Communist Party Endorses Obama and the Democrats for 2012

From Communist Party Chair Sam Web at People's World:

Does it make any difference, from the standpoint of the class and democratic struggles, which party gains political ascendency?  Some - though not the labor movement nor other mass organizations of the American people - say no, it doesn't.  Some even go a step further and say a Democratic victory creates popular illusions, which in turn weaken the people's struggles. And the only way out of this vise is to form a third party now.  Communists don't agree with either one of these views.

In our view, the differences between the two parties of capitalism are of consequence to class and democratic struggles.   Neither party is anti-capitalist, but they aren't identical either. Differences exist at the levels of policy and social composition. And despite the many frustrations of the past two years, the election of Barack Obama was historic and gave space to struggle for a people's agenda . . .

Now that doesn't mean that we give up our advocacy of an independent people's party, but we also understand that its formation is dictated by concrete political realities and strategic necessities. . . . We don't have any illusions about the Democratic Party, but we don't have any illusions about the Republican Party either. Furthermore, we are also aware of the undeniable fact that no other party besides the Democratic Party stands a chance of beating the GOP next year.

NYT Profiles Communist, Socialist and Democratic Socialists of America

From the New York Times:

In some ways, the Left remains locked in place. Its three major national parties are still confined to cramped Manhattan offices that are plastered with gaudy posters and honeycombed with pamphlets for distribution and envelopes for stuffing.

But in other ways the landscape has changed significantly. All three parties are finding the Internet to be a fruitful recruiting tool and believe their message has been given a fresh, beguiling appeal by the failures of capitalist symbols like Lehman Brothers and by debacles like the billions of dollars in securities tied to subprime mortgages.

“The economic crisis of 2008 gave us new life,” said Billy Wharton, a co-chairman of the Socialist Party, who grew enamored of socialism while battling tuition increases as a student at the College of Staten Island. “We have ideas for resolving the economic crisis, and people began to listen to them.” . . . .

Communist Commentator Calls for Unity with Obama Democrats

On the left, the Communist Party have been consistent supporters of Barack Obama and the outgoing Democratic ruling majority.  From Jarvis Tyner, from People's World, a CPUSA publication:

I think most left people understand that the main danger to democracy and progress is coming from the extreme right, GOP/tea party and their powerful corporate backers. The Communist Party will not agree with our liberal allies at every turn, but we keep pushing for unity, we keep working to find the tactics that keep a broad labor and people's coalition, that keeps the movement for change going. . . . If  we want to win more economic and democratic rights for working people, minorities, women, young people, etc., it is self defeating to use this tax compromise difference to "break" with Obama. . . . Communists say that even though we are not in agreement with the president on many basic issues, he implemented many of his campaign promises. Progressive researchers who track that sort of thing give him pretty good marks. . . .

Revolutionary Communist Party Drafts "Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America"

From the Revolutionary Communist Party:

This Constitution (Draft Proposal) is written with the future in mind. It is intended to set forth a basic model, and fundamental principles and guidelines, for the nature and functioning of a vastly different society and government than now exists: the New Socialist Republic in North America, a socialist state which would embody, institutionalize and promote radically different relations and values among people; a socialist state whose final and fundamental aim would be to achieve, together with the revolutionary struggle throughout the world, the emancipation of humanity as a whole and the opening of a whole new epoch in human history–communism–with the final abolition of all exploitative and oppressive relations among human beings and the destructive antagonistic conflicts to which these relations give rise.

Eric Odom of the Constitution Party comments on the proposal and party in an article at World Net Daily:

Gary Odom, national field director with the Constitution Party of the United States, knows the RCP well and describes them as "outlandish" and "hysterical," even within the socialist movement.

"The RCP has been around for a long time," he says, and while he believes the two parties that "pretty much control this country" are "totally corrupt," he hopes that people don't give up on the ballot box.

"There are people who talk about bullets instead of ballots, but that would be a bad thing for this country, for sure," he said.

GA: Online Nazi Community Demonstrates Longtime Support for Republican Gubernatorial Candidate

From a post at Poli-Tea on an ongoing flap between Republican and Libertarian activists in Georgia:

Though it does not follow from [the Libertarian] Bittner's comment that "Nathan Deal and everyone associated with the Georgia Republican Party are white supremacist Naizs because they’re against illegal immigration," as the Republican pundit alleges, in the present context it is worth noting that white supremacists and Nazis do support Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal because he is against illegal immigration. If, as I've documented before, the Communist Party and Communist Party front groups support the Democrats, does not a "fair and balanced" assessment of the major parties demand investigation of Nazi support for Republicans? A search of the web forum Stormfront demonstrates longtime support for Republican Nathan Deal in the white supremacist and Nazi community . . .

Read the whole thing.

FBI Files Detail Investigation of Historian Howard Zinn's Relationship with "Communist Front Groups" and the Communist Party USA

From TPM:

The FBI today released a 423-page file on Howard Zinn, the radical progressive historian who wrote A People's History of the United States. Zinn died in January. We're digging through the file right now. Help us out -- leave what you find in comments or email us.

From Raw Story:

Those who knew of the dissident historian Howard Zinn would not be surprised that J. Edgar Hoover's FBI kept tabs on him for decades during the Cold War. . . .

"In 1949, the FBI opened a domestic security investigation on Zinn," the bureau states. The Bureau noted Zinn’s activities in what were called Communist Front Groups and received informant reports that Zinn was an active member of the CPUSA; Zinn denied ever being a member when he was questioned by agents in the 1950s. . . . The release describes the historian as "radical."

From The Other McCain:

Going through the PDFs and — wow! — Zinn’s file from the 1940s and ’50s makes for fascinating reading to anyone familiar with Communist Party history. Any innocent liberal might have unwittingly joined a CPUSA front group or two. But only a card-carrying Commie would have joined every front group that came along, as Zinn evidently did . . .

Links and more discussion at Memeorandum.

Glenn Beck Fears Communist Party Outreach via Facebook

At Fox News, Glenn Beck wonders "How did Communism become cool?"  An excerpt:

I want to talk to you about communism, but I have to tell you, that sounds like a joke. Three years ago I didn't even think it was around; I would have mocked someone like me. But don't fall into that trap. Open your mind and your ears — the country is in trouble. . . .

Our children have grown up not knowing what communism is. They didn't have to go through the emergency attack drills at school. They didn't grow up hearing about the gulags. They haven't seen the horror show of millions of mass murders and starving people at the hands of brutal communist dictators . . .

You've got communist teachers in California calling for revolution. The Houston branch of Communist Party USA — a group that's called for the nationalization of BP — is reaching out to young people through Facebook. And their favorite movie is Michael Moore's "Capitalism, a Love Story."

From the About page at the Houston Communist Party's website:

 The Houston Communist Party is the local club in Texas of the Communist Party USA is an organization of revolutionaries working to bring about social change in a conscious, progressive direction. We understand the connection between working for democratic reforms and improvements in living standards today, and building a movement large enough and united enough to create revolutionary change and socialism in the future.
We base ourselves on Marxism-Leninism, on the accumulated experience of our Party since our founding in 1919. Our view of the needs of our working class as a whole, and on our vision of Socialism USA is based on those experiences.

We are rooted in our country’s revolutionary history and our many struggles for full equality and democracy. We call for “Bill of Rights” socialism, guaranteeing full individual freedoms, except the “freedom” to exploit or oppress others. We organize contingents in most major demonstrations, support workers’ struggles for decent wages and working conditions, and participate in many other ways in the political life of our country.

Communist Party Continues to Embrace Democratic Party Policy and Agenda

From the Daily Caller:

Comrades flocked to New York City two weeks ago for the 29th national convention of the Communist Party USA. While reviewing materials from the event, we had a sudden sense of déjà vu: the feeling that we had heard these talking points before. Maybe you have as well — they’re espoused, in near identical form, by the president and his fellow Democrats . . .  The point isn’t that Obama’s a communist (though it’s amusing to watch Sam Webb, chairman of the CPUSA, deny such a charge while arguing with Glenn Beck about the redistribution of marshmallow peeps). It’s useful, though, to compare the substance of Democratic and communist rhetoric, which differs mainly in degree. You may conclude — especially if you lean left — that the Communist Party USA is more moderate and mainstream than you thought.

NY: Communist Party Convention Wraps Up in NYC

From People's World, the CPUSA's news journal:

NEW YORK - Just blocks north of Wall Street here, the site of the biggest crime spree in history, Communist Party Chairman Sam Webb said executives who planned, aided and abetted the theft of wealth and sent the economy into a tailspin deserve to "be in prison." Webb opened the 29th Convention of the Communist Party USA, May 21.

Anger at corporations and "bosses," who constantly take, take, take from workers, communities and taxpayers leaving financial crises, joblessness, foreclosures and environmental disasters in their wake, was apparent at this gathering of a few hundred delegates and guests. Anger was also directed at the use of racism and immigrant-bashing to further their pro-Wall Street agenda. But there wasn't just anger in the keynote and delegate speeches. There was also optimism, compassion and readiness to organize a fightback on jobs and in the mid-term elections.