I haven’t fully convinced myself on this line of thought but I figured I’d argue it as best I could mostly caue my lack of full conviction isnhonestly vibes based. I’d like to hear what people think. It’s an ML question, feel free to answer regardless.
So, your big well known national ML communist party is full of aging intellectuals with super reactionary opinions. This is no good. What is a young and based ML citizen to do? JOIN THE PARTY IS WHAT TO DO, make sure all your comrades and friends do too. It’s a super tiny little party! There’s gotta be enough of us to be able to take over the party! If membership skyrockets and an influx of young people are voting against this shit in the party and calling it out in party meetings and having others there to back it up, we can totally topple the shitty old guard. Take it as your first revolutionary lesson, seize the party, don’t be a splitter.
Combat Liberalism is all like:
To indulge in irresponsible criticism in private instead of actively putting forward one’s suggestions to the organization. To say nothing to people to their faces but to gossip behind their backs, or to say nothing at a meeting but to gossip afterwards. To show no regard at all for the principles of collective life but to follow one’s own inclination. This is a second type.
Not to obey orders but to give pride of place to one’s own opinions. To demand special consideration from the organization but to reject its discipline. This is a fourth type.
To indulge in personal attacks, pick quarrels, vent personal spite or seek revenge instead of entering into an argument and struggling against incorrect views for the sake of unity or progress or getting the work done properly. This is a fifth type.
To hear incorrect views without rebutting them and even to hear counter-revolutionary remarks without reporting them, but instead to take them calmly as if nothing had happened. This is a sixth type
To see someone harming the interests of the masses and yet not feel indignant, or dissuade or stop him or reason with him, but to allow him to continue. This is an eighth type.
To work half-heartedly without a definite plan or direction; to work perfunctorily and muddle along–“So long as one remains a monk, one goes on tolling the bell.” This is a ninth type.
So that’s what my brain says and I’m leaning there any thoughts?
CPUSA has a membership of 5000. You need to collect 5001 people, then they all have to pay $60 memership fees. Relying on people to autonomously do something that still hasnt been done is not a good idea. Think of it like a strike, you need to recruit and organise before calling a strike vote, not after. If youre gonna do entryism centralise it, and youll have a susbstantial power base after that. To this ends you need to organise with people outside of the CPUSA first, and build a power base. This could and should start as a simple reading group. If you cant organise 8 people to read a couple pages of capital every week, you cant organise 5000 people to topple a behemouth. If you have no experience organising then you will just end up paying membership dues year on year while youre waiting for godot. A simple idea would to be to form a reading group, and then slowly reach out to other such groups acrosss the country. Build up your organising skills piece by piece. CPUSA is a behemoth, it is not small. I imagine its the largest communist party in the US. Currently your just hoping there are 5000 people out there that think like you. It would be much better to actually confirm it and make sure theyre acting as one through a democratic centralist organisation.
Why wouldnt they rig the elections, or not give new entrants the right to vote, or not hold any elections at all. They wont go down without a fight.
You should meet all the local different communist parties (i imagine there might also be a PSL, or PCUSA) to judge how fucked they are. If the parties gel with you and your political line you can just join them instead. If they dont gel with you, and you find others who are discontent with national level policies and more importantly learning directives, then you could try poaching them from your book club, its not like they have to actually leave their party. But if theyre happy with their party theyll probably try to get you to join and be part of their reading club, thats a decision to play by ear. Edit: Obviously include your friends and comrades in this reading group too. If your friends and comrades dont have a more or less unified theorectical line, how do you think youll be able to unify 5000 to topple a party. A reading group can help to unify any discrepencies.
One last thing, in the CPUSA you will be paying to asscociate yourself with the most dogshit imperialist “communist” newspaper of all time the peoples world. I personally wouldnt pay them 60 bucks to do that if there was no strict plan to success.
This makes a lot of sense. I’m not American and dunno much about CPUSA aside from broad strokes and also forgot you guys have other communist parties. Totally blanked on that one for some reason.
Uh, you do not have to pay $60, you only have to pay $24, and possibly $6 on your honor, if you want to.
In addition, we do not have a membership of 5,000. That’s from Wikipedia.