So, I was glossing over some of the PSL and CPUSA platforms and I was kind of disappointed. Not by anything that they have said that is wrong, but that it is not ambitious. CPUSA has $15 minimum wage and PSL is focused on anti-war and anti-capitalism. This are wonderful things that are materially based and would help so many people, but I have always felt it is missing something. What I have come up with is that it fails to capture people’s imagination. The vision should be front and center of any campaign.
Think about it: America offers(its its racist way) a dream, a nation, “e plurbus unum” and all this like mythology around itself as a bastion of freedom and democracy. This is totally false and manipulative, however, it is good at capturing the imagination.
We may call for a revolution; we may be too good at pointing out the flaws, but what do we propose to the average American? What do we offer them in exchange for their struggle against the hand that “feeds” them? $15 minimum wage? A 30hr workweek? That’s if we succeed at taking over the government? I don’t think the average Joe is captivated by this enough to upend everything they know…
Thus, we must really think about what could get an American to fight for their freedom. Xi, has called on us as Marxists to develop socialism for our nations. That is why I think there should be a key point in changing and appealing to the American mind.
1: land reform. From Republicans to Democrats, everyone in America is deeply aware that the American dream is being taken away by Black Rock and their ilk. The richest of the rich have forsaken the hard-working American from the right to own a home. I call it Land and Liberty. Any communist party that wants to appeal to average Americans can through the access and rights to land. This is a perfect opportunity to appeal to, eventually, living up to the promise of 40 acres and a mule(change this to maybe 4acres and a tractor or something) to black people. Anyone that can prove a slave past, they can get land. We need to think out the details.
2 capitalism: I think in America and others, capitalism will be a big part of any platform. We cannot just abolish capitalism in the heart of capitalism, at least mom and pop stores, those are a key subject to the American identity. At least full unionization to all who want to be part of one. Maybe even a natl, general Union.
3: Right to work: no one likes being homeless, no one likes seeing homeless people everywhere, therefore, the right to competitively paid work and mental health care shall be a right to anyone who seeks it and is of age.
4: Immigration: I’m an immigrant in the imperial core, yet as much as it pains me, I know most Americans really don’t like immigrants. That’s a cultural thing that will take time to change. But we had a brasero program, where seasonal workers could freely walk the border to work legally. Something similar should be proposed to solve the “problem” of immigration. Legalize all that are undocumented, and provide more and faster options for immigrants. From what I’ve noticed, Americans just want people to follow the rules, Americans are just dumb about how insane and racist the rules are.
Anyway, these are just some ideas, maybe some are bad, maybe all of them, lol. But take them as a brainstorming session of really making socialism work in America. We have to give something to fight for, and we can’t pretend that we can sell the American on the Soviet model. We have to make a socialism for the United States(honestly changing the official name to just the US would be a great step). We also have to acknowledge and meet people where they’re at, otherwise we would be adventurists. Work out all the details.
Tl;dr use your imagination Goddamn it! Give the Americans something ambitious to fight for and be realistic. We’re dealing with some ignorant and reactionary people, but as workers, they have concerns and beliefs that unify them. Appeal to those to sell them on socialism.
The PSL does far more than simply be “anti-war” or “anti-capitalist”. Being a Marxist-Leninist requires a dialectical lens and a knowledge of your audience, in this case the reactionary imperial core. The party pushes for nothing less than the socialist transformation of society.
If you can, please read through the PSL’s program. All of the points you brought up are satisfactorily answered in that document in a way that aligns with a non-utopian Marxist view of the main points to be addressed following a socialist revolution in the US.
1: land reform
Snippet from the subheading "Liberation: Overcoming racism, exploitation, national oppression and all forms of bigotry:
The new government will seek to codify the goals of eradicating racism, national oppression and all forms of exploitation and bigotry. The following issues will be addressed by the new government.
With the goal of the unity of the multinational U.S. working class on the basis of class solidarity, the new government will work to eliminate white supremacy, racism and privilege as an immediate task, recognizing that this goal will not be achieved automatically or by decree. It will be prohibited to advocate any form of racism, xenophobia, national hatred or discrimination based on ability.
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The socialist government will recognize the inviolable right of all oppressed nations to self-determination with regard to their means of gaining and maintaining their liberation. In the United States, this includes the right of self-determination for African American, Native, Puerto Rican and other Latino national minorities, the Hawai’ian nation, Asian, Pacific Islander, Arab and other oppressed peoples that have experienced oppression as a whole people under capitalism.
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The socialist government will institute a program of reparations for the African American community to address the centuries of unpaid slave labor and super-exploitation.
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The existing colonial relationships of the United States will be dissolved. Independence will be immediately granted to Puerto Rico with full reparations for colonial exploitation, and the right of free travel between the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and Mariana Islands will be free to exercise their right to self-determination, up to and including independence, with reparations and the right to free travel between the former colonies and the U.S. mainland. Restitution, including the return of land stolen, will be provided for Native Nations. Further, the socialist government will reaffirm the right of Native Nations to self-determination, up to and including independence.
- capitalism
Declaring that capitalism cannot be abolished in the US is an outright misjudgment and disbelief in the oppressed peoples in this country. A Marxist-Leninist party is designed to lead the masses towards revolution, not fall in line or concede to the most backwards sections of society who believe capitalism can be “reformed”.
Snippet from the subheading “The right of revolution”:
The capitalist system has proven to be incapable of meeting the needs of the people — even in the richest capitalist country in history. Every year, millions more people are forced into abject poverty, many while working full time, and many are denied the right to a job.
Simply reforming the capitalist system is not enough.
For the capitalists, reforms are a threat to the status quo. Reforms for the working class mean something different. They ease the burdens of living under capitalism through the extension of civil rights or other beneficial social or economic policies.
While reforms must be fought for, and can be won, they are under constant attack by the ruling class. Capitalism itself cannot be reformed. Its supreme law and driving force is the maximization of profit. The only force capable of putting an end to this criminal system is the organized working class. Capitalism cannot be voted out of power—it will take a revolution.
The capitalist class will stop at nothing to prevent or overturn reforms by repressing, misdirecting or quelling any form of popular rebellion. Without a complete uprooting of the system that causes all the problems workers and oppressed peoples face, exploitation and oppression will still exist. The capitalist state will continue to rule.
Capitalism is a failed system that, in its insatiable appetite for ever greater profits, threatens global ecological destruction on an unprecedented scale, with workers and oppressed people bearing the disproportionate burden of the environmental disaster.
More than at any other time, it is the working class that holds the future for humanity. For the people and planet to live, capitalism must go.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation is dedicated to building a revolutionary workers’ party in the United States. A party that can unite the multinational U.S. working class is an essential and irreplaceable element in the struggle for socialism. The PSL participates in the labor, anti-war, anti-racist, immigrant rights, women’s, lesbian/gay/bi/transgender/queer, environmental, student and other movements. A revolutionary party can be built only by engaging in all issues affecting the working class.
For the working class, revolution is a necessity and a right. The most brutal aspects of capitalism will not go away unless there is a socialist revolution. Only a revolution can do away with the rule of the capitalists once and for all.
3: Right to work
Snippet from the subheading “Socialism: Addressing the interests of working and poor people”:
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It will be a right of every person in the United States to have a job with guaranteed union representation and full social benefits provided by the socialist government, including a pension, health care, workers’ compensation, paid parental and family leave for up to two years, paid sick and disability leave, a minimum of one month’s paid vacation, and at least 12 paid holidays.
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Poverty will be eradicated by providing a guaranteed living income for any worker who is not able to find or hold a job. Priority in addressing the legacy of capitalism will be granted to communities that have suffered disproportionately in the past.
4: Immigration
See the response to your point 1 and that subheading.
I read through the document, but it doesn’t provide detailed policies. Never did I say that anti capitalism is all that PSL does. I never meant to imply that they are inadequate in their activities.
I think you misunderstand. To say capitalism cannot be done away with does not mean it will never be done away with. If there was a revolution tomorrow, all Americans would sign up to abolish capitalism, in all its forms, immediately? I find that implausible at best. At first it cannot happen. Is it no secret that China or vietnam have capitalist friendly policies. They use capitalism as a tool to benefit their society. It’s not about a party line. Lenin wrote about the the new socialist society would have the vestiges of the old one, namely, capitalism. It has been the model since the inception of the US nation. It is not that I do not trust the masses, i very much trust that they are used to the system of capitalism and would have a hard time letting it go completely for a time. It doesn’t follow they’d immediately abolish it. It would take time and a detailed policy description.
“full reparations for colonial exploitation“ what is that exactly defined as? This is what I mean. My main problem is that we use too many platitudes when it comes to the issues we face in the US and so we only can superficially imagine the change that the US would undergo. The lack of detail and the how of policy implementation lead to vagueness, which only contributes to the idea that socialists are idealists.
“guaranteed living income“ how is this funded? What office will oversee this? Is it just a lump sum? Is it food, housing, clothes? Are the rich taxed to fund it? What happens to the monetary system that props up the current global capitalist economy?
“a program of reparations for the African American community.” Again, what program? What do reparations actually look like? Money? Land, homes, jobs, education? All of the above? If so, then who is qualified, for how long, what is the extent of the reparations? This is a touchy subject. Which is exactly why we need detailed answers.
“eradicating racism, national oppression and all forms of exploitation and bigotry.”
Okay, so they are prohibited, good! But what are the implications of “free speech”? This is a dearly held ideal in the American reactionary psyche. How will it be managed, what will be the repercussions to racism? Jail, re-education? Psychological examination? I don’t see these questions as superfluous. And we need to be proactive enough to come up with the answers whilst fighting for a socialist revolution.
I don’t personally find my questions satisfactorily answered by this short document by PSL, which I read in preparation for my post. I hope you can understand why I’m concerned about the vagueness of the policies mentioned here by PSL. It’s not that they’re bad or silly ideas, no. They’re extremely important and relevant. That is why we owe it to the masses to be prepared to implement these policies quickly, as logically as possible, and provide the masses as much detail so they can more clearly imagine what a socialist nation would look like.
Edit: formatting stuff
I agree that we could use some more firm answers/plans to point to when the inevitable question from others “But how will X be done?”. We are confused with idealists by basically everyone that sees us as “meaning well but don’t know how ‘the real world’ works’”. Many of them are just cynical defeatists that have just accepted that this is just how the world is. Maybe they have just let down too many times given how extra both current majority parties are with the never ending platitudes. The Dems/liberals have been the worst offenders in my lifetime (I am 35y/o). They can’t seem to stop themselves from trying to “feel” like they care (thoughts, prayers, careful wording about being “the party of healthcare/women/LGBTQIA+/etc”). But when it is time to do anything other than say nice things, it all goes away or they just place “bipartisan-ness” over fighting. We were promised much better healthcare access with the gutted Romney/Obama-care stuff. But while there were some parts that were a good step, it all just benefited all the private insurance carriers and costs many regular people more. So the masses are just so used to parties that have lost any meaning to regular people and only have nice speeches for them. But the ones with money get what they want regardless of which party is in charge.
Having plans that can be pointed to as to what would be basically ready to go if/when a real anti-capitalist leftist party is given the chance would be good. But we also need to be getting known to our local communities as being ready to get our hands dirty helping out with whatever is needed. They need to see that we are serious about being an actual option and change more minds regarding what actually socialism/communism is and isn’t. Based on how our media outlets and various conservative/liberal politicians has basically beat it into people that socialism/communism = evil/bad/hating freedom. We are really needing to educate even pretty well educated people. And having plans can help along with this education. We also can’t let our enemies keep controlling our narratives by responding to their bad faith attacks/“gotcha” moments. Maybe some plans could be started if some of the current leftist parties were to come together and find important issues to agree on. Like a new Internationale, but specific to our struggle in the US (though I am willing to accept that this is maybe too idealistic as written). We need to start somewhere and need to build solidarity if we want to begin to go onto dethrone the current system and its many outlets.
Yes, this is what I mean. We must be proactive and anticipate the inevitable revolutionary moment in order to seize it from the reactionaries. God knows the fascists want their 1776 America back.
We don’t want to look like the dems who only offer half-solutions and lip service to anything popular. As MLs, if we’re to be a legitimate political party then we must participate in political party Work. Policy proposals for a socialist govt in the US is one such responsibility. At the very least we need to be writing the socialist political theory for the America of today. If we don’t have the details, then who does?
I think a big part of the hesitancy from many people is this idea that a socialist party would not just be evil, but they are convinced we are unprepared and disorganized. That we would not have the organizational tools or political power to successfully revolt and I really can’t blame the average brainwashed Joe for sticking to what is known to them rather than putting their weight into yet another(in their mind) half-baked, college kid run, pseudo democratic third party. Most people only adopt something new like socialism, once it is popular enough and thus safe to do so. How can we provide that feeling of safety? I say one way is to have that detail prepared. It would give us professionalism, and it would give them the knowledge that we aren’t just angry college kids in a phase of rebellion, but a proper, working revolutionary party.
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Conjecture on the future is not a Marxist way of thinking. There’s a reason Marx & Engels didn’t come up with fabulous ideas of what communism would be. Dialectical materialism looks at the ebb and flow of history and its effects. Just as Marx didn’t expand on what the future could hold in store in riveting detail, the same is for the PSL. The focus is on the current oppression of the masses and the means of achieving working class unity to strike down our oppressors.
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Nowhere does the PSL abscribe to the utopian ideal of “now that we won the revolution, socialism is enacted”. The party is premised on the actuality of socialist revolution in the US and the program hits the high points of what will be important to tackle in the next step, not that revolution will create some socialist utopia and capitalism is forever abolished. There is plenty of detailed analyses straight from the education organ of the party that further breaks down Marxist theory in the frame of a Leninist party organizing in the imperial core.
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The program isn’t vague, it’s not up to a Marxist party to dictate what an oppressed nations reparations will be, nor how a post-revolution society will look like. It is not a material analysis, and dictating exact descriptions of how a socialist US will be is utopian, just as Marx and Lenin never gave concrete details that “socialism means X and therefore Y”. There is also no existing example of what reparations would look like, it would have to be discussed at that point between the party and the oppressed nations themselves speaking for themselves. Enabling “what ifs” and conjecture is immaterial analysis and does nothing but give armchair “communists” talking points to bicker over.
There are infinite explanations of what could happen, how things can be implemented, and what to avoid. Organizing is difficult, made even more so with now powerful bourgeois hegemony is in the imperial core. Learning how to organize, how to talk to the masses, how to radicalize our fellow workers, is of vital importance to build our power.
In my years of organizing, not once has someone asked for detailed implementation instructions for how a socialist government will work in detail. We are not at the point of detailing policy, we’re at the point of reaching out to the masses and radicalizing. The why and how of bourgeois class oppression is what we need to focus on and it’s what the people need to realize and how to fight back.
In-depth analysis and discussion on policies and the future socialist government is meant for in-party discussion. If you’re outreaching in your community and someone wants to know details on the future, it’d be up to you as a dedicated communist and knowledgeable party member to answer based off discussion and organizing within the party. But our job is to radicalize and get people to realize that capitalism is the disease and socialism is the future!
Unity, criticism, unity.
One of the things I find missing in the PSL platform is the lack of acknowledgment of the giant elephant in the room: WASPs. Whether we readily admit this or not, the white, Anglo community is still about 50% of the population in America. We still have to appeal to them(unfortunately). What they’re willing to concede is not what we as socialists or natives or black folks or immigrants are willing to concede. They do not see us on their side, they see us as wanting to destroy what they have “created”(gross). How will they see themselves benefitted by our taking of power? They will not join otherwise. If not actively try to kill us. Lol. I believe we can appeal to most workers in US. Socialism can create a win win situation.
To provide concrete answers to concrete problems is all I’m asking for. Not conjecture about the future, but tangible, realistic solutions to current situations. I’m not entirely understanding your point of departure from this request. This doesn’t require any more conjecture than the Green New Deal.
I also have years of experience organizing, and have founded orgs before, but this isn’t always an obvious fact that can be extracted from a bugs bunny dressed up as Stalin pfp.
I find it hard to imagine no one has ever asked you a specific question about implementing policies we are for as socialists. This happened nearly every time my org organized a tabling event.
“We are not at the point of detailing policy, we’re at the point of reaching out to the masses and radicalizing”
I respectfully disagree with you. These are not mutually exclusive. It isn’t adventurism since the premise is that we should think and propose options that can be consented to by the masses today. We must be developing a socialism that is in line with where the masses are today.
This is a radicalizing point; reaching out to the people with a realistic and well-thought out plan. Not only that, but having the policies necessary to provide the change we promise. The details may change. However, there is no reason this fact should prevent us MLs from actively thinking of detailed, materially viable solutions to the problems at hand. It is precisely because we can come up with infinite amount of solutions that we must provide at least a few well thought-out policy priorities that can be consented to by the people. If we can’t hope to provide solutions for today and tomorrow, what business do we have seeking power? Where is our confidence?
If we have a strong foundation in the details of our policy proposals, most pushback can be resolved. How many times have you heard the tired argument of “how are we gonna pay for free college?!” If we aren’t demsocs, we’re going to provide, non-capitalistic solutions about socialized education programs. The work has already been done. We might stop hearing this answer if we provided the details. We can’t just rely on platitudes like “we’ll take it from the military budget!” Yes, and?
“The focus is on the current oppression of the masses and the means of achieving working class unity to strike down our oppressors.”
We do not disagree. But aren’t the conditions for a revolution inevitable to arise? Shouldn’t we be prepared for that and what will happen? I don’t think the hardest part of socialism is the revolution. The hardest part of the revolution is keeping it.
“it’s not up to a Marxist party to dictate what an oppressed nations reparations will be“
Good to recognize this, but if not the party, then who? I’m not being rhetorical. The difference between a socialist party in power and the bourgeois democracy is that the socialists will not just talk about reparations, the promise is the implementation. Otherwise why would the masses trust us? Anger and hatred to the oppressor, pointing out how shitty prole’s lives are? No. I say they will trust us because we provide the solutions to their oppression.
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US should be abolished and carved up into separate regions. That neutralizes the threat of the US empire to the rest of the world while the remnants of the US are washed away into something new.
Yes! Its territories given to those it took from as well, like the Native Hawaiians. Programs to improve their population amount and expand their culture. Also the largest re-education program to ever exist. Breaking the american nationalities (and Canadian, don’t forget about them!) into pieces, never to exist again.
