Communists discuss U.S. path to socialism

[jdhoch]

http://www.systemiccapital.com/communists-discuss-u-s-path-to-socialism/


Defeating right-wing extremism is seen as simply the first stage of the fight. Webb warned of that stage’s critical nature. “If you don’t believe me,” he added, “take a look at Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio, where Republicans took control of the levers of power in 2010 and then ruthlessly rolled back rights, eliminated social programs, and attacked the labor movement.
Assuming an eventual victory over the right wing, the Communists see workers and allies then being able to enter an “anti-corporate” stage of the struggle, where they expect the fight for a peoples’ agenda will bring the labor movement at odds with corporate/economic political power.
“This stage of struggle doesn’t supplant capitalism,” Webb remarked. Instead, it “brings the socialist stage closer as tens of millions become convinced in the course of the struggle that capitalism doesn’t work for them.”
In the next stage (the socialist stage), Communists see a substantial shift to the left among the “core forces” of social change, a deepening of anti-racist consciousness and practice, the consolidation of the anti-corporate alliance, and the growth of the Communist Party and other left organizations.
“This stage will culminate in the election of a peoples’ government,” Webb stated.


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[Anarcho-Brocialist]

We're up against unfavorable odds for Socialism in the United States. Most Americans still are oblivious to Socialist ideology, and we've got to contend with the mainstream media spewing fear and false propaganda.

[citizen of industry]

I don't like the stagism in Webb's comment. It sounds kind of like defeatism to me. This stage doesn't supplant capitalism, etc. Like he sees the fragmentation of the left, the size of his party, and concludes that revolution is impossible in the short term. That may well be, but then again we don't know what kinds of crisis are looming on the horizon. IMO, it's better to think about the here and now then stages leading well into the future.

[Prometeo liberado]

Its no coincident that Webb chose to make these comments now and to whom he was making it to. This is nothing more than a rallying of the CPUSA troops so to speak to get out the vote and stump for the Dem's and by extension Obama once again. This is not so much a path to socialism as it is appeasement to and further slavery at the hands of the Dem's. From the CPUSA Party Program on defeating the Right:
"This unity will include an ever-growing Left-Center political coalition that includes the Democratic Party.."
Left-centerism brings about nothing but left-center capitalism and an acute awareness amongst the working class that they got screwed again. No offense to the OP but the crap that comes out of the CPUSA borders on criminal or at the very least a total betrayal of the working class. How long will it take you people to learn the very obvious fact that the Dems may need us but will never, ever represent anyone but the capitalist? An alliance with them would be much like an alliance of the raped and rapist, working together for the climax. Disgusting!

[Ostrinski]

Sam Webb is a louse that must be crushed in the thick of the revolution.

[Sea]

We're up against unfavorable odds for Socialism in the United States. Most Americans still are oblivious to Socialist ideology, and we've got to contend with the mainstream media spewing fear and false propaganda.I think it's safe to say that the progression of socialism in the USA won't be under an organization or party or group that espouses themselves as such. What I mean to say is that I suspect that the American public, if they knew more about socialism (and communism for that matter) as opposed to the negative connotations those words carry, would find they agree with it more than they think.

[DaringMehring]

The stages theory of Webb represents a continual slide of the CPUSA from socialist revolution to bourgeois reformism.

The "anti-monopoly" stage was invented in the 50s to justify the Popular Front revisionism.

Then in the 80s, the "anti-ultra-right" was invented to justify the new anti-Reagan focus of Moscow.

At each step, the Party moved away from the powerful and correct revolutionary ideology of its founding -- to it's current state.

You could argue that these were necessary retreats, but if you know how the CPUSA today works, you will know that these retreats were... suicide. The Party can not and will not ever move to a more "advanced" stage. Even if a revolution were happening all around, they would still be stuck on "anti-ultra-right." Webb-ist leadership is nothing more than strikebreakers of building up a revolutionary movement.

I think they've been infiltrated and controlled by the CIA/FBI for a long time. The Party should dissolve into the Democrats, but they keep the name to profit off of people looking for alternatives to the big Parties...

[Ostrinski]

The stages theory of Webb represents a continual slide of the CPUSA from socialist revolution to bourgeois reformismIs this 'continual slide' indefinite? I think they've been bourgeois reformist for quite a while now.

[Anarcho-Brocialist]

I think it's safe to say that the progression of socialism in the USA won't be under an organization or party or group that espouses themselves as such. What I mean to say is that I suspect that the American public, if they knew more about socialism (and communism for that matter) as opposed to the negative connotations those words carry, would find they agree with it more than they think.

Indeed, albeit, we have to disparage 60 years of fallacious statements produced by Capitalist. As for informing the masses on our principles, how do we do so? It's a very complex situation that will be time consuming. If we take an in-depth look realistically at the United States, the citizenry is the most obtuse in regards to Communism or Socialism. So we have the problem with informing.

Additionally, the opposition has unlimited amounts of funds to contribute to 'Red Scare' propaganda, as we all saw during the cold war.

Even today, I'm met with abhorrence when I say I'm a Communist.

[Prometeo liberado]

I think it's safe to say that the progression of socialism in the USA won't be under an organization or party or group that espouses themselves as such. What I mean to say is that I suspect that the American public, if they knew more about socialism (and communism for that matter) as opposed to the negative connotations those words carry, would find they agree with it more than they think.

However the path one thinks that socialism in the U.S. will take its momentum from will be decided by the working class and oly the working class. It is when organizations such as the CPUSA attempt to derail and infect the struggle with all of their nonsense does the need for the organized left become of dire importance. We must rail against people like Sam Webb and his ilk lest people think that they represent socialism and the path to liberation.The various parties of the revolutionary lefts role at this time is to not so much lead as it is to educate and agitation against groups that call themselves socialist. Only to be revealed as the class collaborators that they are.

[WanderingCactus]

haha sam webb

adorable.

[Rusty Shackleford]

the arguments just dont make sense.


you defeat the right, ok. good job! so we dont have blatant assholes running the political show. But what is the result? a loss in conscience, and possible reforms, though good, that could potentially make the working class, if in motion conscioussly as a class(at least large sections of it) cease to act in such a way?


in the anti-corporate stage, how do you overturn or even challenge the rule of capital solely though political means? is it even in opposition to capital or just 'corporations'?


im not even going to go into the last part.