december 2004

Comrades All, in

this the Struggle to End the Bush Administration

and the Subsequent Stages of its Rule In Love and Struggle

Onward to Socialism!

From Ken Heard:
This article is found at:
http://www.cpusa.org/article/articleprint/600/

No Mandate, No Surrender

Author: Sam Webb, National Chair

First published: 11.09.2004 00:00

Several months ago most pollsters predicted that the margin of differencebetween Kerry and Bush would be razor thin. I can’t recall anyone projecting a landslide for either candidate, let alone a major political realignment nationwide. Guess what?

They were more right than wrong. The outcome wasn’t quite razor thin, but it was no landslide either. Nor did a fundamental political realignment take place. By historical standards, it was a narrow victory. It didn’t remotely approximate the presidential victories in 1940, 1964, 1972, or 1984. Nor did it come close to FDR’s triumphs in the 1930s that ushered in a Democratic majority and realigned national politics for decades to come.

Let’s look at facts: after nearly 120 million votes were cast, the margin of difference separating the two candidates was a mere 3 million — 58 million for Bush and 55 million for Kerry. By any standards that is a close division of the house. Even in the red states, Kerry received 43 per cent of the vote and among the main constituencies of the progressive movement — labor, African American, Mexican American, other racially oppressed, women, youth, environmentalists, peace activists, gays and lesbians, an others — he  won a clear cut majority. And had Ohio gone to Kerry, which it nearly did, the soul-searching and hand wringing would be taking place on the Republican side. To this we would add the historic election to the Senate of African American Barack Obama and Mexican American Ken Salazar plus other Democratic victories at the congressional and state level.

Only in the states of the old Confederacy can the Republicans legitimately argue that a basic realignment in their favor has taken place, in part because labor is too weak in that region and the Democratic Party and progressive forces on a national level have too easily yielded the South to reaction and racism.

If the contest between Kerry and Bush were a boxing match, Bush would have won a split decision. No knockout punch was delivered on Nov. 2. In fact, the next round of this match between the extreme right and the broad, labor-led democratic movement has already begun.

Prospects for blocking Bush agenda

The war in Iraq could take a dangerous turn (as at present), economic conditions could deteriorate, popular movements could hit the streets, or public opinion — which already has grave concerns over the direction in which the country is moving . So just as the Bush team is double-timing its preparations for a new offensive at home and abroad, the broad people’s movement must also regroup its forces across the country for an intense period of resistance to that agenda of war, economic hardship, inequality, and attempts to further erode democratic liberties and entitlements. The political soul of our Republic hangs in balance.

Blunting the Bush agenda won’t be easy, but it must and can be done. Not for a long time — perhaps never — has the country seen a progressive coalition of this size and scope.  While it came up a little short in the effort to defeat Bush, it has the potential to become a center-left majority on a national level. This coalition, which is anchored in the core components of the American people — labor, the racially oppressed and women possesses a growth curve that — is far from exhausted. With initiative, creativity, and united actions, this coalition can and must deepen and extend its reach to every region of the country (especially the South) and to wider sections of the people. Even among Bush’s current supporters there are different classes and social forces whose interests are contradictory, thereby presenting opportunities for the progressive movement to peel away some of that support.

As with other turning points in our nation’s history, unity, and especially multiracial unity, must be the watchword and the struggle to defend and extend democracy in all of its forms must be the overriding aim. . Only a labor-led united people’s coalition can turn back theright-wing offensive that is spearheaded from the White House.

Sam Webb is the national chairman of the Communist Party USA.

He can be reached at:  swebb @ cpusa.org