Ohio CP Leader says CPUSA needs name change

[heiss93]

http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg01988.html
Cleveland, Ohio was one of the first U.S. cities where militant supporters of
the Socialist Party left wing began building a Leninist party in 1919 to
emulate the Bolsheviks. Clevelander Charles Ruthenberg, one of the first
leaders of the Communist Party of America, served a prison sentence for
anti-war speeches made in the city during World War One. He was buried in
Moscow. Another future leader of the CPUSA, Gus Hall, first made his mark as
an organizer with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee in northeast Ohio.



Another Ohio CPUSA leader is in the news today. Longtime Ohio Communist Party
leader Rick Nagin is in a run-off for a Cleveland City Council seat. According
to the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Nagin was one of two candidates to emerge from
a contentious City Council primary in Cleveland's Ward 14 to notch his first
political victory.



"Nagin combined with Brian Cummins, whose Ward 15 seat was chopped in a council
downsizing, to beat incumbent Joe Santiago, former Councilman Nelson Cintron
Jr. and three others. A strong second-place finish earned Nagin a spot in a
Nov. 3 runoff against Cummins.

"The possibility of a Nagin win -- greater than ever before -- presents perhaps
the most fascinating storyline in this fall's mayoral and council elections. If
Nagin defeats Cummins, he will be the first known communist to serve on
Cleveland's council, at least in recent memory.



"The historical significance is not lost on Nagin, who would fulfill a goal he
said was inspired in the 1970s by Communist Party USA standard-bearer Gus Hall.
Yet at times in his latest campaign, Nagin has seemed unprepared or unhappy to
discuss his beliefs.



"He writes for the party's newspaper -- his most recent article, about a labor
rally, appeared in May -- but complains when the word "communist" appears by
his name in The Plain Dealer. In a recent interview that he was reluctant to
grant, he equated the word with a racial slur.



""It's an epithet in this country," said Nagin, 68. "Like using the n' word."



"Nagin even suggests that the Communist Party he joined 39 years ago needs a
new name."



In all likelihood, Nagin will eventually get his wish. The growing-together of
the CPUSA and the Democratic Party has resulted in something similar in the
past. In 1944 Earl Browder orchestrated the dissolution of the party into the
Communist Political Association, which gave left cover to Washington's wars of
imperialist plunder and policed a no-strike-pledge offered to Wall Street by
the labor union leadership at the outset of the war. Only after the war, when
Moscow decided it needed a U.S. party for leverage in currying favor with
Truman, was the party re-launched.

[CELMX]

I totally agree that CPUSA (and other communist parties) need a name change. So many of the general public (especially here in the U$A) associate communism with Soviet Russia, government control of everything, no freedom, and other shit that is the exact opposite of true communist ideoligies.
I think a change in name could actually boost support for the communist party.

But what name to change it to....hmm...?:confused:

[Red Rebel]

I'll state the same thing I said on another forum, communists don't hide our goals. We are not trying to decieve anyone like the capitalists do on a daily basis. If our goal is communism, well then we are communists.

[Kwisatz Haderach]

The CPUSA has been social democratic for many years...

[Revy]

the rumored name change is "People Not Profits" which was the slogan of Gus Hall's presidential campaigns. Though if they want to just change the "Communist " part my guess is that they would replace it with Progressive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Party_%28United_States,_1948%29)...

[CELMX]

I'll state the same thing I said on another forum, communists don't hide our goals. We are not trying to decieve anyone like the capitalists do on a daily basis. If our goal is communism, well then we are communists.

The problem is, when most people hear the word communism they think "totalitarian nightmare" which is the exact opposite of what it is. The name could be changed, so people don't freak when they hear that "evil" word, but content would remain the same. The goals won't be "hidden".
It's not deceptive. Actually, keeping the same name would be kind of "deceptive" in the way that people would jump to conclusions before realizing what it actually is.

shit...i'm being too repetitive, sorry :(

[Revy]

The problem is, when most people hear the word communism they think "totalitarian nightmare" which is the exact opposite of what it is. The name could be changed, so people don't freak when they hear that "evil" word, but content would remain the same. The goals won't be "hidden".
It's not deceptive. Actually, keeping the same name would be kind of "deceptive" in the way that people would jump to conclusions before realizing what it actually is.

shit...i'm being too repetitive, sorry :(

Well, how words are received can be changed....it all depends on the political climate.

If people learn to associate "communism" with things like the community, or the interests of the workers, equality, it would have a more positive connotation.

The word socialist has bad connotations, as well as anarchist, because people are taught to fear the revolutionary left.

There are a lot of people who would prefer to refer to themselves as "leftist/ progressive" to avoid the entire issue. However, I think more importantly than the label one gives oneself is their commitment to the abolition of capitalism. Plenty of people are members of a Socialist or Communist party that don't meet that qualification.

[Die Neue Zeit]

the rumored name change is "People Not Profits" which was the slogan of Gus Hall's presidential campaigns. Though if they want to just change the "Communist " part my guess is that they would replace it with Progressive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Party_%28United_States,_1948%29)...

I'd rather have the Greens rename themselves such, to be honest. With guys like Bill Maher rightfully complaining that there is no mass progressive party in the US, the Greens (however bad their politics are from our perspective) should take advantage of this and draw away the liberal-progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

[Lolshevik]

ComradeLenin: Changing the name of our ideology won't change anything. Whether we call it communism, workerism, dotip-ism, or whatever else, our program means the overthrow of bourgeois rule and the end of exploitation based on private property. The capitalists will slander us no matter what name we choose.

[Revy]

I'd rather have the Greens rename themselves such, to be honest. With guys like Bill Maher rightfully complaining that there is no mass progressive party in the US, the Greens (however bad their politics are from our perspective) should take advantage of this and draw away the liberal-progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

I agree, the Greens have an impotent message, especially with their name. A mass progressive party would certainly be firmly environmentalist.

I'm not sure a party named after a color works, although I've thought about the potential of there being a socialist party called the "Red Party", whose members would be referred to as "Reds".:D The example of the short-lived "Red Party" in the UK is kinda pitiful, but there's also Rødt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_%28Norway%29) (Red) in Norway.

[heiss93]

Many world Communist Marxist-Leninist parties, that can not be accused on any grounds of revisionism or reformism, have names like Progressive, Democratic, Workers, or Socialist, instead of Communist. This doesn't make them any less radical. In fact many ruling parties were not called Communist.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Considering the CPUSA is not a Communist party it should definitely change its name.

[#FF0000]

If they do someone should fucking jump on that name so we can have a CPUSA that's actually C.

[Mather]

Ohio CP Leader says CPUSA needs name change


Good idea, given that there is nothing communist about the CPUSA.

Social Democratic Party USA would be a much more accurate name for them to have.



I'll state the same thing I said on another forum, communists don't hide our goals. We are not trying to decieve anyone like the capitalists do on a daily basis. If our goal is communism, well then we are communists.


I totally agree with you, if your an anarchist you should be honest about that and not hide behind the name of something else, likewise if your a socialist or a communist.

However in the case of the CPUSA, this does not apply as the CPUSA have long ago ceased to be communist in any way. So for the CPUSA, a name change would not be an act of dishonesty, but one of a much long overdue act of honesty in that they would no longer fool people into thinking that they were a communist, revolutionary or anti-capitalist organisation.

[Omegared]

Considering the CPUSA is not a Communist party it should definitely change its name.

For a minute, I looked in to joining the CPUSA until I found out about how they kiss democrat ass all day long

[Il Medico]

The CPUSA definitely needs a name change, they haven't been Communist in years.

[A.R.Amistad]

Typical. Just typical. I'm a former CPUSA member, and this just feuls my hostility toward their Stalinist-revisionist-social democrat zigzagging. I wonder if that Ohio leader was the same idiot in Chicago who told me how outdated and tainted the hammer and sickle was. Bah! The hammer and sickle represents the october revolution, worker's unity, world socialism and proletarian unity as well as "from each according to their ability (the hammer to build) to each according to their needs (the sickle to reap). I'm not ashamed of being a communist. Also, people are slowly but surely but slowly learning how bad McCarthyism. Sounds like Rush Limbaugh and the CPUSA are the biggest Red Baiters in the US today. I am so glad I joined the 4th International. Boy was I naive when I thought the CP could go Trotskyist......or Marxist Leninist at all for that matter haha:lol:

[Revy]

Typical. Just typical. I'm a former CPUSA member, and this just feuls my hostility toward their Stalinist-revisionist-social democrat zigzagging. I wonder if that Ohio leader was the same idiot in Chicago who told me how outdated and tainted the hammer and sickle was. Bah! The hammer and sickle represents the october revolution, worker's unity, world socialism and proletarian unity as well as "from each according to their ability (the hammer to build) to each according to their needs (the sickle to reap). I'm not ashamed of being a communist. Also, people are slowly but surely but slowly learning how bad McCarthyism. Sounds like Rush Limbaugh and the CPUSA are the biggest Red Baiters in the US today. I am so glad I joined the 4th International. Boy was I naive when I thought the CP could go Trotskyist......or Marxist Leninist at all for that matter haha:lol:

the first party I ever considered joining was the CPUSA. that was a long time ago, in 2003 it must have been. I applied but never received any kind of answer back. However, I read a lot of their stuff and I guess it fucked me up because after that I became a huge supporter of the Democrats. It took me a while to get back on track as a socialist.

[A.R.Amistad]

However, I read a lot of their stuff and I guess it fucked me up because after that I became a huge supporter of the Democrats. It took me a while to get back on track as a socialist.

Democrats: kind of like Meth, just harder to kick the habit. ;)

[Devrim]

Considering the CPUSA is not a Communist party it should definitely change its name.

Yes, do you think they are worried they will be prosecuted under the laws defining description of goods for sale.

Devrim

[Devrim]

The CPUSA definitely needs a name change, they haven't been Communist in years.

Yes, nearly 90 years.

Devrim

[A.R.Amistad]

Originally posted by Devrim

Yes, do you think they are worried they will be prosecuted under the laws defining description of goods for sale.


Um...maybe I'm just a dumb Hoosier but I don't know what you are talking about lol

[Devrim]

Um...maybe I'm just a dumb Hoosier but I don't know what you are talking about lol

in EU countries as well as many others there are laws that govern the way you describe products for sale. In the UK it is called the trades description act. Basically it says that products must be honestly described.

It is the reason for example that KFC isn't allowed to call itself 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' in European countries because what is being sold by them can not legally be described as chicken.

Do you think that what the CPUSA are pushing can be described as communism?

It was a joke though. They sort of lose it when you have to explain them.

Devrim