tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579189847356587096.post3561166790204145661..comments2024-02-14T11:30:29.227-08:00Comments on Facts For Working People: Organize Against Trump and TrumpismRichard Mellorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997976754939725087noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579189847356587096.post-11802432173346345162017-02-01T08:49:29.258-08:002017-02-01T08:49:29.258-08:00Facts For Working People calls for an Alliance aga...Facts For Working People calls for an Alliance against Trumpism. One that fights on the issues of jobs, wages , conditions, environment, education, mass incarceration, racism, sexism. How would such an Alliance not be a popular front which we as well as Comrade De Leon opposes. I believe it would not be a popular front if we approach it in this way. That to be part of this Alliance against Trumpism it is necessary to agree on the struggle on all these fronts including all wars and occupations abroad. This would separate the pro capitalist forces from the forces who wanted to defeat Trump and Trumpism. This approach would also allow the many different forces who already exist and are in struggle to be part of this Alliance without making them choose in advance whether or not they were revolutionary socialists. The other way to prevent this from slipping into the swamp of a popular front as well as insisting that the various forces support the demands and program including the anti war and occupation program already stated is to commit the Alliance to the tactic of mass direct action. None of the pathetic phony weeping of the Democrats, the screaming in the Congress while they vote for Trumps nominees. The anti Trump movement must be based on a program of mass direct action. No lobbying, no joining the Democrats and trying to influence them. Mass Direct Action, that is mass movements on the streets, blocking the streets, mass strike actions and occupations. In the case of the wars and occupations the call for the troops to rebel and refuse to fight. Finally one of the major issues we look at in our diuscussions with this new movement is how does the new movement relate to the trade union movement. There are 14 million union members in the US. Their place in the key industrial sectors gives them a power way more than their numbers. In the Chicago area where i live there are 320 union locals and half a million union members affiliated to the Chicago Federation of labor. They, like their unions throughout the country, were totally absent from the women's march. They should have all been marching with their banners and heads held high. More importantly in one way the self styled revolutionary left made no effort to get to these union locals and members and get them with their banners onto the march. This new movement that is emerging will take many different forms. If it is to succeed it will have to not only evolve towards taking on Trump and his capitalist system but also evolve towards taking on the pro capitalist union leadership and building a new workers movement. Bringing tens and tens of millions into the unions and building new trade unions. Imagine if the Trade union movement had produced millions of flyers for the women's march. Held meetings in all its locals and workplaces to build for the march. Imagine if the marches had been festooned with union banners. Imagine if the union leaders had put the resources of the unions to the march. If this had been done it would now be possible to be moving towards a transformed trade union movement. But the union leaders did not do this and will not do this. They are too wed to the capitalist system and the capitalist Democratic party. And the present left will not build an opposition in the unions that will fight the existing leadership and build a new leadership. There its a lot of work to do.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07802923167159509214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579189847356587096.post-35351842892146328992017-02-01T05:38:09.031-08:002017-02-01T05:38:09.031-08:00the Women's March and the demonstrations at th...the Women's March and the demonstrations at the airport were wonderful but for the most part "spontaneous" i.e. unexpected in scope and, truthfully, simply unexpected. nonetheless, according to the mainstream polls, 48% of folks support the ban. 42% oppose it. these same pollsters predicted Hillary's victory so we have to take them with a grain of salt. <br /><br />Trump's supporters have not taken to the street and aside from isolated terrorist acts there is little grass roots activism behind Trump's actions. there is police, military, intelligence activity given that he's "head of state". even at those levels, there's blowback. <br /><br />the various coalitions that have taken credit for the Women's March and the anti-Muslim ban demonstrations are not deeply rooted in the population. as you often point out, the only mass, well funded organization that the working class has ...the AFL-CIO unions... have either taken a hands off attitude or been hostile (as in the case of the NoDAPL movement). <br /><br />the major problem that we face is are we "OKAY" with a multi-class united front against Trump, share the stage with the Schumer's, Warren's, Clinton's, jerry brown's and do we tailor our slogans to their sensibilities? what the communist (especially, the Troskyist) left calls a "popular front"???? <br /><br />my answer would be that the left have it's own coalitions that w'd issue calls for actions and join the demonstrations called by bourgeois forces while not joining their coalitions. would they then exclude us from their stages? they did not invite Sawant or even Naomi Klein to speak from their DC stage. <br /><br />that stage was controlled by Bernie Supporters and they are gearing up to play a major role in the anti-trump movement. Bernie may distance himself from mass demonstrations and general strikes but the Bernie symps may realize support for these actions is necessary if they're to maintain their credibility. <br /><br />how closely does the left work with the Bernistas? ISO & SA are having "leadership" meetings with these forces. (check out Sane Progressive's interview with Araquel Bloss of the People's Independent Party on YouTube). <br /><br />ultimately (???) if mass demonstrations & general strikes bring Trump's administration down, it will be other sectors of the bourgeoisie that will take over. as in many uprisings (France/1968, Nixon's downfall, the Arab Spring), most folks return to their "normal" lives and we have new bosses same as the old bosses. we have to accept that this will be the likely outcome and continue. if fortunate & far sighted, the left will emerge as a respectable force to be reckoned with. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05550476607090397935noreply@blogger.com