Chicago. Thug Daley family gone.

Eugene Debs. Late leader of the Socialist party and Presidential candidate.

The older Daley who was mayor of Chicago was famous for his murderous repression of working class, especially African American working class, people in the city. Think the Black panther party leader Fred Hampton murdered by Daley's cops. Remember also his violent attack on the anti war rally in Grant Park in 1968. What a thug in the interests of capitalism. Now the younger Daley has announced his departure. Good. We are well rid of them. But what is the alternative? At the moment it is another Democrat, another capitalist politician so basically there is no difference.

I would like to suggest the following. All activists and socialists should look at their resources and come together to seek to activate the base in their unions and communities and from this move resolutions to get the Chicago Federation of Labor to discuss the political opportunity and their political responsibility and put up a candidate for Mayor on a program that would improve the lives of working people. Let us build an organized campaign to mobilize the Chicago Federation of Labor to run a workers' candidate for Mayor and a build a mass Working Peoples' Party in Chicago.

While campaigning to this end the left and radical movement should commit itself to the objective that if no candidate is forthcoming from the unions it itself will select and run a candidate of its own for mayor. Also on a program that takes on capitalism and proposes measures which would improve working people’s lives. If this is not done then the capitalist politicians will rule again. Taking such a step should not be stopped by ultra leftism which sees using elections as a sell out. It should not be stopped by opportunism which does not want to take up and oppose the role of the trade union leaders and their subservience to the Democrats and capitalism. It should not be stopped by left sectarianism which sees the different left wing groups and some of the left individuals refusing to work together in a united front manner because they think their own interests are better served by working alone and so they put the interest of the movement to the one side.

The struggle for a working peoples candidate should be fought on a clear program which connects with working peoples consciousness and experiences. This should include a $15.00 an hour minimum wage or a $5.00 an hour increase for all whichever is the greater. Free health care, education for all, affordable housing and no foreclosures. An end to police brutality, racism and sexism. Organize the organized.

A mass working people’s party could be built on this basis and capitalism's political monopoly could be broken. This would be a big step forward as it would begin to change the balance of forces in the interests of the working class. The main responsibility for taking these steps lies with the union leaders. But the left and radical movement has its responsibility also. We should not shirk from doing what is necessary and possible.