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Now that the South Carolina primary is behind us, the press is focused on ”Super Tuesday”. As the working people watch the news, and in fact they pay strict attention to the news, it is up to conscious people, Marxists, to also watch the news. The only way in which we can hope to raise the level of awareness of the proletariat and bring that awareness to the level of Marxists, is by becoming involved in that which interests the workers. At the moment, that is the Democratic primaries, and in particular the nomination of the self declared independent socialist, Bernie Sanders. The corona virus is also in the news.

The press is most generously assisting us in our noble endeavour, although they, no doubt, are not aware of this. They are quite cheerfully pointing out the fact that in the ”Nordic” countries, which are thought to be socialist, there are more billionaires, per capita, than there are in America. These facts are carefully documented, as is the fact that the highest taxes are paid by the ”middle class and poor people”. Note that they are careful not to use the correct scientific expressions of petty bourgeois and proletarians, and of course the bourgeoisie are referred to as billionaires. This is consistent with the North American lie, as propagated by the American bourgeoisie, that classes do not exist.

Those of us who are scientific socialists, which is to say Marxists, have been saying right along that utopian socialism does not work. Sanders has his own version of utopian socialism, which he refers to as ”independent socialism”. This is merely a ”rose by a different name”, a different shade of the same colour. The only effective socialism is scientific socialism, as expressed by Marx, and that is in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. That is the one and only way in which the class enemies of the proletariat, the bourgeoisie, can be crushed, after they are overthrown through revolution.

It is only the proletariat that can emancipate the proletariat. No amount of well meaning middle class utopian socialists can do this for the working class. Further, in a monopoly capitalist country such as America, one which has so fervently embraced imperialism, there can be no thought of a peaceful transition to socialism. The one and only way in which socialism can be established is through violent revolution. That revolution could break out any day now.

The country can be compared to a ”powder keg”, in that any spark could set off an explosion. It is entirely possible that the other item in the news, that of the ”corona virus”, could well be that spark. We have no way of knowing. We do know that the stock markets have been tumbling, and may continue to tumble. We also know that Trump is speaking of a ”miracle”, in that the corona virus will magically disappear, while his son, Donald Trump, Junior, is saying that the Democrats are hoping that ”millions of people will die from this sickness, just to make President Trump look bad”.

It is characteristic of the bourgeoisie that a sickness which is killing thousands, concerns them only in so far as it affects their wealth and power. People are dying and they are concerned because it is affecting the stock market! It is facts such as these which should be driven home to the working class.

As working people are paying attention to the press reports concerning the stock market, feel free to explain that the capitalists refer to a drop of ten percent as a ”correction”, while a drop of twenty percent they refer to as a ”bear market”. Then there is a recession and the dreaded ”D word”, a depression. As yet, they have not dared to use that word. If, as medical experts fear, this virus spreads around the world and becomes a pandemic, then they may be forced to use that word. A depression could be ”right around the corner”.

Explain to the working people that the capitalists have tied together the economies of the world. That which has an effect on the economy of one country affects the economies of all countries. As the journalists are quick to point out, the fear of becoming infected with the virus causes people to avoid travel, and the profits of airlines and ocean cruise vessels, among others, takes a ”nose dive”. Then too, as people cannot go to work, for fear of catching the virus, factories shut down. The companies which count upon the goods provided by these factories are also affected. As China is most effected by the virus, and because so many companies now buy from China, the ”ripple effect” is felt throughout the world. So say the journalists, and they are probably correct, as far as they go.

No doubt the workers are aware of recessions and depressions. The more advanced workers may ask the difference between the two. The capitalists have a definition, which may not be very accurate, but gives a place to start: ”A recession is the contraction phase of the business cycle. A common rule of thumb for recessions is two quarters of negative GDP growth. A depression is a prolonged period of economic recession, marked by a significant decline in income and employment. There is no widely accepted definition of depressions”. We may add that GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product, while a quarter is a three month period.

That is the best definition the capitalists can provide, for what it is worth. Those same capitalists are blaming the drop in the stock market on the corona virus. Although that may be a contributing factor, that is far from the whole story.

A more accurate explanation is provided by Lenin, in his book, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. As he phrases it, ”The statement that cartels can abolish crises is a fable spread by bourgeois economists whom at all cost desire to place capitalism in a favourable light. On the contrary, when monopoly appears in certain branches of industry, it increases and intensifies the anarchy inherent in capitalist production as a whole.” We may add that by now, monopoly has taken root in almost all branches of industry.

It is clear that the corona virus is not responsible for the ”correction” in the stock market, just it will not be responsible for any possible ”bear market”, never mind recession or depression. These crisis in capitalism are a natural result of that which Lenin explains as ”the extremely rapid rate of technical progress gives rise more and more to disturbances in the coordination between the various spheres of industry, to anarchy and crisis.” Lenin goes on to say that ”Crises of every kind-economic crises more frequently, but not only these- in their turn increase considerably the tendency towards concentration and monopoly”. Perhaps the key statement is ”economic crises more frequently, but not only these”. (my italics) It is entirely possible that we may be facing an economic crisis along with a medical crisis, that which the capitalists may refer to as a ”perfect storm”.

The capitalists are referring to a possible ”panic” among politicians, those who are terrified at the prospect of Sanders becoming the Democratic Party nominee for president. They are also reporting ”panic” among stock brokers. Perhaps a bit of this ”panic”, or at least deep concern, should extend to the Left. We have no way of knowing what will happen to the stock market, just as we cannot predict the course of the outbreak of the corona virus. We do not expect a ”miracle”, as Trump suggested. We do know that the revolutionary motion is becoming more intense and could explode any day now. We also know that an economic crisis, such as a severe downturn in the stock market, could rapidly intensify the conflict. As could a rapid spread in the virus. The two together could lead to a complete out break of hostilities, revolutionary war.

I mention this as an incentive to all Leftist people. Feel free to come together and take action. Put aside your differences, at least until after the revolution. For that matter, by the time the revolution is over, your differences may be pointless. The revolution may resolve those differences. But in the mean time, join the two mainstream political parties. Run for office. Encourage your families and friends to do the same. Organize protests and demonstrations. Disrupt the town halls and primaries the capitalists so love. Women and students have worked miracle before, now do it again. Only this time carry the protests through to the revolution. Do not rest until the bourgeoisie are overthrown and crushed under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Last but not least, Marxists must come together and form a Communist Party, Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. For the Love of God, take action!

The revolution will not wait until you are ready. The proletariat is counting on you.

I most fervently hope and pray that many members of the working class, those who are just now becoming politically active- Welcome, my Brothers and Sisters, my Comrades!- are reading this article. With that in mind, I can only point out that the best way to get the attention of as many people as possible is with slogans. It is a place to start. Feel free to come up with slogans of your choice, but these are suggestions only:

Unite the Left!

Join the two Parties!

Sanders For President!

Scientific Socialism!

Workers of the World, Unite!

As I write this, the voting in South Carolina to determine the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party is under way. It is an understatement to say the Democratic Party bosses are worried. It is more accurate to say that those same bosses are nearly in panic mode. They are terrified that Senator Sanders will win enough electoral votes to clinch the nomination of the Democratic Party, in order to run for president. As there is an upsurge in revolutionary motion to the Left, in that a great many Americans are spontaneously gravitating towards socialism, there is good reason for their concern.

Now is the time for conscious people, Marxists, to take advantage of this spontaneous movement of the members of the public, in order to raise their level of awareness. We have got to transform this vague fondness of socialism into a love of scientific socialism, and not just utopian socialism. As an explanation, we should add that Sanders is a self described Independent Socialist, which is to say a utopian socialist, not a Marxist, a scientific socialist.

The best way to prove to the members of the public that utopian socialism does not work is by endorsing a socialist for president, in this case Sanders. Further, it is also correct to endorse candidates for other offices, who refer to themselves as socialists or just plain Leftist people. The idea is to flood Washington and all state capitals with Leftist people.

As for the skeptics who consider this to be no more than a ”pipe dream”, may I suggest that all Americans join the two mainstream political parties, Democratic and Republican, as card carrying members, referred to as party bosses. Those same party bosses can then determine the candidate to run for any and all political office. As long as the same candidate is running for office on behalf of both parties, the campaign expenses should be kept to a minimum. In that case, there will be no need to ask for campaign contributions, thereby also keeping the influence of capital to a minimum. As a bonus, those same candidates, once elected, can determine, by an act of Congress or two thirds of the states, to amend the Constitution and abolish the Electoral College.

It is not only the party bosses who are determined to stop Sanders. The other presidential contenders are also focused on Sanders. It is best to bear in mind that each of the candidates is well coached. The millions they receive in campaign contributions is spent on something more than television ads. They also spend a small fortune on ”handlers”, as is the common expression. These include professional make up artists, wardrobe experts, hair stylists, speech writers, ”body language” experts, which is to say those who train candidates on proper tone of voice, posture, gestures and the correct response to anticipated questions. The presidential contenders who give the best impression are those who have managed to hire the finest coaches.

This was illustrated quite clearly in a recent ”town hall”. Senator Elizabeth Warren was asked by a citizen: ”Can you explain why the will of the voters should not matter if no candidate reaches a majority of delegates?” -Way to go, citizen!- It is possible the citizen was told to ask that question, or not. Either way, Warren was prepared for the answer. She immediately ”pivoted” and said that in the last federal election, Sanders also felt that way.

Clearly, Warren had a fine coach. She was trained to turn the question onto Sanders, otherwise known as pivoting, and avoided a direct answer.

An even more illuminating answer was given by the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. For the purpose of this article, I refer to the House of Representatives as the Congress, which is the name most people use. Her response, to a question concerning Sanders, was quite instructive: ”It is not unusual for a party platform or the candidates for president to have their own aggenda that they would put forth. And it is not unusual for the House of Representatives to have its aggenda, as well. We have to win in certain particular areas. We are not about a popular vote in the country or in particular states, in terms of your Electoral College. We are in district by district. And thats how we won last time we demonstrated that we know how to win.” To say that this she makes no sense, is an understatement.

This little speech was given by one of the most powerful people in Washington, and one of the finest members of the ”establishment”. As she is the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi is the person who runs the Congress. Further, as the Congress controls the money, it is safe to say that she is arguably the most powerful person in Washington. She is certainly one of the most intelligent. Yet this same speech makes clear that even Nancy Pelosi, the best of the lot, has been reduced to muddled thinking. As Lenin put it, they ”cannot help committing irreparable blunders. That, in fact, is what will bring about the downfall of the bourgeoise.”

He went on to explain that as we are all human, we all make mistakes. The difference is that the mistakes we make, as Marxists, tend to be minor and easily rectified. Such mistakes can only be rectified by first acknowledging that we made a mistake. The bourgeoisie are not capable of admitting that they made a mistake, regardless of the magnitude of that mistake, and are therefore not capable of rectifying that mistake.

To return to the question the citizen asked, it is entirely possible that Sanders endorsed the Electoral College four years ago. That is of no concern to us. We are endorsing Sanders because he says he is a socialist. The fact that the citizen wants to abolish the Electoral College -otherwise the question makes no sense- implies that there are a great many Americans who feel the same way. All such Americans should be encouraged to join the two parties and amend the Constitution.

As we are still cursed with the Electoral College, perhaps it is best to do the math. It is reported that there are 3,979 delegates, so that a candidate needs 1,991 delegates in order to win the nomination. It is also reported that of the 3,979 delegates, 3,208 are ”pledged” delegates, and by law, have to vote the way their voters told them. The remaining 771 are Super Delegates. These Super Delegates are independent, not pledged delegates, but ”party leaders and elected officials”. If, in the first round of voting, no one candidate wins a majority, then in the second round of voting, the Super Delegates can vote and very likely determine the candidate to run for president, on behalf of the Democratic Party.

No wonder the citizen is concerned! This is the political system that the leaders of the Democratic Party want to maintain, along with all the candidates except Sanders. Way to go, Sanders!

In order to preserve their method of rule, the monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie, have determined to enter a small army of candidates into the primaries. In this way, they are attempting to ”split the vote”, so that there is no chance that Sanders will secure a majority of electoral votes on the first round of voting, at the Democratic National Convention. That will force a second round of votes, giving the Super Delegates the opportunity to secure the nomination of a candidate whom is acceptable to the bourgeoisie. Or so they hope.

The success -or failure- of this plan depends largely upon the strength of the revolutionary motion. That is where the Marxists come in. The working class needs leaders, but that is not to say that the leaders of the proletariat must be proletarians. Anyone who says otherwise is a demagogue. The only proper leaders of the working class are those who are aware of the scientific, revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. Whether those leaders are working class or middle class, is of no consequence.

This brings us to the primary in South Carolina. The journalists are reporting that it is a ”must win” state for Biden, the former Vice President. As I write this, it has just been reported that ”Biden won big”. No doubt the capitalists are breathing a sigh of relief.

Now all eyes are focused on the primaries on Super Tuesday. It is reported that perhaps as many as a third of the delegates are up for grabs. As Marxists, our only concern is in raising the level of awareness of the proletariat. We are not ”election watchers”. It is disappointing that the press is reporting no demonstrations or marches. May I suggest that the various Leftist groups across the country come together, put aside your differences and focus on a common enemy. That common enemy is not Trump. It is the bourgeoisie. They can and must be crushed, and that will happen only through revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Now it is a matter of making the proletariat aware of this.

With that in mind, I will end this article with my usual slogans:

Sanders For President!

Unite the Left!

Scientific Socialism!

Workers of the World, Unite!

The farce of determining a candidate for the presidency of the United States, on behalf of the Democratic Party, is now proceeding to the fourth state of South Carolina. Immediately after that, comes the major ”jackpot” of Super Tuesday, in which eleven states will get to decide the number of delegates to assign to different candidates. The two big prizes are the states of California and Texas. The press is focused on this ”election” to the exclusion of almost everything else.

For that reason, no doubt most members of the working class are also paying attention, if for no other reason than that they watch the news. As that is the case, Marxists should also be paying close attention. The only way to raise the level of awareness of the working class is by taking an interest in that which interests the working class, and using these as particulars in order to drive home the general, which is the fact that classes exist. Further, workers are members of a class of people called the proletariat, and the billionaires are members of a class of people called the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie is the ruling class, one which crushes and exploits the working class. The bourgeoisie must be overthrown and this can only be done through revolution. It is these points which must be driven home to the working class.

Among the numerous candidates, the only self described Independent Socialist is Bernie Sanders, and he clearly has the support of countless people. The press reports that the ”establishment” is worried, determined to stop Sanders. As Sanders is so popular, there is now a ”sense of panic” within the Democratic Party. Among his rivals for the candidacy, Buttigieg is reported to be accusing Sanders of having an ”inflexible ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans”, one which ”defies conventional wisdom”. Anyone who ”defies conventional wisdom” is a person to be admired, so the intended insult is in reality a compliment.

The press is reporting that the ”establishment” is in a panic, concerned that the public loves Sanders and his ”momentum is building”. They are concerned that the young people support Sanders, and the ”moderates” are moving to the ”left” in support. They are afraid that if Sanders does well in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday, then he is sure to be ”unstoppable”, which is to say that he will be the candidate for president, on behalf on the Democratic Party. The press further reports that even Trump is worried, as well he should be.

Numerous progressive people, including politicians and celebrities, are now endorsing Sanders. These include Michael Moore, a fine film maker and a thorn in the side of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. As well, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, AOC, a member of Congress and a leader of the working class, has referred to the growing support of Sanders as ”a mass movement of working class people… multi racial, multi gendered, multi generational”. In this, she is absolutely correct.

It is encouraging that the press and the candidates are now using the word ”class”, even if is being used incorrectly. Since the creation of the country, it has been customary to deny the existence of classes, at least in America. Now they are indirectly acknowledging that such things as classes exist, so that they are moving closer to the truth. They still confuse the issue by claiming that those of us who work for a living are middle class, rather than being working class, proletarians. Then too, the super rich are referred to as the ”billionaire class”. As yet, they continue to avoid the correct term, bourgeoisie.

In fact, the billionaires are a member of a class of people referred to as the bourgeoisie, and they are completely reactionary. That leaves the middle class, the petty bourgeois. There are still a few small business owners, although the bourgeoisie, through their control of monopolies, are driving ever more members of the middle class into bankruptcy. That leaves the peasants, or farmers, and the family farm is going the way of the small business owner, which is precisely what it is. A family farm is a small business. As the monopolies become ever stronger, ever more complete, no competition is tolerated.

It is notable that Marxists have been quite silent during this whole ”election process”. Perhaps they think that the Electoral College is archaic, a relic of the days of slavery. So it is, and must be abolished, but for the moment, it has the attention of the working people. As that is the case, it must be used to raise the level of awareness of the proletariat.

The fact is that Sanders, as well as the press, has been doing a fine job of documenting the lies and hypocrisy of Trump. This is not high praise, as Trump is the poster child for hypocrisy. Any school child could point out the fact that he lies constantly. Some people speculate that he was born that way, but it is more likely something he learned, growing up as a member of the bourgeoisie. It is safe to say that all members of the bourgeoisie are liars. Trump is merely the most visible presence.

No doubt the bourgeoisie are puzzled by Sanders. As they are a pack of thieves and liars, and expect nothing less from all others, to confront an honest man is a novel experience. They are truly bewildered, determined to stop him, but unsure of how to proceed.

The support of Sanders is growing, even extending to those who were formerly considered to be ”right wing”. This includes members of the Republican Party, even current and former members of the Trump administration. They are increasingly becoming disillusioned, seeking an alternative. The idea of abandoning their beloved Republican Party would likely never occur to them, and such people tend to be rabidly anti union. But then they may be open to the idea of an ”association”, which is merely a union with a different spelling.

Contrary to popular belief, Trump is not splitting the country apart. The country has always been split apart. The proletariat, the working class, has always been at war with the bourgeoisie, a ”cold war”, even though most workers were not aware of this. Now that the working class is in motion, the war is now more open, about to break out into open conflict, a ”hot war”, to borrow an expression from the bourgeoisie. Trump is merely forcing people to openly choose a side. So be it.

For that reason, I am suggesting that people, those who were formerly middle class, set up an association, or a society, which is non partisan. It must be as broad based as possible, open to as many people as possible. As Lenin phrased it, the task of Communists is ”to convince the backward elements, to work among them, and not to fence themselves off from them.” (italics by Lenin) The purpose of the society can be to strive towards a democratic republic, for example. For that matter, people with common interests can band together for a common goal. Such societies may not support the revolutionary motion, but very likely will not oppose it either. We may think of this as being in a position of ”benevolent neutrality”.

I am also suggesting that all Americans join the two parties, as card carrying members, party bosses, thus being able to influence party policy. They can also determine the candidates for any and all political offices. It is only natural that people should want to be part of something greater than themselves. After all, we are all herd animals, although we prefer to think of that as just being sociable. At the same time, those who have been cursed with the bourgeois ideology are determined to ”get ahead”. Such an outlook is particularly characteristic of professional people. We have to respect the fact that they are prejudiced against unions, while at the same time offering them the comfort and security of an organization greater than themselves.

A great many people, including those who have never been accused of having any ”Leftist” beliefs, are convinced that there is a ”ground swell” of support for Sanders. They fully expect this to grow and strengthen. It will very likely spread across the country, unless it already has, and Sanders will very likely be the Democratic Party candidate for president. It is further thought that in such a case, Sanders is sure to be the next president. Most people find this rather exciting. The strongest supporters of Trump and the bourgeoisie are the most excited. In fact, they are frantically trying to find some way to stop Sanders.

Those of us who are Marxists are well aware that the bourgeoisie are in charge and fully intend to remain in charge. They are not about to give up their power and wealth without a fight. They are not about to allow a socialist, even an Independent Socialist, to become president. This is all the more reason to support Sanders and many other Leftist people who would like to run for office. No doubt the bourgeoisie will make every effort to crush any and all such efforts. It may help to think of this as an educational opportunity, a school for socialists, provided by the bourgeoisie.

Our goal is not to establish a socialist society through the democratic process, because this cannot be done. The bourgeoisie will never allow this. Our goal is to raise the level of awareness of the proletariat to the level of Marxists, and this can be done only by becoming involved in the struggles of the proletariat. At the moment, that means the Democratic primaries. It is our duty to support them, while at the same time making clear our position that the bourgeoisie has to be overthrown, the state apparatus has to be crushed and a new state apparatus has to be set up, in order to crush the bourgeoisie under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

With that in mind, I can suggest the posters and banners call for our usual revolutionary slogans as well as support for Sanders:

Sanders For President!

Abolish the Electoral College!

Join the Two Parties!

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

The voting in the Nevada caucuses has just finished, and citizens who are not confused are simply not aware of what is happening. The journalists are cheerfully reporting opinion polls which contradict reality. Those same journalists are contradicting each other, and they are even contradicting themselves. Perhaps the purpose of the opinion polls is to confuse people. If that is the case, they are doing a fine job.

In the interest of clarifying the situation, we must first explain that there is a difference between primaries and caucuses. Primary elections are run by state and local governments. By contrast, caucuses are private events that are directly run by the political parties themselves. Further, primaries use secret ballots for voting. On the other hand, caucuses are local gatherings of voters who vote at the end of the meeting for a particular candidate. Then it moves to nominating conventions, during which each political party selects a candidate to endorse.

Some states use the primary election process, while other states use the caucuses process. The end result is to determine a certain number of electors for a particular candidate, based on its total number of representatives in Congress. Each elector casts one electoral vote following the general election. There are a total of 538 electoral votes. The candidate that gets more than half, which is of course 270, wins the election. That is the way Trump won the election.

The important thing to remember and to drive home to the members of the public, the working class and the middle class, is that the votes cast during the general election serve basically no purpose. It is only after the general election that the president is elected!

But before the general election the ”powers that be” have placed the primaries and caucuses. These are being presented as an important part of the ”democratic process”. Even though it is something of a farce, it is important to vote, so citizens should be encouraged to cast their ballots.

The polls opened early in the state of Nevada, and the early voting was most impressive. Apparently it was a record turn out. This is an indication of the strength of the revolutionary movement, which is clearly broad and deep.

The press is reporting a shortage of volunteers at the voting booths. All candidates can afford to spend millions on campaign financing, in some cases tens and even hundreds of millions. Yet those same candidates expect workers to volunteer their time, to work at the voting booths, probably with little or no training, and do a professional job. When this does not happen, as the gong show in Iowa clearly proves, the candidates complain bitterly. Perhaps it should be suggested, to the candidates, that they should work at the booths and show people how to do a proper job! For that matter, I suppose it never occurred to them to pay those people who are performing their democratic duty.

Now that Sanders has officially been declared the winner of the Nevada caucus, the journalists are not at all happy. They are now being forced to face the fact that the Sanders campaign is gaining momentum. People across the country are becoming excited about the idea of having a socialist president. Sanders is now a force with which they have to face.

As there is a crowded field of candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, it is doubtful that any one candidate will win a majority of delegates needed to win, at the Democratic National Convention. The candidates who wins a certain minimum amount of votes in each state will secure a number of delegates to vote for that candidate at the Democratic National Convention. At least, that is the best I can gather. If no one candidate has a majority of delegates, then a second round of voting will take place and the ”Super Delegates” will be allowed to cast their vote. No one quite knows just how these people are selected, probably by the party bosses. Certainly the American voters have nothing to say in the manner. The fact remains that these Super Delegates are quite numerous and can easily determine the Democratic candidate for the presidency. American democracy at its finest!

The capitalists and the party bosses within the Democratic Party, the card carrying members of the party, are consoling themselves with the thought of the Super Delegates throwing the nomination to a candidate other than Sanders. The hell with what the voters want!

No doubt the speech Sanders gave immediately after winning the Nevada caucus was cause for concern to the bourgeoisie. He promised to raise the minimum wage to 15 dollars per hour. Also more well paying union jobs, free college tuition, the cancellation of all student loans, housing for the homeless and universal health care. He also promises to challenge the pharmaceutical industry, impose a Wall Street tax, reform the criminal justice system, end private prisons, legalize marijuana, expunge the records of those convicted of possessing marijuana and reform immigration. Then there is his plan to place the country on the road to sustainable energy, away from fossil fuels. As for all the firearm violence, the mass murders, he promises universal background checks and to ban the sale of assault weapons. There will be an end to the current policy of separating babies from their mothers and placing children in jail. Bravo Bernie Sanders!

Each and every one of these promises is completely reasonable, at least from the standpoint of the common people. From the standpoint of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, each and every one of those promises is completely unreasonable, absolutely out of the question.

This is all the more reason to support Sanders for president. It is clear that the American people have spontaneously gravitated to the Left, towards socialism. That is fine, as far as it goes. Now it is up to conscious people, Marxists, to explain to them that the capitalists will never allow a peaceful transition to socialism. They will do whatever it takes to stop Sanders. In the process, the working people will learn that we are right. The experience will not be a pleasant one. There is simply no other way.

The best way we can support Sanders is by having Americans join the two mainstream political parties. As card carrying members of the parties, they can nominate Sanders for president, as both Democrat and Republican. They can also nominate numerous other Leftist people for offices, on a state and federal level. As well, they can amend the Constitution, by a vote of two thirds of the states, to abolish the Electoral College. There is also the not so little matter of carrying signs and posters which put forward our belief in revolution and scientific socialism. Last but not least, it is absolutely necessary to form a true Marxist Communist Party, separate from our support for Sanders.

It is to be hoped that women and students, those who have proven themselves to be such excellent organizers, will once again come together, as they did at the time of the swearing in of Trump, and get behind Sanders. We want that support to be as broad based as possible. With that in mind, it is further hoped that people will put aside their differences and come together for a common cause.

By contrast, the true Communist Party must be supremely exclusive, composed only of true Marxists, those who endorse the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The goal of the Party is to raise the level of awareness of the working class, to prepare them for the revolution and subsequent socialism, in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The most advanced workers will have to be raised to the level of Marxists, true conscious people.

Time is not on our side, as the revolution could break out at any time. As people are now enthusiastic about Sanders, the capitalists may provoke a revolution very soon.

With that in mind, feel free to educate the public with Marxist slogans:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

Sanders For President!

The Nevada Democratic presidential primary is very close, and the press is quite gleefully reporting that a very powerful union in the state is opposed to the nomination of Senator Sanders, a self described Democratic Socialist. They further report that it is a very big, powerful union with possibly 60,000 members. Apparently they fought for years to get an excellent medical coverage package, as part of their contract. This is no doubt true, as the capitalists are ”reluctant” to provide medical coverage for their workers. More accurately, it is safe to say that the capitalists would sooner crawl on their bellies over broken glass, rather than spend any money, on medical coverage or anything else, for the benefit of their workers. Now apparently the union, or at least the union leaders, are afraid that if Sanders is elected president, his ”medicare for all” will be a threat to their hard won medical insurance package.

It is very likely that the press is trying to drive a wedge between the unions and socialists, or at least Marxists. The reason for this is not clear, but the fact remains that there are a great many people who take great delight in causing trouble, spreading confusion, even though they have nothing to gain from these actions. No doubt the capitalists would love to see the ”Left”, go to war with the unions. Bear in mind that the word ”Left” is a broad term I use in reference to the people who are fighting for the working people, both working class and middle class. That is not about to happen. But as the issue has been raised, it is best to face it.

Lenin had a few words to say concerning the trade unions, in that he placed the role of the trade unions in the proper perspective. As this is so instructive, I have quoted it at length. Lenin gave a speech on December 30, 1920, three years after the successful socialist revolution. He stated quite clearly, ”Trade unions are not just historically necessary; they are historically inevitable as an organization of the industrial proletariat, and under the dictatorship of the proletariat, embrace nearly the whole of it…a school of administration, a school of economic management, a school of communism…what has necessarily come down to us from capitalism, and what comes from the ranks of the advanced revolutionary detachments, which you might call the revolutionary vanguard of the proletariat.”

Rather than regarding the trade unions as competition for political power, it is correct to regard them as schools of communism, schools which were forced upon the proletariat by the capitalists, schools which train the revolutionary vanguard of the proletariat. It is the duty of all Leftist people, especially Marxists, to work as closely as possible with the trade unions. It is to their credit that they have expanded from the industrial proletariat to embrace workers in all branches of industry. Of course the capitalists do not know it, but they are ”training” workers, preparing them for the approaching revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

Lenin went into this in more detail in his excellent work, Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. He made it clear that unions ”educate and school people, give them all round development and an all round training, so that they are able to do anything.” (italics by Lenin) He went on to explain that the proletariat was forced to form trade unions by the capitalists, and that in the most highly developed industrialized countries, the upper stratum of the proletariat has been bribed. As a result of this, a part of the upper stratum of the proletariat is not revolutionary, but in the service of the bourgeoisie. Some of these class traitors can be found in the trade unions. They are able to exercise their influence and are responsible for certain reactionary tendencies. One of the finest union leaders, Daniel De Leon, referred to them as ”labour lieutenants of the capitalist class”.

At the time of the Russian revolution of 1917, a great many people became politically active. Those whom had formerly been apathetic were roused to a fury, and especially in the case of the younger generation, many of them moved too far to the ”Left”. They refused to work in ”reactionary trade unions”! This was a serious mistake, as the workers in the unions tend to be more advanced, even if some of their leaders are class traitors. To refuse to work among the unions is to drive those union members, the rank and file, into the ranks of the capitalists.

We can expect a similar situation to develop in America, possibly even before the revolution. As a grandparent, I can testify to the fact that youngsters in their teens invariably come to the conclusion that we are a bunch of old fools. It is only later in life, possibly as soon as they graduate from those teen years, that they are invariably amazed at just how much we have learned in such a short time! No doubt all grandparents have experienced something similar.

When a similar uprising of the youth happens here, as it most certainly will, we must welcome it. No doubt many young people, and some who are not so young, will lash out at people whom they perceive to be enemies, agents of the capitalists. While there is no shortage of such people, some working people have merely been misled. To attack these misguided workers, those who are perhaps less advanced, is a serious mistake. This is referred to as moving too far to the Left, and working in the service of the capitalists.

The fact of the matter is that the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, must be overthrown. It is also a fact that pure hatred, righteous indignation, is the ”beginning of all wisdom”, the basis of all socialist and communist movement and of its success. It is not enough. It is also necessary to train workers, to raise their level of awareness to that of conscious people, Marxists, to transform them into proletarian politicians. The working class needs leaders. In no other way can the bourgeoisie be defeated.

With that in mind, I can only stress the fact that we can learn from the experience of other revolutions, or we can repeat their mistakes. The previous revolution which most closely matches our own is the Russian revolution, led by Lenin. Without his leadership, it almost certainly would have failed.

No doubt there are conscious people, Marxists, who consider this a none too subtle hint that they in turn should get active and form a truly Marxist party, a Communist Party to lead the working class. My only response is that you are correct. The proletariat is doing their part, and it is up to Marxists to do their part. It may help to consider this your duty, because that is precisely what it is. Without Marxist leadership, it is very likely that the revolution will fail, be diverted by the bourgeoisie, and will merely result in a different method of rule, by the same reactionary class. There is no shortage of servants of the bourgeoisie, including those who masquerade as Marxists, who are anxious to preserve the rule of the bourgeoisie. Of course the workers are confused, which is the reason I recommend the title, Communist Party, Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. It is that Dictatorship which can serve to distinguish the true revolutionary Marxist from the revisionists.

This is not to say that Sanders is a revisionist, as he most certainly is not. At no point has Sanders ever claimed to be a Marxist, but an Independent Socialist. This is to say that he is a utopian socialist, and history has proven that all previous attempts at creating a utopian society have failed. Without doubt, this current attempt, on behalf of Sanders, will also fail.

These are facts, just as it is a fact that Sanders has the support of countless working people. For that reason, we should offer Sanders our unqualified support, encouraging people to campaign for Sanders, carry banners and signs in support, join the two mainstream political parties and endorse Sanders for president. At the same time, we should make our position perfectly clear that no change of face, in Washington, will change the fact that the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are in charge. There is one way, and only one way to overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish a socialist society, and that is through revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

The further fact is that the working people have got to learn this from their own experience. That is the reason it is so important to support Sanders for president. It is the best way to prepare people for the revolution, to train the most advanced workers for the key positions they will have to occupy after we overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

With that in mind, I can only suggest slogans, to be placed on banners and posters:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

Sanders For President!