There are some good people in the org but the leadership sucks and are straight up revisionists. One of the co-chairs once wrote that “the dictatorship of the proletariat is the worst political idea put to paper” (paraphrased). The central committee has ossified and undermined democratic institutions within the party to ensure their continued staying power. I was in the party for a few years because it was the largest ML (ostensibly) party at the time and had international recognition through solidnet. But all we did was tailism for other progressive liberal orgs in our area and eventually just promoting democrats. I wanted no part of that so I left. There were good people in there who would push for real labor organizing, union drives, etc but those actions got no support from national and were sidelined constantly. The party as it exists has little revolutionary potential imo and acts as a sink for revolutionaries trying to get organized who just wind up wasting their time on some liberalism.
Edit: For those curious, here is the blog post where Joe Sims, current co-chair of CPUSA, says that the dictatorship of the proletariat is “the worst phrase uttered by a political theorist ever,” and also states that he doesn’t believe the USSR or Eastern Europe were socialist. He put out several of these blog posts around the same time and they’re all equally as revisionist, flat out misrepresenting the core tenets of Marxism.
Any time I heard or saw anything positive from them it was always something my folks had been doing for years in advance. Very minute changes that are trying to drag the party on the national level to modernity.
I’ve best heard it described as either an early bird church or a retirement home for most chapters centered around their new york headquarters. Cell meetings tend to be social picnics centered around brunch, most party work being centered around assisting the Democrat party get elected, and most energy and resources being channeled into running their news website.
With the most delightful advent (/s) of the acp however, I’ve more or less completely bit my tongue on criticizing them as even the most dogwater sucdem among them is a more welcoming sight than any member of the Strasserite party.
There are some good people in the org but the leadership sucks and are straight up revisionists. One of the co-chairs once wrote that “the dictatorship of the proletariat is the worst political idea put to paper” (paraphrased). The central committee has ossified and undermined democratic institutions within the party to ensure their continued staying power. I was in the party for a few years because it was the largest ML (ostensibly) party at the time and had international recognition through solidnet. But all we did was tailism for other progressive liberal orgs in our area and eventually just promoting democrats. I wanted no part of that so I left. There were good people in there who would push for real labor organizing, union drives, etc but those actions got no support from national and were sidelined constantly. The party as it exists has little revolutionary potential imo and acts as a sink for revolutionaries trying to get organized who just wind up wasting their time on some liberalism.
Edit: For those curious, here is the blog post where Joe Sims, current co-chair of CPUSA, says that the dictatorship of the proletariat is “the worst phrase uttered by a political theorist ever,” and also states that he doesn’t believe the USSR or Eastern Europe were socialist. He put out several of these blog posts around the same time and they’re all equally as revisionist, flat out misrepresenting the core tenets of Marxism.
Literally disavowing the core principal of leftist thought.
Any time I heard or saw anything positive from them it was always something my folks had been doing for years in advance. Very minute changes that are trying to drag the party on the national level to modernity.
I’ve best heard it described as either an early bird church or a retirement home for most chapters centered around their new york headquarters. Cell meetings tend to be social picnics centered around brunch, most party work being centered around assisting the Democrat party get elected, and most energy and resources being channeled into running their news website.
With the most delightful advent (/s) of the acp however, I’ve more or less completely bit my tongue on criticizing them as even the most dogwater sucdem among them is a more welcoming sight than any member of the Strasserite party.