Re: [A-List] American Socialists-Champions of democracy

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Waistline2@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Keep in mind one is speaking of a party restaurant and party events. These 
> documents are remarkable as capturing the historical truth hid from the world 
> concerning the social position of the African American people and the historical 
> character of the communist movement in America. What we face is a United 
> Front of Reaction from the White House throughout every political formation, 
> including the Stalinist, Trotskyites, Socialist, conservative and liberal in our 
> history and it remains to this day. 

I have no idea why Melvin P. would use this unfortunate incident to 
epitomize the Communist Party. In fact, whatever the faults of the 
CPUSA, it had an excellent record fighting white chauvinism. To make an 
amalgam between the White House, which refused to act against lynching 
and the KKK, and the organized left indicates a kind of sectarian 
extremism on Melvin's part that is hard to take seriously. Communists, 
both white and black, risked their lives to fight racism in the South.

> This has nothing to do with Stalin's definition, but then it does because in 
> the history of American Marxism it was the Comintern that made it possible to 
> be communists. Lenin is great. Stalin did nothing to me but help get the 
> communists out of my face in history.

Actually, despite the best efforts of the CPUSA to fight racism, Stalin 
saw black people as pawns in the diplomatic game of the Kremlin. During 
WWII, when blacks were organizing a protest in Washington, DC against 
racism, the CPUSA attacked the organizers as helping Hitler.
> 
> The South was defeated in the Civil War and brought under the economic and 
> political hegemony of Yankee - Wall Street imperialism and to state the obvious 
> call down the fire of God on ones ass: the United Front of Reaction appears 
> and a section of these people say, "no we are fighting Stalinism."  Well, to me 
> it looks like you are supporting my imperialist. 

This kind of argument about "supporting the class enemy" is what 
destroyed the left of the 1970s. Every theoretical dispute turns into a 
search for the 5th column in the left. Melvin's relentless search for 
enemies on the left is truly sad. With the revolutionary left under 
assault from Nation Magazine liberals and the outright forces of 
reaction, the last thing we need is to do is look for traitors in our 
ranks. Cynthia Cochran made an keen observation to me a while back. She 
says this tendency reflects the impotence of the left. As it lacks the 
power to stop the warmakers and racists in Washington, it is tempted to 
win petty battles against its opponents on the left. Unity of all 
revolutionary forces is needed, not sectarian witch-hunts.

> This is why I stay upset when this issue is raised. 

There is no reason to get upset. When people make points that you 
disagree with, just state your disagreements. When you curse them out, 
you end the discussion immediately. Is that your intention?




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