BUILDING A MASS SOCIALIST PARTY - ONE YEAR LATER

One year ago, I wrote a ‘modest’ piece entitled, “Building a Mass Socialist Party in One Year - Reconsidering the Peace and Freedom Party.” In it, I outlined why I believed there was a historic opportunity right here, right now to create a strong political voice of California’s working class, especially communities of color and the poor.

I got two strong reactions to that article - one was “You’re crazy.” Well, yes, I’d respond, but what did you think of the article.

The other reaction was “Yes, of course. Let’s do it.” So we formed a P&F Organizing Committee in Los Angeles to bring in people who hadn’t been active in the organization. Later, some of us reactivated the Venice chapter of Peace and Freedom, and within a few months, got a strong registration campaign going.

A few months into the campaign I began to feel less crazy when quite a number of well-known leaders on the left agreed that saving P&F was an important project. They included Juan Gonzalez who has led a brilliant Pacific Campaign that has forced a corporate oriented board to quit and a new progressive board to take power.

Michael Parenti - the famous political scholar and Peace and Freedom member signed on. Joining them were two of the top Black socialist intellectuals - Manning Marable and Gerald Horne. In addition, a couple of Massachusetts-based writers thought it was pretty important - Howard Zinn, who wrote the “Peoples History of the U.S.,” the best working-class history of this country. You may have heard of the other guy, Noam Chomsky. And many more signed the appeal.

In the past year, we’ve reversed the decline in membership in the Party. In Los Angeles County, alone, we’ve increased from 22,000 to more than 30,000 registrations. We’re the fourth largest party in the county, ahead of the Greens, Reform and Natural Law.

But do we have a mass socialist party after one year?

The answer depends upon how we define a mass socialist party.

I offer three criteria:

The first is numbers. P&F with 105,000 members - 70,000 of which are acknowledged by the Secretary of State, Bill Jones - is as large as any socialist organization in the history of the U.S. Ninety years ago, the Socialist Party had around the same number, and about 65 years ago, the Communist Party had a little less.

The second criteria for a mass party is leadership. Is there the kind of mass based, political conscious and diverse leadership that can make this a party that is mass in influence. I believe the jury is still out on that one. But the door to your participation is wide open. All you have to do is walk through it.

The third element is organizational. Is the party active in the communities around the state. P&F must become “not just an election day party, but an everyday party.” A party that is not only the electoral expression of the many struggles that are going on, but one that takes part in those day-to-day struggles, and even initiates them.

The history of the left in this country is one of disappointment, margainalization and failure. And with good reason. We’re up against the most powerful ruling class the world has ever known.

There are two types of party organization - cadre and mass. There is a “cadre” organization that sets high requirements for membership and is usually fairly small in size. On the other hand, a “mass” party invites everyone to join and participate. People can have differences of opinion and can form internal caucuses. As a mass party, Peace and Freedom has enormous potential. We have more members in just the city of Long Beach than any other socialist party has in the entire country. Now all we have to do is realize that potential! That means, we have an organizing job to do with our own members.

So what about that historic opportunity?

The historian, Carey McWilliams, titled one of his books “California, the Great Exception.” He was never more right than today. For a number of reasons that are unique to California, we have the opportunity to do what would be impossible elsewhere in this country - we can build a mass socialist party.

There are many reasons why California can sustain a mass socialist party. California is the 5th largest economy in the world and has all the ingredients needed to sustain a mass socialist party.

Consider this. California is now the only state on the continental U.S. that has a majority that is not white. African-Americans, Asians, Latinos are just the beginning. We are a land of people from every part of the world. In addition, white racists are leaving California in droves for Idaho, Montana, Nevada and other hideouts.

Already our membership, at least in L.A. County is predominately Black and Latino, with large numbers of Asians and immigrants. It is precisely the worldwide immigration that is strengthening California’s left. We are being enriched with the experience of struggles across the planet. No longer must we rely only on U.S. political development. We can jump ahead - and catch up with the rest of the world.

Flying from the east coast, I’m always struck that half the trip is over a dry desert. From the center of the plains, their is what appears from the air to be a trackless wasteland, populated by a few oases - Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, and that border town, Las Vegas. We are separated from any significant U.S. population by 1500 hundred miles. And, we’re separated from the U.S. centers of power on the east coast by 3000 miles.

This geographic separation has also produced a cultural separation. Californians are different from other Americans. We are often subject to derision when we visit the midwest, the south or the east. They view us as unconventional, not committed to the protestant work ethic and, somewhat bizarre. When Californians return from beyond the Colorado River, they often tell tales of people who live unhealthy lifestyles, have limited ideas about recreation and smoke, eat and drink too heavily. Perhaps the biggest difference is that Californians, without realizing it, are bicultural. The Anglo and Latino cultures have blended so seamlessly that we just don’t think about it. Our food, our place names, our history contains elements of the Mexican and American cultures that exist side-by-side. We are forced to be more accepting, more open to new ideas than our eastern relatives. Because of this bicultural heritage, it is easier for additional elements to enter the mix - Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Iranians, Central Americans, and more. All contribute to a constantly evolving culture that is also evolving politically.

Not yet a voting majority, Californians of color already are changing the political landscape of the state, and will turn to embrace our program in large numbers if we are up to the challenge. The Democrats become more discredited with each passing day, and cannot in any sense be called a party for the working class. The Republicans have been reduced to minor party status in California in everything but money. The Greens are focused elsewhere.

So where do we fit in? Peace and Freedom is a working class party - in membership and program. It is a party of, by and for poor people. The paraphrase Eugene Debs: “While there is a lower class, we are in it; while there is a criminal element, we are of it; and while there is a soul in prison, we are not free.”

This is the future of California and this is the future of P&F. Can we rise to the occasion? Who among you will help provide the collective leadership for the Peace and Freedom Party that looks like this new California, and acts in its interests?

In last year’s article, I said I’d make a year’s commitment to concentrate on building a mass socialist party. I’m reenlisting, and I ask you to join me in a year’s commitment to make this dream become a reality.

To those of you considering this invitation, let me say that there is no more important political involvement that you can make - IT IS A HISTORICAL MOMENT. Please join us tonight by filling out a registration form and getting involved.

To those of you who are longtime proud members of P&F - I have just one thing to say: the best is yet to come.

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