Debates Between Parties

[Korngold]

I think that groups like PLP, RCP, SWP, and such ought to stop ignoring eachother, and talking about eachother behind their backs. Hey, were all against capitalism.

So, why don't we have a formal debate?

Why don't representatives from the RCP, PLP, MIM, SWP, ect. hold formal debates similiar to the presidential ones, at least in that style, in which their differences could be discussed, and people could become educated about the differences between the two.

[celticfire]

That sounds a lot like bourgeois-democracy -- and I think the RCP heard many many voices from 2changetheworld.info.

More then can be said for SWP!

[Deleted]

I think the time would be better spent organizing.

[Korngold]

I disagree.

I think that a lot of benifit could come about from having organized debates on the issues that divide Marxists these days.

How are we ever going to make a revolution if everyone who turns to revolutionary ideas has sixty different parties to choose from?

Parties need to come together and at least discuss their differences before a crowd so that people will know them...

There is so much shit-talking between the various communist groups, MIM has entire page devoted to name calling...this is all counter productive...

personally, I think the RCP has the best program for America, but I would like to them argue it out with other groups. I think this could work as a mutual fundraiser for both organizations, and it could lead a lot of ordinary people who might come to the debate in discussing various issues facing Marxism today.

[flyby]

i am a big believer in debate.

And i think we need to have huge debates in this society.

But it think it is lowering our sights, it is almost "puny," to think that the KEY DEBATE is with the various revisionist political trends.

This is not (at this moment at least) the debate that will unleash and mobilize the masses.

[Ray]

Communists cannot have a small-circle mentality. We are about leading millions of people, the proletariat and its allies, to make revolution. We are about engaging with MILLIONS about what is going on in the world, what are the contradictions, and what course history can take. What kind of new revolutionary outcome can we wrench out of the current polarization of the usa to Christian Fascism. And we are about wranggling over political line, over what world outlook, what approach and methodology, what epistemology can actually do that. We are about critically looking at the historical experiences of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, upholding the achievements and not holding back in making criticism of the shortcomings and mistakes. We are about critically digging into revolutionary theory, MLM, and we are about digging into revisionism, and understanding the material basis for its existence, its class outlook, its political line, and the kind of world revisionism would and has created if in power.

But what I am trying to say is we are passionate about knowing and changing the WORLD. There are plenty of documents and polemics written by the various parties and groups you mentioned that reflect their lines. We should be able to tell Communism from revisionism, a black cat from a white cat.

This is not to throw cold water on your wranggling with the question of multiple "socialist" and "communist" and "labor" etc parties in the usa. (Actualy I think it's important to figure some things out about their lines and roles. What is their role now, and what would their role be in a revolutionary sittuation?) But let's actualy look at what needs to be done now, how can we repolarize all of society for revolution, and not get stuck in the muck? Where do the masses fit in?

As a side note on come comments in another thread about the CP conference, I would like to add that, from my dealings with YCLers and others drawn to and around the CP and other revisionist parties and organizations, most of these people are honestly fed up with this system and capitalism as they understand it. They truly want another world, and to some degree think it's possible. They are not consolidated to a counterrevolutionary line and we can build unity with them and win them over to revolutionary politics. Communists should be able to discern class enemies from allies and engage in unity-struggle-unity (OK, BIG oversimplification here, but I hope I made the point.) I think Communists should go to the conference (not attend it) put out revolutionary politics, hook people up with the RCP and BA, especialy his new re-envisioning and synthesis of socialism and communism, and expose the CP. But again, the principal thing is hooking people up with real Communism.

BTW, nice forum y'all got here
check out something I've been involved with:
cultureauthors.blogspot.com