Leftist Potential

[poeticrevolution12]

Hello, as implied by my posting in this forum, I am rather new to the notion of leftish ideology, so I apologize in advance for any errors I may make.
I've always leaned towards the left in terms of politics. I come from a well-off family, and attend an elite boarding school, so it is a bit hypocritical of me, since I could be classified as one of the "winners" of capitalism, but I've always found it silly that poor people should have to suffer while rich people enjoy so much luxury.
Recently, I've become quite disillusioned with the state of things in America, what with the radical far right calling Obama out on everything he does, smearing him without much due cause. So I started thinking about what my true political beliefs are, and I discovered that my ideology is fairly consistent with a communist egalitarian system. I don't think it's right that investment bankers can make 500 times what the average American does, and I don't think it's right that our economy relies so heavily on those investment bankers that we have to use the money earned by the working class to bail out the banks when their corruption catches up to them. I was recently debating the whole financial crisis thing with a friend (whose father is an investment banker) and he basically said that anyone who's poor is so because they weren't industrious enough or smart enough to become rich, and that anyone who's rich is so because they were industrious and smart enough. However, there's something intrinsically messed up about that viewpoint, because it's demonstrably false. The truth is that most people who are poor or rich are so because of the circumstances they inherited from their parents, circumstances that are a product of the economic disparity created by the capitalist system.
So I really feel like there's something messed up about capitalism. But I'm not sure communism is realistic in our current nation. So I suppose here's my question, and the point to all of this ranting: We can debate all we want about Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, or whoever. But what does it all amount to? This is to say, what is the potential of the communist party in America? I know the system is evil, and I know something has to be done. So I suppose my question would be, where do we start?
Thanks in advance, and I apologize again for any errors!

[Spawn of Stalin]

We start from the ground up, in the workplaces and union meetings. Oh and I don't think the CP has much potential, they are strangely attached to the Democrats.

[el_chavista]

So I really feel like there's something messed up about capitalism. But I'm not sure communism is realistic in our current nation. So I suppose here's my question, and the point to all of this ranting: We can debate all we want about Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, or whoever. But what does it all amount to? This is to say, what is the potential of the communist party in America? I know the system is evil, and I know something has to be done. So I suppose my question would be, where do we start?
You have already seen how right is Marxism in describing the concrete reality of the capitalist system: a greedy elite manages our lives. With or without a party that claims itself to be the proletarian vanguard, inevitably the workers become more conscious of what is capitalism all about.

[Bloody Kalashnikov]

we need to resist, we need to organise, we need to coordinate with other socialists and we need to raise the red hammer and destroy the capitalist chains, if youre a revolutionary, that is by raising class conciousness and then leading revolution, if your a CPUSA then you vote for the democrats

[poeticrevolution12]

We start from the ground up, in the workplaces and union meetings. Oh and I don't think the CP has much potential, they are strangely attached to the Democrats.

Yeah, I get that, grassroots movement and whatnot, it's just difficult because now using the word "communist" is just begging to get blackballed. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have made it such that if anything even gets close to being "Socialist", it's evil. So I feel like the political climate is really stacked against us.

[ArrowLance]

Yeah, I get that, grassroots movement and whatnot, it's just difficult because now using the word "communist" is just begging to get blackballed. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have made it such that if anything even gets close to being "Socialist", it's evil. So I feel like the political climate is really stacked against us.

Hah, naturally. If the 'political climate' wasn't stacked against us, we'd be some pretty sad losers. Of course the bourgeoisie are fond of propaganda that reinforces their system, and so it runs.

[Potemkin]

I prefer to use language that is not so politically charged. We can be totally upfront with people about the world we're trying to create and how to get there without using language that will put them on the defensive. The idea should be to reach out and connect with people where they're at, both physically (location) and mentally (political consciousness).

In addition, I prefer a strategy to win people over through organizing communities along the lines that we wish to see society as a whole eventually organized around. This will allow us to lead by example, include people firsthand in projects that improve their material conditions in a way that is revolutionary and socialistic, and create an infrastructure for working people to slowly migrate to, lessoning their dependence on the whims of the capitalist market for some of their most basic needs.

In this way, we are improving the lives of the poor and working class under capitalism, allowing them to find fulfillment to the greatest extent possible, while recognizing that the maximum ability for ourselves and our children to find fulfillment can only come through the complete elimination of capitalism and the state. In this way, we are behaving ethically in the present to prevent workers from just being casualties of capitalism, while implementing revolutionary projects with the aim of the complete displacement of capitalism and the state.

I take this strategy to be the most ethical, practical, and revolutionary approach. I think we should reject theories of immiseration and instead work to construct positive alternatives that have the power to capture the imagination of the people and win them over to our cause, through their firsthand participation in a glimpse of the new world we are working to create.

As well, I take this position to be inherent in social ecology. For those interested, they can view my profile or join the Social Ecology Study Group (http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=294), which I hope to be home to active and lively discussion on social ecology-related texts.

[poeticrevolution12]

I suppose the revolution is a slow and methodical process. I do think that community organizing has a lot of potential, because that's how the proletariat becomes aware of its situation as the exploited tools of capitalism.

[the last donut of the night]

I suppose the revolution is a slow and methodical process. I do think that community organizing has a lot of potential, because that's how the proletariat becomes aware of its situation as the exploited tools of capitalism.

The revolution per se isn't a slow process because the revolution is defined as the forcible throw of a class off its privileges. I would recommend reading some of the stuff at Socialist Worker (http://socialistworker.org/); it was the easy-to-read articles that got me into being a communist there. This is a good article (http://socialistworker.org/2009/10/08/the-socialist-answer) by Alan Maass.