tax structure, and legislation still pending like tort "reform", permanent estate tax repeal, and new budget rules mandating deep cuts in Medicare, veterans' benefits, etc. As well in the executive branch and judicial branch, through stacking government agencies with right-wing pro-corporate ideologues.
Seriously, had they not thrown "Communist Party" in this "call to action" a few times, I'd have quite comfortably have assumed it to be the work of the Democrats.
600,000 veterans denied health care last year.Cuts in brain injury research 50%. A new study with phony data in it just to cut PTSD . And with one out of four returning troops with PTSD. This do nothing Republican congress is a enemy to veterans ,Troops and their families.
Eh, I’m not sure what your point is, except perhaps that even Communists have to toe a moderate line these days. Or are you trying to allege that because the Communists sound like Democrats, that means the Democrats are like Communists? If so, it’s a non sequitur.
McQ, I did a loosely similar post. I agree that CPUSA seems to arguing itself out of existence by simply pushing the, "Vote D this November, we’re all on the same page anyway," position.
Or are you trying to allege that because the Communists sound like Democrats, that means the Democrats are like Communists?
I’m not alleging anything, I just found the rhetoric to be extremely familiar (although I admit to having a little fun with the title).
It’s up to you to decide what it means, if anything.
I agree that CPUSA seems to arguing itself out of existence by simply pushing the, "Vote D this November, we’re all on the same page anyway," position.
Heh ... well it would be hard to argue it isn’t on the "extreme left wing", but Fishman was essentially extolling the troops to go out and, well, vote Democrat. I found that, er, interesting.
So, this middle class everyone keeps talking about - where is it? I mean, are there huge population tracts somewhere making 40-60K a year that I’ve just managed never to meet? Most of the people I know are making 30K a year or less, and work for people making 80K a year or more. Maybe I’ve lived a sheltered life, but these middle class people - I’m still trying to find them.
What a bizarre post. I’m quite sure I can find the website of an ardent white supremacist and his rhetoric will sound almost identitical to Republicans calling for stricter immigration laws. It’s called marketing. Extremist groups try to make themselves sounds somewhat moderate by attaching their names to more popular programs. Link this post with your more interesting one about propaganda above.
Oh, but it doesn’t, does it? Because when I do this: You must not be looking that hard.
I find that income is measured by the household, not the individual. Which means the 19.2K that 10$ an hour will get you, in a double-income household, puts you at 38.4K, nicely in the heart of middle class.
Wal-Mart as an employer is not skewed to the single income family end of the spectrum. The middle class only exists if the "little people" have two incomes.
Or are you trying to allege that because the Communists sound like Democrats, that means the Democrats are like Communists?
I’m not alleging anything, I just found the rhetoric to be extremely familiar (although I admit to having a little fun with the title).
No, you are not "alleging" anything. But the clear message of the post is that the Communists and the Democracts share a similar agenda, and that therefore the former are in some sense equivalent to the latter, and vice versa.
You often play this game, McQ. You talk about oranges. Then you talk about apples. But you claim not to be comparing the two. You simply mentioned oranges and apples.
Am I saying you are you being disingenious? Well, I haven’t directly asserted you have been disingenious. So no, I am not saying that, but I am not saying that.
Extremist groups try to make themselves sounds somewhat moderate by attaching their names to more popular programs. Link this post with your more interesting one about propaganda above.
So you found nothing at all "familiar" about the rhetoric, Elrod? I mean I hadn’t thought of the CPUSA for years. And when I stumble across them, they’re talking like, well, Democrats.
Wal-Mart as an employer is not skewed to the single income family end of the spectrum. The middle class only exists if the "little people" have two incomes.
And you base that on what, other than assertion?
It is their "average wage". And not everyone in an "associate".
Gil, my calculator must be on the fritz. $10 an hour adds up to 20,800 a year not 19.2. Assuming two weeks off for sick time, vacation, etc. that still means 20k a year. Unless you are taking off for taxes?
I could be totally wrong though. Arithmetic isn’t my thing.
MK, if you ever addressed a topic head on without taking the first detour available down Red Herring Lane, we could actually comment on whether you are or aren’t "saying that". But since we have no experience with you ever "saying that", heck, we’ll just have ignore it and you as usual.
I base that on an understanding of what the phrase "Median income by household" means.
Omar- I allowed four weeks off, since most people making that kind of money don’t have an unemployed spouse to handle child care; it’s not just when you are sick, but also when they are.
It’s a list of criticisms of the Republican party, and not particularly Communist ones at that. Given that both Democrats and Communists are, in fact, the opponents of the Republican party, it’s not surprising that they have similar-sounding criticisms.
So you found nothing at all "familiar" about the rhetoric, Elrod? I mean I hadn’t thought of the CPUSA for years. And when I stumble across them, they’re talking like, well, Democrats.
Yes, there’s something familiar — that’s precisely the point, which you have misinterpreted, McQ! These "Communists" don’t sound much like Communists at all — they sound like run-of-the-mill Democrats, criticizing Walmart’s excesses, certainly not calling for an overthrow of the capitalist, democratic system.
They sound like Democrats because a full-throated Communist couldn’t get anywhere in this country.
introduce yourself to a public school administrator
I’m not sure what your point is since the original response was in regards to the middle class. However, if you have a problem with the salary of school administrators, then I suggest you speak with local school boards who are democratically elected to make such decisions.
These "Communists" don’t sound much like Communists at all — they sound like run-of-the-mill Democrats, criticizing Walmart’s excesses, certainly not calling for an overthrow of the capitalist, democratic system.
Wal-Mart as an employer is not skewed to the single income family end of the spectrum. The middle class only exists if the "little people" have two incomes.
Which is kind of ironic when juxtaposed with the fact that government at all levels consumes about 50% of national income.
Well, here is what the actual CPUSA has to say today. It’s their website. Certainly some of their statements are mainstream - opposing the war in Iraq, supporting labor unions, support for gay rights - there are some obvious differences. The first is the letter to "Comrade Fidel Castro." Then there’s the CPUSA "Constitution", which you can link to on the right side of the page. Here’s the main text:
"The Communist Party USA is the party of and for the U.S. working class, a class which is multiracial, multinational, and unites men and women, young and old, employed and unemployed, organized and unorganized, gay and straight, native-born and immigrant, urban and rural, and composed of workers who perform a large range of physical and mental labor—the vast majority of our society. We are the party of the African American, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, all other Latino American, Native American, Asian American, and all racially and nationally oppressed peoples, as well as women, youth, and all other working people.
The living standards of workers and the natural environment on which life depends are under constant attack due to the drive for maximum profits inherent in capitalism. Our party fights for jobs and economic security, a decent and rising standard of living, peace, justice, equality, a sustainable environment, gay rights, health care, education, affordable housing, the needs of seniors, democracy, and a fulfilling life for everyone, with socialism as our goal. Only through the abolition of the capitalist system and the socialist reorganization of society can exploitation of human beings by others, and the evils of oppression, war, racism, environmental degradation, and poverty be ended. We seek to build a socialist society which puts people and nature before profits.
Our country’s founding Revolution exalted the ideals of equality, justice, and democracy, of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all. Marxists have long hailed its progressive significance, while recognizing its historical limitations, chief of which was the failure to abolish slavery. The Communist Party today upholds the continuing struggle to realize these ideals. The revolutionary democratic traditions of the United States call for radical change when injustice, inequality, and exploitation become unbearably oppressive. This legacy gives us, the working class and its allies, the right and responsibility to build a new society. We advocate an expanded Bill of Rights to guarantee religious, political, and individual freedoms, but also freedom from poverty, hunger, joblessness, and racism.
Racism plays a particularly destructive role in the life of our country, imposing severely impoverished living standards on tens of millions of the specially oppressed, and lowering the quality of life for all workers. Racism harms all workers, obstructing the development of working-class consciousness, driving wedges in class unity to divert attention from class exploitation, and creating extra profits for the capitalist class. The Communist Party is unalterably opposed to all manifestations of racism, national oppression, U.S. national chauvinism, male supremacy, homophobia, and anti-Semitism, which are used by the enemies of progress to divide the working class and people’s forces. The principles of democracy, equality, justice, and class self-interest require a joint fight against all expressions of racism and gender oppression. We fight for full equality for all who suffer from racial, national, and gender oppression as an essential aspect of the unity that is basic to all social progress.
Issues of war and peace, wealth and poverty, ecology and pollution, racial and national division, gender discrimination, and international conflict are all connected to class struggle, and have common features on which to build unity among peoples, organizations, and coalitions. The working class as the necessary leading force along with the other core forces—all racially and nationally oppressed groups, women, and youth—can build a movement that also includes the many streams of our working people—such as family farmers, small business owners, and the self-employed—who united together have the power to make fundamental progressive change.
Peace is essential for the survival of the planet and humanity. The pursuit of world domination to further enrich capitalists has resulted in destructive wars, environmental devastation, and massive poverty. The Communist Party fights for solidarity among the working class and peoples of all lands and supports their pursuit of self-determination over their own lands and economies. In the spirit of working-class internationalism, the Communist Party builds the closest bonds with Communist and Workers Parties throughout the world.
Founded in Chicago in 1919, the Communist Party of the United States has an outstanding history in the struggles for peace, democratic rights, racial and gender equality, economic justice, union organization, and international solidarity. Our Party is organized on the principle of democratic centralism, combining maximum democratic discussion and decision-making with maximum unity of will and action, ensuring our ability to play a strong organizing role in the class struggle. We focus our efforts on increasing our ability to organize millions into struggle, fighting anti-communism as a divisive weapon of the capitalist class. With Marxism-Leninism guiding our actions, the Communist Party strives to build the broadest unity against global capitalist imperialism now headed by U.S. imperialism, for immediate gains and reforms that benefit working people, and for a progressive democratization of the government, the economy, and society of our country on the road to and after winning socialism.
With pride in our past and confidence in our future, we hereby establish this Constitution of the Communist Party of the United States America."
Again, some of their points of criticism are quite mainstream - fighting racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, imperialism... But their methods are vastly different. "Only through the abolition of the capitalist system and the socialist reorganization of society can exploitation of human beings by others, and the evils of oppression, war, racism, environmental degradation, and poverty be ended." That doesn’t sound like mainstream liberal Democrats.
