[Marxism] sectarians on Leslie Cagan on UFPJ national assembly in Chicago

[Marvin Gandall]

John O'Brien wrote:

> The false dream that working and oppressed people in the USA, can somehow
> take control of this political entity, that is neither democratic in its
> internal operations, or operates for other than the capitalist class,
> should have been understood long ago.  Whether in examples of the election
> campaigns of William Jennings Bryan, that coopted many of the populist
> People's Party, or more recently the Jesse Jackson presidential campaigns.
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Yes, but that's not the issue. I agree that it's an illusion to believe
working people can capture the DP as it presently exists and use it to serve
popular interests. If there were ever that danger, the party leadership
would either expel its dissident left or, if it could not do so, would leave
to form a new party, much as right wing Labour Party leaders like Roy
Jenkins and David Owens did in Britain in the 80's when they (falsely)
feared the LP was becoming too radical.

This seems to me to be the likeliest way a new mass party of the left would
emerge in the US - primarily from an internal struggle and a split in the
DP - but, as we know, change often comes about in unexpected ways which
requires the abandonment or modification of existing schemas. So while until
then you can only speculate and proceed on the basis of what seems most
likely based on past experience,, I think we should both be equally cautious
about getting too fiercely dug into our positions.