This thread-dialogue between John Batchell of CPUSA and me began with People's World online newspaper linking Randy Shaw's article "Doom and Gloom on the Left" which lambasted criticisms from the US Left of aspects of the Obama presidential policies: http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=7483 The People's World header framing the link to the Shaw article read:
"Excellent article. It's a class thing. New slogan? Don't give in to doom and gloom, organize. There's a world to win!"
I took exception not only to Randy Shaw's condescending chiding of all dissent from aspects of Obama's foreign and domestic policies, I was amazed that People's World had come to such a posture toward the Marxist-Leninist tradition of the Communist movement. I sent polite email letters to 2 PW editors requesting clarification but received no replies.
Later John Batchell of CPUSA replied to my posts questioning the PW endorsement of Shaw's position.
THE THREAD:
[http://www.facebook.com/leftturn.taylor?ref=profile#/posted.php?id=79047202856&share_id=165728874134&fragment=share_footer165728874134&comments#share_footer165728874134]
John Bachtell:
I think the author makes an important point. Our estimate of the Obama administration has to start from a partisan point of view and what he/we accomplish is determined by the current political balance of forces. For some on the left, the Obama administration does nothing positive, and what it does do positive is never enough. The broad left is a part of this coalition which finds itself both in government and on the streets. But some on the left act as if they are now in the opposition. This calls for much more thoughtful tactics.
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Andy Taylor:
John, while this may be true of some on the left it is not true of Communists I know in your neighbouring northern party. What many here seem to see in Obama's presidency is a judiciously pragmatic imperialist presidency that wishes to manage and (yes) extend US global domination with less needless exasperation of allies and others. We also welcome and support a people's bailout and regulation of Finance.But while the loss of George Bush and Dick Cheney's crude contempt for the globe is a great gain we see an escalation of the Afghanistan war opening into a viciously destructive whirlpool that will not only kill and molest in Afghanistan but bring down all progressive initiatives proposed by progressive groups in all NATO countries. I know the US from inside as a longtime resident and am not unaware of the contradictions in class forces in Obama's victory that offer promise. I think the question of strategy and tactics is acutely important, but I do not think the virtual shut-down of the anti-war movement was principled. Isn't the question, 'to what degree do the progressive as well as the anti-monopoly forces have an ally in the Obama presidency'? If you judge all those outside the circles of undissenting support for Obama as unthoughtful, many careful thinkers in my acquaintance see the depth of the identification of your thinkers as credulous.
In part this is a question of where one is within the imperialist Bloc, many left Canadians have a positive personal impression of Obama's tone but feel that Fidel is right to say Obama does not wish to - and cannot - fundamentally change the US state's political system or political economy.It is about imperialism.
Andy Taylor:
(sorry - last sentence) So from where we stand the question arises if there has been a strategic and tactical over-estimation of the reach of the new administration.
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John Bachtell:
We have an independent labor and people's movement which is interacting with this administration. By and large it agrees with the direction the administration is headed and is in fact helping to shape it, has since the before the election. On issue after issue, the labor and people's movement has a friend here. The challenge comes when you disagree with a friend, how you handle that disagreement so you don't break the alliance. That's the kind of tactics we need to be discussing. And to paint Obama as an imperialist presidency is not helpful in understanding what we are dealing with and how to develop the tactics necessary to advance the struggle.
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Andy Taylor:
if truths are relegated to the realm of the "unhelpful" or inexpedient we have lost our way? The new president has not "helped" reduce imperialism's domination of (sic) Af-Pak. This is a reality that will intensify foreign occupation of all peoples in the Pakistan-Afghanistan nations.
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John Bachtell:
And that we will oppose. But this is not the Bush administration who was hostile to labor and people on every single question, a captive of the military industrial and energy complexes. So it has to be dealt with differently. It requires a different set of tactics.
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Andy Taylor:
John, No this is not the Bush admin hostile to all progressive reforms. I agree that there are divisions in the ideological tendencies of the ruling class present today in a somewhat different configuration, making progress a possibility on some fronts. and that we must exploit. But the impact of the hit the far-right of the US ruling class has sustained remains a disputed question between us.
...the state is not neutral, its purpose is not to bring about reconciliation between workers and bosses on equal terms. The state is a servant of class and unrighteous profit. The working-people must struggle for everything and never give ultimate trust to any administration or government whatsoever.
Andy Taylor:
John, Here's a last thought for this evening - at least my own. You said: "And to paint Obama as an imperialist presidency is not helpful in understanding what we are dealing with and how to develop the tactics necessary to advance the struggle." I find your statement deeply ironic, no one has "painted" Obama as an imperialist. No one wanted to "paint Obama" with the bloody broad strokes of Bush-Cheney's escalated imperial campaigns.. All hoped the war in Afghanistan would end in fast negotiated withdrawal of US troops. Do you doubt that?
He campaigned on stepping up US military fighting in Afghanistan as a kind of good war in contrast to Bush's bad war in Iraq. And it was Obama himself who implemented the escalation in the "af-Pak strategy worked our with Holbrooke and the Military experts. And today people in your party and thoughtful observers and victims around the world see very clearly that US imperialism in Afghanistan threatens the entire progressive agenda of the people's groups. If the Democratic administration's progressive policies are wrecked it will be a self-inflicted wound caused by an addiction to the substance called American imperialism. Have you read Harry Targ's latest article on the Afghanistan War?
Here is a link to Harry's article which I blogged: http://permanentred.blogspot.com/2009/10/two-cheers-for-health-care-movement-but.html
["TWO CHEERS FOR THE HEALTH CARE MOVEMENT BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PEACE MOVEMENT? By Harry Targ, in: Diary of a Heartland Radical, 27 Oct 2009"]
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