primary author: Ben Seattle
written: Sept 16, 2005
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Related Antiwar Agitation
The Media Weapon community

Joint Statement against the influence
of the imperialist Democratic Party
and its numerous flunkies

1. We, the undersigned, condemn the Democratic Party as a bloodstained instrument of imperialist politics and imperialist war -- on an equal basis as the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is responsible to and serves the same capitalist class which controls the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is different than the Republican Party primarily in that it plays a special role in the system of imperialist politics -- in which, for example, it pretends to be a "friend" of the antiwar movement in order to gain control of the movement and liquidate it.

2. We oppose the influence of the so-called "progressive" and antiwar Democratic Party politicians, such as Jim McDermott, Cynthia McKinney or Barbara Lee. These politicians (whether or not they are conscious of their role) serve as fig leaves, as bait -- to promote the illusion that the imperialist Democratic Party can be an ally of the antiwar movement -- and to promote the idea that activists should invest their precious time energy in the hopeless task of attempting to move this imperialist party "to the left".

3. We believe that Democratic Party politicians (no matter how apparently "antiwar") have no legitimate place speaking from the stage at antiwar rallies. We urge activists to withhold applause or approval from these mouthpieces of imperialist politics. If these politicians are so opposed to the war in Iraq -- we ask why they base their careers on serving and promoting a die-hard imperialist party? And, in particular, if these false friends speak from the stage at antiwar actions -- we condemn as either clueless or treacherous (as they case may be) those speakers who follow them on stage and who refuse to unmask the nature of the Democratic Party as a bloodstained and faithful servant of imperialism.

4. And we appeal to other activists -- who want to see more Democratic (and Republican) Party politicians willing to pull the plug on the war -- and say to them the following:

If we want a section of Democratic Party politicians to be more willing to argue within the government for acceding to the demand of the anti-war movement for immediate withdrawl--the most effective way to accomplish this--is to turn our backs on them--and make clear that we recognize them as the flunkies of the rich that they are. As the anti-war movement abandons illusions in saviors from within the establishment--the bourgeoisie (which keeps these "saviors" on a leash) will be forced to give them permission to move to the left in order to better maintain the illusion that the system of bourgeois democracy can be made to work in the interests of the masses. In this way the anti-war movement can help to transform the current political climate and greatly complicate the plans of the warmakers.

Signature, date and attributions
(most recent signatures on top)

  • grok, Sept 15, subscriber to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marxist
  • nick delac, Sept 15
  • Marik, Sept 15
  • Peter, Sept 15, AL Collective
  • Ben, Sept 15, AL Collective
  • Ben Seattle, Sept 14, supporter of Media Weapon community

This page is hosted at: http://MediaWeapon.com/2005/joint.htm

 
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