Why NO Revolutionary Votes Democrat (How to End the War)

With the imperialist war in Iraq and a failed health care system, it sure is tempting to buy into the Democratic Party’s empty promises and outright lies. In a time when the nation has dug itself into a hole it is now extremely difficult to get out of, it is tempting to support anyone who promotes any kind of change. But NO ONE who wants real social change, NO ONE who is a genuine revolutionary, votes Democrat.

In the first place, it has become exceedingly clear that the Democrats are as much an imperialist party as the Republicans. The Democrats have consistently passed pro-war legislation, have consistently been non-committal on ending the Iraq war, and yet nearly all current “anti-war” organizations are tied with a thousand threads to the Democratic Party and its “progressive” wing.

Let us be clear that any promises the Democratic Party and its “progressive” wing make are merely attempts to appease the public while the mainstream politicians go on passing pro-war legislation (thus far, they have been successful). For example, in March, MSNBC and other media like the Wall Street Journal reported on a closed-door meeting between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some of the “progressive,” “anti-war” Democrats. In it, the “progressives” agreed to make sure Pelosi’s $100 billion escalation of the Iraq war passed in the “Out of Iraq Caucus.”  Then, when the Democrats were sure the legislation would pass, these same “progressives” voted against it when it reached the floor!

And lo and behold, these “progressives” were then invited to ANSWER Coalition “anti-war” rallies!

Thus, it becomes apparent that the “progressive” wing of the Democratic Party has a special role: to make the Democratic Party appear anti-war to the public so that mainstream Democrats can go on fulfilling their imperialist interests. It is also obvious that the Democrats’ only opposition to the current situation in Iraq is that the strategy isn’t “working” and thus threatens the power of U.S. imperialism.

Therefore, neither the mainstream or “progressive” democrats deserve our support. But many will argue that electing a Democrat to President in 2008 will make it easier for the anti-war movement to win and that the Democrats are “the lesser of two evils.”

To this, I answer: CHOOSING THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS STILL LEAVES YOU WITH EVIL!

If we cannot show the imperialist politicians that we will not vote for them and that we have broken from the entire economic and political system of imperialism, then they have no reason to listen to us, and no reason to end the war. Supporting the Democrats and voting for them in 2008 will only weaken the anti-war movement, because it shows that we are not a threat. In short, giving imperialist politicians our support is no way to defeat imperialism!

Why the Left is paralyzed
————————————

The Left is paralyzed for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is that nearly all anti-war organizations are still tied in some way to the Democrats and their “progressive” wing, or similar “progressive” but imperialist parties, like the Green Party. At anti-war rallies, groups will often invite politicians as speakers, and they will promote the same old reformist solutions, like writing a letter to your congressman or signing a petition.

The say that all we need do is give up our militancy and start kissing ass, and the politicians will end the war. 

But this has effectively led the Left into complete pacifism and stagnancy, because by resorting to signing petitions and writing letters, the Left has shown the ruling class that it is not a threat, and therefore, the politicians will not feel remotely pressured to end the war. Thus, we need anti-war organization that breaks from both imperialist parties, and, in fact, the entire economic system of capitalism and the imperialist system from which it is inseparable.

What is imperialism?
————————–

Imperialism is an economic and political system into which we are born where the ruling class uses its military and economic power to force its influence upon other countries for profit. Imperialism only leads to death, destruction, and endless war. Because it is a direct result of the capitalist mode of production, no “saviors” from above can “fix” this economic system, as it is not a “policy.” The rich ruling class, which finances all of the politicians, will never eliminate imperialism and the capitalist system which creates it because they thrive on its profits.

Learning from the generation of ‘68
———————————————

The U.S. Government did not end the Vietnam war because the people elected the “right” candidates or signed petitions or wrote letters to their representatives. The war in Vietnam ended because the masses threw off their reformist misconceptions and took to the streets. Likewise, change today will not come from electing the “right” candidate into office come 2008. There are no “right” candidates. Because of the nature of the imperialist system, all politicians are representatives of the ruling class and thus will fight for the continuation of the imperialist system that gives them so much money.

Rather, we must take to the streets, and through militant mass action, show the ruling class that we will not support them and that we have broken entirely from the economic and political system of imperialism. Only then will the government feel threatened enough to end the war.

U.S. Imperialism Stops Now!

The war in Iraq is now in a state of complete chaos. And with at least 3,771 U.S. soldiers dead (as of September 12) and perhaps as many as 600,000 Iraqi deaths as a result of the invasion of the country, the only course for the future that the Republicans and the Democrats set is for more death and destruction.

Now, U.S. government officials and military generals have stopped talking about the September “progress” report (which implies that “victory” is near) and are instead talking of keeping troops in Iraq for a decade, perhaps decades.

The current excuse for the continued occupation of Iraq is to prevent a civil war, but a fierce civil war has broken out in spite of (or because of) the U.S. imperialist occupation. In an act of desperation (or as part of its efforts to put pressure on some of its Shi’ite allies) the U.S. military is now backing Sunni tribes that were previously blowing up American troops.

Since the military invaded Iraq four-and-a-half years ago, the Bush Administration has given excuse after excuse for the occupation. First, Bush said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none, so he changed his story. He said that the military went in to remove the dictator Saddam Hussein. But after this was accomplished and troop withdrawal was still nowhere in sight, Bush changed his story once again, claiming that the intent of the Iraq invasion was to “spread democracy.”

But it’s not about “spreading democracy” and it never was. The real reason the U.S. military invaded Iraq was to gain control of their vast oil resources and establish a permanent military base in the region. This becomes apparent when we see that all plans for “withdrawal” include maintaining a military presence in the region for an indefinite period of time, and when we see that one of the “benchmarks” for the Iraqi government is to pass laws favorable to U.S. oil.

This is called IMPERIALISM, an economic system into which we are born where the government uses its military to force its influence upon other nations for the benefit of large corporations like the oil companies. The bloodshed must be stopped, but change isn’t going to come from above! Imperialism cannot be “fixed” by ANY politicians, because those politicians are_part_of the economic system of imperialism!

What of the “anti-war” Democrats?

The Democrats have achieved an amazing feat. They have managed to pass pro-war legislation while maintaining their image of being “anti-war.” Recognizing that the fiasco in Iraq posed a threat to U.S. imperialism, the Democrats proposed a non-binding resolution opposing the “troop surge.” But when their resolution was a flop, they gave Bush and the Republicans exactly what they wanted: more money and more troops for the war.

This has enraged many, but what about the supposedly “progressive” wing of the Democratic Party? This wing of the Democratic Party has a special mission: to promote one of the most bloodstained lies of all time. Democratic Party politicians like Lynn Woolsey, Diane Watson, Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, John Conyers, and Jim McDermott are on a leash. They are allowed to mouth off a bit about Bush’s criminal war in order to promote the illusion among activists that, if they only give up their independence and militancy and kiss enough ass – the imperialist Democratic Party can be transformed into a party of “peace” that serves the people. We must ask these “progressive” politicians: if you oppose imperialism then why are you a member of the Democratic Party — why do you, by your actions, promote the idea that this die-hard imperialist party can be fundamentally changed?

In March, the media reported of a closed-door meeting between Nancy Pelosi and some of these “progressive” Democrats. In it, a deal was made that the “progressives” would make sure Pelosi’s $100 billion escalation of the war would pass in the “Out of Iraq Caucus.“ Then, it was agreed that these progressives would personally vote against the bill when it reached the floor! Similarly, when the Democrats were sure that this legislation had enough votes to pass, they allowed their top presidential candidates (like Clinton and Obama) to oppose it as well. Thus, the Democrats were able to pass pro-war legislation while maintaining an “anti-war” image. Further, the only “alternatives” currently being suggested by the “progressives” are simply different ways to achieve the same imperialist goals that the mainstream Democrats and Republicans want. Finally, although Bush announced a “partial withdrawal” of troops, this is only to avoid an uprising by the American people, and no one said anything about a total withdrawal!

Therefore, waiting for change to come from above won’t work, and we must take action ourselves!

We need organization which is independent of the mainstream antiwar organizations

In recent months the die-hard imperialist nature of the Democratic Party has become more clear to a wider section of activists. Because of this, the mainstream antiwar organizations are now talking a bit more than they have in the past about the treachery of the imperialist Democrats. It is good thing that the mainstream antiwar organizations are organizing demonstrations and other mass actions, but unfortunately, these organizations remain bound with a thousand threads to the left wing of the Democratic Party and the liberal brand of imperialist politics. For example, the speakers at their rallies will often promote the same old reformist solutions like writing letters that appeal to the conscience of politicians, or encourage sending troops to Iraq (under a NATO or United Nations flag).

The antiwar movement will remain weak and powerless until it makes a decisive break with all sections of the Democratic Party and with the imperialist politics and imperialist illusions that are inseparable from the Democratic Party. The antiwar movement will become powerful when it is based on the masses and on mass action, and when it recognizes the need to fight for a world without imperialism. A world without imperialism will be a world that is not run by the rich (i.e.: the bourgeoisie — the ruling class of big-time capitalists) but will instead be run by the working class and masses, with peace, abundance and genuine democracy for all.

When the antiwar movement recognizes the need to target and get rid of the entire economic and political system of imperialism (and the rule of the rich which makes imperialism inevitable) this will set off the alarm bells in the corridors of power, and increase the pressure on all the political flunkies of the rich to end the criminal war in Iraq.

Antiwar activists need organizations which work consistently to oppose illusions in all imperialist politicians and saviors from the establishment. But this alone is not enough. In order to avoid the sectarian disease with infects much of the left, we need organization which is based on democracy and political transparency. The authors of this leaflet want to see such an organization develop. We need your help to make this happen.