Communist Mayor

[Winkers Fons]

Lately I've been giving thought to running in my city's next mayoral election. I think it is entirely possible that I could win but that is not really the purpose of this thread. What I want to discuss are the possible policies that I could enact to advance socialism in one city (har har). I've never really seen anything about this kind of thing so this could be interesting.

Have any of you ever thought what it would be like having a Marxist run mundane things like school boards, local police forces, utilities, etc? What could be done to advance the cause of global revolution as well as improve the lives of the city's population?

Even if I don't end up going through with it this should still be an interesting thought experiment.

[CommunityBeliever]

If you do anything to help the working class in any significant way the capitalists will either lock you away and throw away the key or they will launch a smear campaign and call you a pedophile or a rapist, just look at what they are doing to Julian Assange right now.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewer_Socialism

[citizen of industry]

Lately I've been giving thought to running in my city's next mayoral election. I think it is entirely possible that I could win but that is not really the purpose of this thread. What I want to discuss are the possible policies that I could enact to advance socialism in one city (har har). I've never really seen anything about this kind of thing so this could be interesting.

Have any of you ever thought what it would be like having a Marxist run mundane things like school boards, local police forces, utilities, etc? What could be done to advance the cause of global revolution as well as improve the lives of the city's population?

Even if I don't end up going through with it this should still be an interesting thought experiment.

There is plenty of precedent. Look at the old Socialist Party of Eugene Debs. They had two state reps, a bunch of legislators, and over a hundred mayors in their prime.

You could try supporting local unions and meeting with unionists and asking them how you could help their campaigns. You could try to help public teachers and public workers from having their jobs cut. You could try getting the police to get their hands off of people and stop discriminating against the poor and minorities.

Good luck - if you had a party to support you you could use an electoral campaign to boost support for the party. Or you could run as an independent instead of a "big, bad communist" but not conceal your views.

[Cory]

You're basically going to have to govern as a social-democrat to get anything done. And it's probably a bad idea to refer to yourself as "communist" in your campaign.

[Winkers Fons]

You're basically going to have to govern as a social-democrat to get anything done. And it's probably a bad idea to refer to yourself as "communist" in your campaign.

I was thinking that as well. People seem to respond better to communist arguments when you don't use all of those scary buzzwords that they hear about on Glenn Beck.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewer_Socialism


That's very interesting. I never knew the movement was that strong in Milwaukee.



Something that I thought of that is more of a populist move than a communist one would be to peg the salary of the mayor to that of the average family in the city. I think people would like to see that the mayor has a personal incentive to raise the standard of living of the average worker.

Aside from things like that, I can't really think of anything concrete that I could do in the short term. There is no labor movement to speak of, and the only things in my power to change to reflect Marxist ideals are only symbolic in nature. Perhaps I should go for congress(perhaps the most reactionary group of people in the world) instead.:laugh:

[Ostrinski]

Go for it if you're interested in politics as a career choice but bourgeois politicians don't have any capacity to advance the class struggle. As long as you keep that in mind, then whatever.

[Winkers Fons]

Go for it if you're interested in politics as a career choice but bourgeois politicians don't have any capacity to advance the class struggle. As long as you keep that in mind, then whatever.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that. Of course they wouldn't be able to advance any revolutionary policies but any kind of political position would be a great platform for spreading the word and showing that people consider communism to be a serious alternative to the current system.

[DaringMehring]

The tried and true method for socialists in winning some position of power in the bourgeois democracy is:

1) don't really attempt to govern
2) use your position to expose all the horrible things happening in government
3) agitate for a revolution to get rid of the whole rotten structure

This is how the Bolsheviks for instance "participated" in the Duma.

The tried and true DO NOTS are:

1) Promise to reform things and make people's lives better
2) Try to reconcile your politics to the possibilities of the bourgeois state
3) Make compromises, coalitions, etc. in the name of getting power

So.... if you aim to follow the first 1-3, good luck to you, and if you aim to follow the second 1-3, then... I hope you choose not to run.

[Os Cangaceiros]

IIRC there was a "Marxist judge" with ties to DRUM in Detroit during the 1970's...

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Lately I've been giving thought to running in my city's next mayoral election. I think it is entirely possible that I could win but that is not really the purpose of this thread. What I want to discuss are the possible policies that I could enact to advance socialism in one city (har har). I've never really seen anything about this kind of thing so this could be interesting.

Have any of you ever thought what it would be like having a Marxist run mundane things like school boards, local police forces, utilities, etc? What could be done to advance the cause of global revolution as well as improve the lives of the city's population?

Even if I don't end up going through with it this should still be an interesting thought experiment.

I haven't read the entire thread.The main thing for a Marxist to do is to raise class consciousness, help workers to think of themselves as a class with the interests of that class. The primary purpose of running for public office is educative.During the campaign bring up socialist ideas. Show how they can directly apply to the specific situation in your country, city or town.


If you do win they, meaning the powers that be, will have to give you an office with at least some paid staff and some media exposure. Use this to help build a movement.

As far as specific policies if you are elected do whatever gives more people power over their lives. This of course would depend on the local situation. It is likely you will have to call out and challenge local business interests.

You could declare your town a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants and refugees. You could be the first town to permit same sex-marriage.If cutbacks are imposed, call out and embarrass the officials and politicians responsible for this. In resisting austerity you may very well have a run in with your provincial or national government.

Whatever happens keep an eye on building the worker's movement and raising class consciousness.Constantly communicate with your constituents and insist that other politicians do as well.A policy might be , as mayor, only accept a salary of the average work in the town.


Edit:Okay...Florida. For some reason I thought you were in Europe. Don't say your a "communist". Say you're a socialist or even "democratic socialist".Focus on locally important issues effecting working people. Equitable land development? Housing (I think Florida has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the US) can you declare a foreclosure moratorium?Declare a santuary for undocumented workers? Fighting for better public schools while resisting "school reform"? Pick several issues effecting people's lives and which have some "resonance" with people and hammer them.If there is a local Occupy movement give it a lot of support while at the same time try to point it in a more political direction/

Good luck.

[Crux]

Something that I thought of that is more of a populist move than a communist one would be to peg the salary of the mayor to that of the average family in the city. I think people would like to see that the mayor has a personal incentive to raise the standard of living of the average worker.

Aside from things like that, I can't really think of anything concrete that I could do in the short term. There is no labor movement to speak of, and the only things in my power to change to reflect Marxist ideals are only symbolic in nature. Perhaps I should go for congress(perhaps the most reactionary group of people in the world) instead.:laugh:
All of our elected representatives only take the average worker's wage, it goes back to the leninist idea of no privileges for the workingclass representatives. So yes, that is a good idea.
You should face the fact that regardless of what elected office you get you yourself can do very little. The most valuable part of taking office is that it gives a platform to build a movement. As for everyday issues I think the socialist party councillors (http://www.yarrasocialists.net/) on Yarra city council, in australia, do in engaging with many smaller, local issues.

I'd be interested to hear more of what your plan is.

[Winkers Fons]

I don't have much of a concrete plan yet. This was just an idea that struck me when I realized that not all that many people vote in the election for mayor.

Somebody mentioned doing something about foreclosed homes. Unfortunately a mayor could not do anything about that since those homes are the "property" of the banks. I can have some power over the enforcement of certain laws but I cannot violate private property under our current system.

I think I could do a lot of help in regards to the police force and school systems since those things aren't inherently capitalistic in nature. The local police force is always getting new equipment for their "war on crime" but our schools are substandard at best. I think reducing police funding and rethinking their tactical doctrine while devoting more resources towards educating children is something that could benefit everybody without necessitating a completely new economic structure. And of course I mean public schools. My city's education system is already stratified enough as it is without a private voucher system (we already have a somewhat of a voucher system as there is much competition to get into our top ranked public school).

To those who don't think I should compromise with the current system I assure you that I am not a liberal reformist. My primary objective is to legitimize leftist thought in one of the more conservative areas of the USA.

Note: I didn't ever plan on using terms that are associated with the general public's negative perception of communism. These include communism, socialism, class warfare, etc. There was an occupy movement but it was dominated by paulbots so I don't think any leftist rhetoric would be welcome.

Next week I plan to attend a town hall meeting just to get a sense of the general atmosphere. Admittedly, anything better than the stereotypical tea party shitfest seems like too much to ask.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

For what its worth I would use terms such as "socialist" and "class warfare". Class warfare already exists, in a very one sided way, so its just putting a name to something which everyone lives.The term "communism" obviously has negative baggage in the US,those evil people in Russia and China.Saying you're a socialist will give you a chance to explain what it is, i.e. economic democracy.

A Tea Party type might say, "you can't fool me, you're really a Marxist, you have a hidden agenda" you can turn it around by saying, "I don't have a hidden agenda, of course I'm a Marxist" and then you explain what it is.

Of course its up to you. If its an environment dominated by the far right you'll have to pick you're battles.Stay away from the Democratic Party though.

[citizen of industry]

Just out of curiosity's sake, what is the social composition of your town? Is there an "oppressed layer," e.g; minorities, unemployed or precariously employed, etc.? Or is it more like a middle-class suburb? Or a rural area? If it was a middle-class suburb I'd agree the public schools and police are a good orientation. If you have a minority community you could speak to them about their issues. If it is a rural area you could talk to the farmers, fishers, etc.

You mentioned there is no labor movement in your town. Are you sure? Is there any interest? Have you ever read about the Montpelier downtown workers union? It was an organizing drive to unionize various service jobs in the town into a single union through solidarity unionism. Mostly against individual small-shop owners. The owners had a local business council and were organized that way against the unionization drive, propagated against it in local media, etc. I'm sure having a socialist mayor would be a big help in a situation like that.

[Winkers Fons]

I am quite sure about the lack of a labor movement. The economy is almost entirely based on low wage/easily replaceable service jobs. I brought the issue up with my own coworkers and they were all opposed to the idea of organization.

The city was one of the fastest growing in the country until the financial crisis. Now county-wide unemployment is something like 15%. Many of those who have a job are underemployed or are working outside of their field. I work as a pizza delivery driver and I know that a few of my coworkers are qualified to work in higher wage jobs but have been unable to do so because of the economy. Unfortunately they all range from far right republican to vehemently non-political.

[citizen of industry]

I am quite sure about the lack of a labor movement. The economy is almost entirely based on low wage/easily replaceable service jobs. I brought the issue up with my own coworkers and they were all opposed to the idea of organization.

The city was one of the fastest growing in the country until the financial crisis. Now county-wide unemployment is something like 15%. Many of those who have a job are underemployed or are working outside of their field. I work as a pizza delivery driver and I know that a few of my coworkers are qualified to work in higher wage jobs but have been unable to do so because of the economy. Unfortunately they all range from far right republican to vehemently non-political.

Bingo! That sums up the organizational problem perfectly. That is our society, you and me and most everybody else in the "advanced" capitalist countries. How does becoming mayor help to solve that one?

[Sasha]

Either you corrupt (i.e. change) the system or the system corrupts you.. ill leave it up to you to make a realistic assessment which will be the most probable outcome...

[KurtFF8]

Another important question for yourself is how much support of the community you have/would have.

You can try all of the most "radical reforms"(/methods of exposing the nature of the state) you want, but if you have little support amongst the working class, it won't last long.

[Delenda Carthago]

You can use it as a very good opportunity to get in touch with people and have some fermentations. Listen to them, to their problems, have discussions about them, give a stand for talk for every political and social group you think its worth it and you can reach. That alone, given the standarts of USA, will be a good step byitself. And hell, see what kind of appeal your ideas had to people by the votes you ll get!

[GoddessCleoLover]

Lenina Rosenweg is correct when she posts that in order to get elected in Florida, USA you would have to be entirely covert about Marx and socialism. Under those circumstances do you believe that the game would be worth the candle?

[southernmissfan]

I think you are wise to want to have an impact in your local area. Far too often, we focus so much on the national and international perspective (and for good reason of course) that we lose sight of agitating in our own neighborhoods, helping the brothers and sisters down the road and across town. However, I'm not sure a mayoral campaign is the best outlet, if it's even a positive one...

[RedSonRising]

If there's an opportunity for local movements to take over a series of workplaces or housing communities, then run; you'd have a good chance of giving them legal entitlement and consistently creating an institutional framework through which cooperative homes and businesses can arise with some protection from suppressive forces. It gives the working classes tangible improvements through better wages, benefits, and daily control, while advancing your own local popularity, and in addition, it shows the world that non-hierarchical expressions of socialism are possible, and what's more, desirable.

[MustCrushCapitalism]

Say no to bourgeois elections. Running for office as a socialist in the US is pointless.

[Leftsolidarity]

I just want to point out that the BPP almost had a member elected as mayor.

[Binh]

The tried and true method for socialists in winning some position of power in the bourgeois democracy is:

1) don't really attempt to govern
2) use your position to expose all the horrible things happening in government
3) agitate for a revolution to get rid of the whole rotten structure

This is how the Bolsheviks for instance "participated" in the Duma.


No, the Bolsheviks helped draft serious legislation.

An executive position like mayor or governor is a lot different than having a seat in a legislature.

My opinion: go for it, but be sure you're ready to have the F.B.I. or private organizations dig for your personal dirt, unpaid bills, internet browsing history, etc. Hopefully you didn't do anything like Anthony Wiener.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Say no to bourgeois elections. Running for office as a socialist in the US is pointless.

Hugo Chavez ran in a bourgeois election.

This is a worthwhile book, outlining a good socialist view of participating in bourgeois elections.Its definitely worth the $5 or so.Lenin emphasized the educative purpose of political campaigning.

http://www.amazon.com/Lenin-Election-Campaign-Manager-Merit/dp/0873482018

http://www.isreview.org/issues/13/marxists_elections.shtml

[MustCrushCapitalism]

Hugo Chavez ran in a bourgeois election.

This is a worthwhile book, outlining a good socialist view of participating in bourgeois elections.Its definitely worth the $5 or so.Lenin empshazid the educative purpose of political campaigning.

http://www.amazon.com/Lenin-Election-Campaign-Manager-Merit/dp/0873482018

http://www.isreview.org/issues/13/marxists_elections.shtml
After a coup attempt a lot more. Even in the civil rights movement in the US, people died fighting for it. There's a difference between reformism and revolution with a ballot.

And true, Lenin did, but you can't expect any change that way. Nothing more than for publicity, to gain support, I would support.

[Threetune]

Ye stand for election if - ".. to oversimplify the matter for the sake of clarity—five minutes of every half-hour speech are devoted to reforms and twenty-five minutes to the coming revolution.” V.I. Lenin.

[Susurrus]

If you live in a smallish town, I'd look up Hunter S. Thompson's run for the Sheriff of Aspen. I'll upload his platform later if you're interested.

[Agathor]

I have a feeling that leftists dislike elections because they consistently lose them. Therefore they're 'bourgeois' or there's something wrong with 'the system'.

Explain to me in clear, specific English why elections are futile. In Britain, Acts of Parliament are the supreme legal authority. If a socialist group gets control of parliament, what will stop them passing socialist measures?

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Leftists lose elections because the political machinery is solidly controlled by the ruling class. Its certainly not a "level playing field". In the US it is extremely difficult to get a third party candidate on the ballot. There is an almost total media blackout of alternate candidates while at the same time a barrage of criticism from liberals that any left candidate will somehow "spoil" the election.Read the Nation magazine, that "reptile breed" as Trotsky called it.

In the US elections are big business. In the current Republican primary media charade (in which very few people vote) a small group of billionaires are spending a lot of money to control the process. The same thing is true in the Democratic Party. The ruling class expends a lot of effort to making sure that people don't have a choice.The police crackdown against the Occupy movement was a part of this, the purpose was to ensure that a movement wouldn't grow beyond the ability of the ruling class and their hacks-Fox News on one hand and Rachel Maddow on the other, to control it.

Do you think "Parliament" is an independent governing authority after the scandals a few years ago when many MPs were shown to be on the take? Do you understand the real dynamic of the British or any ruling class? Why did the Labour Party expend so much effort in rooting out and expelling Marxists?

Elections are a "snapshot" of how the population feels at any certain time.Its certainly not reflective of any sort of ongoing democratic control of our lives.

Our elections are merely ratifying already pre-selected candidates who already hold pre-selected opinions reflecting the interest of a very small number of people who control capital. This is the narrow confine of bourgoise democracy. Leftists want real democracy.

[Hexen]

"Communist Mayor" is a oxymoron.

[tachosomoza]

Please, don't run as a communist. The Cold War has only been over for 20 years.

[Comrade Gwydion]

Have any of you ever thought what it would be like having a Marxist run mundane things like school boards, local police forces, utilities, etc? What could be done to advance the cause of global revolution as well as improve the lives of the city's population?


I know I've run for student council. It's nice to be able to do some good, but don't fool yourselve into thinking you could do something revolutionairy by getting elected.

What I always say:
The reformists are like bandages. Bandages are needed to stop the bleeding, and painkillers to stop the pain, so they're a good and noble thing. But in the end, you've got to stop whatever is making the wounds, and that's not going to work with just bandages.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Hugo Chavez ran in a bourgeois election.


And, look - now he's the leader of a bourgeois state. :rolleyes: