Discussions on Building the Party

Sam Webb's report to the expanded National Board meeting of June 26 and 27. This isn’t the first time that we have discussed the status and role of the Party... Almost two years ago to the day, for example, we organized a national conference on clubs and club life... What makes this discussion different is that we will give singular attention to one particular aspect of the Party...

NEW OPPORTUNITES TO DEFEAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND REACTION
Click to hear the streaming audio of the Opening Report by CPUSA National Chair, Sam Webb.


We do hope that this conference will initiate a process that will empower our clubs to meet present day challenges and, at the same time, to grow. Our future, it is fair to say, depends on how well we do this.

This is an important and a unique opportunity to discuss industrial concentration. We have not only our national leadership; we also have a great cross section of our club leadership in one place...Even though many of you newer comrades will be hearing of this policy for the first time, industrial concentration, in one form or another, has been a cornerstone of our party since our founding in 1918.

Every national newspaper in the country – from the NY Times to the Washington Post to the LA Times to USA Today has begun their election 2002 coverage. Each has their own class and social-oriented editorial line towards the issues and events that mark the landscape leading up to the elections and beyond. Yet many working class and democractic organizations are just starting or have not yet put the elections up front.

This weekend's conference will be a success if we leave here convinced that now is the moment to give new attention to growing the Party, and that in so doing we will enhance our ability to contribute to the struggle, to growing deep roots for the labor-led coalitions that are the way to change out country's direction.

This weekend has been dedicated to examining the role of the club in building both the membership and the influence of the Party and in helping to advance the ability of the Party to fulfill its historic mission. This report will discuss educational work in the context of the club from the standpoint of the club as the basic collective of the Party.

This is a draft plan of work for the new People's Weekly World editorial board. The main ideas were projected at the December 27th and 28th editorial board retreat. These are projects which the editorial board thinks will lead to growth of the PWW and make the PWW a more significant working class, communist voice for these times.

How well do we understand the importance of organizing at the grassroots, of building forms for influencing the thinking, and moving into action, regular people? Why is building the movements and as well building the Party at the grassroots not just a good idea, but essential?

In Illinois we've had a number of meetings with leaders of mass organizations and trade unions, we've received special invitations to be on steering committees and planning committees of mass coalitions, and we've had a most impressive response to our annual People's Weekly World Banquet--and in each case we've gotten comments like, "We really need your Party to be part of these movements. We really appreciate your approach to political questions."

The Communist Party USA holds its National Committee meeting, Feb 9-10 2002. Sam Webb, CPUSA National Chairman is interviewed by Noel Rabinowitz, CPUSA Internet Dept. Coordinator. Webb previews the upcoming NC meeting.
Click to hear the full streaming audio of the interview
Click the headline above to read text highlights.

In the recent period, we have made some important adjustments in our emphasis, our approach, to the question of how to build the Party. We've said that there are no magic solutions or quick fixes to the problem of small size and minimal growth. We've said that Party growth can't and shouldn't be separated from the growth and development of the mass movements, in which we should be immersed and playing a special role.

An interview of Elena Mora by Judith Le Blanc, CPUSA Vice-Chair. Elena Mora discusses challenges of building the CPUSA clubs which were tackled Friday, Jan 11th, 2002, in a meeting of various Club, District and National leaders of the CPUSA.
Click to hear the full streaming audio of the interview
Click the headline above to read text highlights.

Our aim is for our Party to be as big a factor in the struggle for peace, and against the ultra right and the economic crisis, as we can be. To weigh in. To bring our clear politics into the struggle.

The transition of leadership over the last year and a half launched a process of improving our organization and structure, adopting innovations to improve the work.

Our goal was to make proposals that would help us to be better organized, more streamlined to allow for more connection to the upsurge of the labor and people's movement, more action based, more responsive in a timely way, more results oriented, more based on our Party reality, more transparent, more democratic, but at the same time collective and responsible.

The Program Committee sees its work as a major contribution toward building political and ideological unity and mass fightback against the all-out assault of the extreme right wing. We project developing a Program for our times, which builds on our Programs of past periods, and projects into future periods including socialism.

Building our Party, in size, connectedness and influence; helping transform our clubs so that they are related to the mass movements and, in particular, connecting with the new labor movement must be our collective project, and we should tackle the problem of growing the Party in the course of that.

Broad grass-roots, mass action is required to withstand and forestall legislative, legal and economic attacks on jobs, public services, the environment and peace, labor rights, civil rights and human rights.

Convening a seminar of district organizers and leaders made uncommonly good sense because you are the key link in the leadership chain of our Party even if we don't always acknowledge and act on that basis. Nevertheless, it is true. You make the Party go. You enable the Party
to make sound assessments of and tactical adjustments to new conditions of struggle. Your initiative is crucial to the on-going process of building the Party and the People's Weekly World.

We are looking at many things anew, afresh, and in particular, we are striving to transform the Party, to work so that we are "in the mix." It is very important to discuss our approach Party building in that context, because the kind of Party we want to become in terms of style, the way we work, political emphasis, coalition relationships, has bearing on how we go about adding to our ranks.

I think we should look at this session as an exchange on what Districts need to be in this new period. We won't come up with all the answers this weekend but I want to continue to pose questions that stir up the pot of our thinking about our future work.