I am commenting on the CC not being able to come to unity on whether the current discussions should be waged as a “two line struggle”.
The twist and turns of the 70’s and 80’s have not been easy. That we have been able to come through these intact when so many other organization were falling apart before our eyes is a tribute to the leadership and rank-and-file membership of our organization.
Many of us have been through the demise of various organizations. I can only speak from my own past experience of having been through a split in ATM where a few of the members of the CC picked off outlying districts in the mid–west and southwest and split them off from the rest of the organization under the guise of having “the only correct line on the national question” and painting national leadership as opportunist.
I have not heard of any of these people for years. They certainly weren’t in Atlanta in ’88 or in Watsonville in ’89. As far as I can see, they have not made any real impact on any real life issues since they split ATM. I do not even know whether they continue to believe the things they so feverishly advocated back then.
After they left ATM, they failed to give the masses the one thing which we all know is so necessary for change, i.e. an organization. But even worse than that, they had sown deep seeds of cynicism and burnt-out in many good mass activists, some for several years, and others forever.
The current discussions and struggles in which we are engaged must have as a starting point the recognition that we have and are working towards a more just and equitable society; and that we are honorable, and have only the best intentions for the masses.
For those of us who have genuinely cared about each other for years; who supported each other through various mid-life and other life crises; who care about our children and watched them grow with not a small amount of pride – who lived together and went on food stamps and welfare and disability together so that we could do our political work–this history alone should be enough for us to reject any notion that there are swamp-bound class enemies amongst us. This history alone should be enough so that we know better than to “draw a line in the sand.”
As we move into a new chapter of our collective history, let us stand firm on the hard won respect we have built for each other through our years of collective struggle and practice. Let us resoundingly reject the notion of a “two line struggle”. Let us recognize our different views and opinions as just that. Let us work towards building a strong and viable organization that is capable relieving the masses of some of their miseries, and capable of creating a more just and equitable society.