As I write this, I have just learned that the Democratic Socialists of America have endorsed Sanders for president. As the DSA is possibly the largest Leftist organization in America, with a membership of perhaps fifty thousand people, that is excellent news. Further, as Sanders is a well known socialist, there is a very good chance that he will soon be the next president. Further, it is also very likely that other socialists and Left Democrats will soon be sent to Washington.
From our viewpoint, that of Marxists, it matters not in the slightest if Sanders runs for president as an Independent Socialist or as a ”Left Democrat”, where the term Left Democrat is the expression people use to describe members of the Democratic Party who are at least sympathetic to socialism. The important thing is that Sanders refers to himself as a socialist and it is of the utmost importance to replace Trump with Sanders, a self proclaimed socialist. That is where we come into the picture. If those of us on the left campaign for Sanders, there is a very good chance he will be the next president.
By extension, at the same time we should work very hard to flood Washington with other socialists and Left Democrats. We should elect as many people to the Senate and House of Representatives, called the Congress, as we can.
Those of us who are Marxists are supremely well aware that this will not result in the overthrow of the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. We are also well aware that there are a great many people on the left, socialist and non socialist, Marxist and non Marxist, who disagree with this statement. These people think that a socialist society can be voted into existence, that the system can be changed from within. To such people we have only one response: Welcome, brothers and sisters, comrades! You will soon learn from your own experience that we are correct.
I am hoping we can all agree that the upcoming federal election, that which is commonly referred to as the 20-20 election, can be used as a political platform, so that everyone on the left can unite in our support for Sanders and other left candidates. If we do that, it is very likely that Trump and the Republicans will be defeated, we will have a socialist in the White House, and Left Democrats in the Senate and Congress. On the other hand, if we fight among ourselves, we may as well hand Trump and his fellow reactionaries another four years, on a silver platter.
I am also hoping that we can further agree to raise the level of awareness of the working class. The conditions of life of the working class does not lead to the awareness of itself as a class, so this awareness must be brought to it from an outside source. In other words, middle class intellectuals must bring to working class people the awareness of themselves as a class. Bear in mind that Marx, Engels and Lenin were middle class intellectuals.
With that in mind, I am calling upon all members of the left, democrats, socialists or merely Left leaning, members of a party, group, organization or members of no organization, to come together in a common goal, that of placing Sanders in the White House. At the same time, we can elect a great many other people, socialist and Left Democrats, to the Senate and Congress, as well as to the state and local offices.
My idea is that we can start by asking all people on the left to send an email to their families and friends, encouraging them to support Sanders for president, as well as other socialists and Left Democrats. They can also encourage their friends to send similar emails to their families and friends, so that we can have a snowball effect. We are not asking anyone to send money to Sanders, merely to rally for Sanders, to demonstrate, to carry signs and banners, to march, proclaiming Sanders for President!
There are other tools on the internet, such as facebook and youtube. We should use these to carry our message. People love videos, especially when such videos are entertaining. All too often, political statements are a crashing bore.
That is where celebrities can be so useful. Their job is to entertain, and many of them are on the left. They should be encouraged to take a stand for Sanders, and do so in an entertaining manner. They are professionals, this is what they do for a living, so let them take a stand in their own way.
We should bear in mind that our target audience, so to speak, is the members of the working class. Most of these people are honest, hard working, law abiding, tax paying members of society, just trying to make ends meet. That includes workers and house wives, unemployed and under employed, those who are retired and those who are collecting a pension but are unable to retire, as they cannot afford this. Some people are homeless and others are hungry, while most have been degraded to one degree or another. Many are forced to cheat just to survive, working ”under the table” as it is called, while others are forced to rely upon food banks. Try telling these people that they live in the richest country in the world!
The fact that Sanders was able to sneak into Washington as an Independent Socialist is a point in his favour, a testament to his determination. Let us hope he shows that same determination in his run for the presidency.
As the American government is so determined to maintain the two party system, and only two parties, I can only suggest we play that game, using their own system against them. As a united left front, there is every reason to believe we can succeed. A great many Americans are entirely fed up with Trump and the Republicans. Assuming we can come together and offer working people a left, socialist alternative, they will no doubt respond.
Let us face the fact that we cannot run as socialists, or at least not without great difficulty. In that case, it makes more sense to do that which Sanders will very likely do, which is to join the Democratic Party and run as a Left Democrat, one with socialist convictions. Strangely enough, it is quite easy to join both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and become a ”card carrying member” of both parties. There may not even be any dues or membership fees, although it may vary, from one state to another, from one district to another. The only requirements are to be an American citizen, 18 years of age or older, not certifiably insane and preferably not a convicted felon. Most people on the left meet those requirements, although there are a great many people on the right who are prepared to swear that we are crazy.
People can even apply online, and expect a voter ID card within five to seven weeks. Such people are then able to run for office as Democrats or Republicans, preferably both. In addition, members are allowed to vote in primaries, in order to determine the candidate to run for office as a member of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Assuming there are sufficient card carrying members of both parties in a particular district, then that district can make sure, by a majority vote, that a left member, preferably a socialist, is the candidate for Congress, for that district. Ideally, the same candidate can run as a member of both parties. It matters not whether the politician goes to Washington as a member of the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.
In the not too distant past, it was the party bosses of both parties, who decided the candidate to run for office. Then the registered members of the party, those whom are commonly referred to as the rank and file, would vote for the candidate chosen by the bosses. That vote was generally considered a mere formality. Then came the revolutionary upsurge of the working class, and the bosses of both parties lost control. The rank and file of both parties defied the bosses and voted for the candidates of their choice. Shock waves rippled throughout Washington. Cracks were appearing in the time honoured method of rule, that of the two party system, a system which has secured the rule of the bourgeoisie for over one hundred fifty years.
At the time of the uprising of the rank and file, the Republicans had a majority in the Congress, and the Speaker of the House was of course a Republican. He ran the House with an iron hand, his word was law, and no member of his party questioned him. At least not until new Republican members were voted into the Congress. These new members, ”young turks”, had been told, by the voters who sent them to Washington, their constituency, that while in Washington, they were to vote the way their constituency demanded, not the way in which the party bosses demanded. They were ordered to not listen to the party bosses, or the Speaker of the House, or to the president or anyone else, unless they wanted to be a single term, two year member of Congress. These new members did as they were told, and the Speaker of the House was forced to step aside, as he had lost control of the Congress.
A new Speaker of the House was appointed, and he of course fared no better.
Rather than fight the two party system of the capitalists, I am suggesting that we embrace it. The party bosses have lost control of the party, the rank and file are in revolt, and this is a weakness we can exploit.
Now there is a majority of members in the Congress who are Democrats, and many of them are young, female and rebellious. The new Speaker of the House is of course a Democrat, and she is of course facing the same problem. It is very likely that her days as Speaker are numbered. She too can not control the Democratic members of Congress.
This is another way of saying that the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, can no longer rule in the old way. The capitalists are wounded, and now is the time to twist the knife.
Bearing that in mind, my idea is that we should embrace the two party system, as it now stands, under capitalism. People on the left, all across the country, should join the two parties. Whether individuals are members of other organizations or parties, makes no difference. As card carrying members of both parties, each and every one has the right to vote for a candidate to run for political office. If enough people join the two parties, we are sure to elect to office socialist candidates.
The vast majority of people who have joined the two parties are honest, law abiding, tax paying citizens who want to make a difference. They are concerned with the democratic process and are determined to force some changes, all quite legally. This shows a certain level of awareness on their part, which is rather commendable. We can expect such people to be open to the ideas of socialism. No doubt many are already quite disillusioned with the reality of capitalism, and the idea of sending a democratic socialist to Washington may well appeal to them.
In turn, we can expect the ”old guard”, especially the party bosses, those who have been running the place for many years, to oppose this with absolute intensity. They will see this uprising as a threat to their authority, as indeed it is.
For many years, the government has been telling us that the system can be changed from within. There are many people on the left, as well as countless working people, who believe this. It is time to put that theory to the test. Let everyone on the left get together, put aside our differences, join the two parties, place Sanders in the White House and send socialists and Left Democrats to Washington. Then we will see if the system can indeed be changed from within.
The fact is that we live under a democratic republic, ruled by the bourgeoisie. All are entitled to vote, which is referred to as universal suffrage, an instrument of bourgeois rule. Engels made this quite clear when he stated that universal suffrage ”is an index of the maturity of the working class. It cannot and never will be anything more in the modern state.”
As that is the case, we can use the upcoming 20-20 election to measure the maturity of the working class. At the same time, we can raise that level of maturity. That may be far more fun than just taking a measurement. It is very likely that many left people will be pleasantly surprised, as the recent occupy movement has helped to educate working people.
In summary, we can join the two parties and use that influence to support Sanders for president and appoint socialists and Left Democrats to run for office, preferably socialists, some of our own people. We can also use the various tools provided by the internet to endorse Sanders and socialists for office. At the same time we can make clear, on the internet, our own views, if we so desire.
In this way, the election of Sanders to the White House is practically assured. In any other way, his election is quite doubtful. The main thing is that we will also see if the system can indeed be ”changed from within”.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 