Response to Joe Sims & CPUSA

October 24, 2020 –
From Thinking Out Loud (USA)

249 views

By Jerry Dale

The Joe Sims’s
leadership statement has great significance. “After the Election: Go Out and
Make ‘em do it”. As co-chair of the CPUSA and former editor of the Party’s
ideological Journal, Political Affairs, Sims’s opinion carries
considerable weight.

Sims’ declaration is first
and foremost, the statement that eliminates any issue that the current CPUSA
has changed its ideological direction after claiming to have shed itself of the
Webb fog. Sam Webb former CPUSA head is now safely where he has always been,
well within the mainstream Democratic Party orbit.

He left a Party that
may not be currently working in that orbit officially, as he is, but continues
nonetheless to direct its members and affiliated groups to struggle within the
Democratic Party guardrails, non-endorsement of official Democratic Party
candidates not- withstanding.

As a self-proclaimed
working-class Party, Sims offers no directions to its Labor Commission. Is
there one? That should be a centerpiece.

Under Webb’s
leadership trade union/labor clubs were disbanded into community clubs. Yes,
indeed they were! So, a good guess would be, the CPUSA is still without organized
working class/trade union leadership.

His reference to “collective
bargaining “ (a part of the what CPUSA believes must be fought for) indicates
the narrow role that the working class and trade unions should and must play in
the Party. No revolutionary spirit here. That is a collaborationist
perspective.

Not even mentioning
the only international trade union federation that fights for workers and trade
unions continues the Party’s unprincipled opposition to the World Federation of
Trade Unions (WFTU). Hard to believe, but true.

Left blank on this
issue moves Party union activists toward the AFL-CIO and its right-wing
international federation the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Party collectives

In Sims’ report there
isn’t even a hint that Party collectives, in any lingo, should function as
Communist collectives and formulate policies. While they may be fully
individually independent, they function completely within the mainstream
Parties and other Democratic Party orbit groups, like the DSA and Bernie
Sanders groupings, and within their guardrails.

Going into these
formations which have strict guardrails, without their own Organizational
meetings, keeps the Webb mainstreaming policy fully intact. Most importantly It
robs all peoples’ groups of real class-oriented strategies and tactics. There
is a lot more to win than even the program of the DSA, regardless how much
better it is than the DNC. Or Trump calling them all communists.

All that’s implied
quite directly by Sims is to “get the Democrats to Do It”.

Do WHAT?

Where does the Party’s
program, such as it is, come in? It’s still on the shelf with a profound Party
history of Wm Z Foster and Henry Winston.

Everybody knows the
DNC demanded and got a severely compromised Program for the 2020 election.
Sanders, AOC and the DSA agreed. And even their Democratic Socialist programs
were limited, especially on foreign policy. Everyone cringes when they mention
Cuba, Russia, China, and every South American country which bears the brunt of
US sanctions / boycotts and other forms of imperialism.

Medicare for All or
Single Payer is NOT a NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE!!!! That Used to be the CPUSA
position before they opportunistically cut it back to supporting Single-Payer.

In terms of world
peace, the CPUSA gives minor lip service to anti-imperialist struggles. Sims
doesn’t seem to find this important struggle in what his minions should fight
for. Only when pushed and humiliated do they join with Code Pink, World Peace
Council and the US peace Council. But usually only on a perfunctory manner. No
mention of the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) either! Too radical a proposition?

The failure to
highlight the Black Lives Matter / pro-immigration demands that are guiding
peoples’ movements is dizzying, let alone the frontal attack on women.

The Joe Sims
directional article which sounds the call to Party cadres and adherents
continues the woeful centrist Webb direction of the 21st century.

The CPUSA is an
independent Party in name only. But they will work entirely within the
policy confines of the Democratic Party albeit with a healthier vocal left of
center Democratic Socialist concepts, at least on some domestic issues.

The Party of
Communists USA (PCUSA) offers a healthy independent communist approach to
struggle and a future. We involve ourselves in all forms of struggle, but we
also generate class oriented, anti-racist peoples’ solutions that mobilize. We
engage in struggles with a clear viewpoint and engage front line activists in
an open comradely non-sectarian manner. The Democratic Party is not our
guidepost. Join us in the struggle for all-peoples’ unity and scientific
socialism-communism.

Dare to Struggle

Dare to Win

Source: Thinkingoutloudlyc.blogspot.com