Communist Party Poster
Banned from the ballot in Arizona and officially a "subversive organization" in Massachusetts, the Communist Party has turned to a new political strategy and joined forces with the Democrats.
More than Fidel Castro's friendly remarks about our new president, the Communist Party USA formally endorsed Obama before the November election. The switchover to the Democrats, which has left some Marxists sputtering, has been ongoing for a number of years.
Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News, explains the transformation from the margins to the mainstream of politics of the controversial political party.
"The Communist Party never runs candidates anymore. Their last presidential campaign was in 1984. Their last congressional nominee was in 1992. Their last nominee for any partisan office was in 1996. Communist Party members participate in politics and electoral life mostly by participation in unions, and inside the Democratic Party. The Communist Party's weekly newspaper supports Democratic presidential nominees and tends to be critical of 'left' parties that run their own presidential candidates."
The extent of Communist influence within the Democratic Party is hard to assess, due both to its secretive history and repression from the government. Winger tells the ironic story.
"Back when the Communist Party was running nominees the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that not only did the Communist Party not need to report campaign contributions, and not need to report campaign expenditures, it was even free to fail to keep any records at all. This was because, if the party kept a record, the many FBI spies masquerading as party members would perhaps have been able to see those records. The case was FEC v. Hall-Tyner Campaign, 678 F.2nd416 (1982). The judge who wrote the opinion was Judge Kaufman, who had earlier been the trial judge that sent Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair."
The official party position on Obama's candidacy was outlined before the election and reflects the rightward drift into the Democratic Party described by Winger.
"If Obama's candidacy represented nothing more than the spark for this profound initiative to unite the working class and defeat the pernicious influence of racism, it would be a transformative candidacy that would advance progressive politics for the long term."
"The struggle to defeat the ultra-right and turn our country on a positive path will not end with Obama's election. But that step will shift the ground for successful struggles going forward."
Could the blue states be actually red?
For further information: http://www.examiner.com/x-1969-Boston-Progressive-Examiner~y2009m2d2-Socialist-Labor-Party-in-need-of-bailout-closes-doors
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