CPA - The Guardian

Judith LeBlanc is the national organising co-ordinator of United for Peace and Justice, the largest US national peace coalition, and a national vice-president of the Communist Party, USA. She was in Australia at the invitation of the Communist Party of Australia and the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition and took part in the protests against the joint US-Australian military Talisman Sabre exercises near Rockhampton in Queensland. While in Sydney, she spoke with Anna Pha for The Guardian. In parts I and II of her interview which appeared in the last two issues Judith spoke about the peace movement and the struggle during the global economic crisis in the US. This week she talks about the work of the Communist Party. But first a few comments on the joint Talisman Sabre exercises:

Judith: The majority of people in the country in a recent opinion poll said that the (US) military presence in countries around the world is actually creating more harm, more dangers for national security than not. So I think the peace movement has to kind of grab onto that fact of life and support in solidarity, as I am here in Australia, the peace movements around the world who are struggling towards the removal of the US military bases.

The Pentagon is continuing to pursue the idea that any ally of the United States must be prepared to act, not only in concert but under the direction of US military command in order to secure so-called vital regional interests, vital in the US sense but not so for the Australian people or even for the Australian government or its own national security.

The US is the largest seller of armaments in the world. In order for our allies to have joint military exercises with the US the Australian military has to buy the arms and the technology from the US and then be prepared to use that in the interests of US militarism.

It’s a vicious circle and the costs are great for the Australian people and the US people, when millions of dollars are being spent on military manoeuvres that could be used for human services rather than practicing war. It is not only a contradiction in the sense of real life on the ground and in our communities in Australia and the US, it is destabilising for this region. In a basic sense, it goes in the absolute opposite direction of what the world needs right now.

The world needs a US that has a foreign policy where the leading edge is diplomacy. Where the leading edge is economic development and co-operation. Where the leading edge is turning 180 degrees around from what the Bush administration did which was to violate every international agreement, and national sovereignty whenever they wanted to.

I think the American people are at the point where exposing the US military manoeuvres in Australia, what it is about and why it is happening, would greatly strengthen their resolve to cut the military budget and to change the direction that the Obama administration will go in.

In some ways it reflects the new political space that we are in, that in fact people are talking about the need to trim, to cut military budgets, it’s a new stage, not a new demand. I think many, many people will be receptive and understand the significance of those manoeuvres and draw some profound lessons about what the US needs to do in order to be a good player in international relations.

Communist Party

The Party has gained momentum and political strength from having a very accurate and sound assessment of the importance and significance of the movement that grew up around the defeat of McCain and the election of Obama. A huge racial divide was crossed to elect the first black president. It was possible because of the coming together of labour and community forces who understood that in reality there is much more that unites us than divides us.

So we’ve derived a lot of strength and momentum from that. We are a very, very small party in a very, very big country with a very strong ruling class. We are now undertaking a whole new restructuring of our work in order to be able to link and help strengthen the movements that are necessary to be able to fill the political space that the Obama election has created.

It is a critical role that the Communist Party and the left must play in the movements. The movements of today have to fight on these very traumatic and drastic problems that people face today, both at home and in the international arena, while at the same time strengthening and preparing for longer term, more radical progressive solutions.

Building the left

We have a situation in the country where a majority of people understand and believe as we do that capitalism doesn’t work. That capitalism is in crisis and that there is some inherent characteristics to capitalism that inevitably lead to these kinds of crises. When you have a system that’s built on the idea of the rich getting richer and the poor poorer, there is no end to the misery that people will face.

We do not have a majority opinion about what to do about this failing system and what the alternatives are. So we need a stronger, more visible, more vibrant Communist Party and left, we need a more united left. We are seeing many of the healthy, pro-working class left trends, who were involved in the Obama election campaign movement, are also very active and involved in peace and community struggles. There’s a lot more collaboration, a lot more initiatives to have a dialogue about the way forward for developing a left position for the position of the US.

We also believe that the Communist Party has to be in touch and in tune with the developments of new technology for its impact on building social consciousness and social movements. In the anti-war movement, in the democracy movement, there has been an incredible use of online organising.

Online organising

The Obama campaign took full advantage of this opportunity to reach into people’s homes, touch people, involve people, get people to contribute money to making social change, in the elections but also around other areas of life. The MoveOn.org [online] campaign is probably the most visible and exciting example of how millions of people have been able to influence Congressional votes as well as influence public opinion.

So we feel it’s incredibly important for the Communist Party to develop its online organising capacity, its ability to reach people in their homes as well as in community struggles and in the labour and the community movements.

So we have been online on a daily basis for both our publications, People’s Weekly World and Political Affairs, for some time now. We are building between now and January to go totally on line with our People’s Weekly World. We are preparing for local areas to be able to have print editions of the People’s Weekly World with local articles as well as national articles and editorials.

We will not be printing on paper a weekly edition. It will free up the resources for us to improve our online visibility, improve our content by having daily content and drawing more upon reporters who are volunteers, but it will give us the basis to allocate the staff and resources to giving local areas the possibility for these local print editions.

Build the Party

We don’t have any illusions about online organising. We understand that it provides a platform with which to reach millions, but organising of the Communist Party and the Young Communist League will go on as it always has. It is as old as dirt; you need one-on-one, person-to-person contact, door-to-door, in the workplace, in places of worship, in schools, for us to build a strong and vibrant Young Communist League and Communist Party. So the online organising will not replace what is the absolute necessity for every communist to be involved in mass struggle but what it will do is give a voice to our ideas.

Now ideas, agitation, propaganda are a very important element in raising consciousness. But another important element is when people are in motion; they need to be able to receive it in real time. That online visibility will make that possible. But fundamentally, Communists will build the Party in their neighbourhoods and in their workplaces.

I find it very exciting because it now will require many activists, many leaders like myself in the various movements, it will compel us to write. Many organisers and activists rely on the oral tradition of talking and agitating. But most people in the final analysis need the written word to develop a deeper understanding of the issues and what is at stake, and the strategy and tactics of social change.

Political Affairs [which ceased its print edition some time ago] have increased their readership, the number is dramatic, the increase is exponential. We drew lessons from that. We also are going to change the nature of our online presence. We are going to be having more blogs where members of the leadership will discuss in real, political time, political developments.

Most of our subscriptions have been gotten on line, so that is another element of how important it is for us to utilise the technology to reach millions. Given the size of the Party, we could never have reached millions by standing on street corners.

Next week: The final part of the interview in which Judith discusses the impact of militarism on the Indian American population and the struggle for universal health care coverage.

Next article – Culture & Life – The Moon: promise or threat?

Back to index page