Remarks on the Party

Speech given at the 27th National Convention of the CPUSA.

It is an honor, though also somewhat daunting, to address you-my comrades and co-workers; Party veterans, activists and leaders; fraternal delegates from every continent-on such a big subject as the Party itself. But it is also a pleasure for me; over the past year we have engaged in a collective exploration of many aspects of this subject: our Party's role and strategy; our status and prospects-and it has been a very challenging and rewarding process.

What a perfect date for the Communist Party USA to hold what I think will truly be a historic Convention: two days after the 4th of July 2001. We, the people, are gearing up to help bend that moral arc of history, as Debs said, towards justice. In these battles of our working class, our American people, we Communists have a great responsibility and a uniquely important role to play.

This weekend we will hear about the tremendous work of Communists in a wide range of movements. In his keynote, Sam talked about the strides we have taken in the direction of connecting our Party at all levels with the many new developments in the class struggle and to building broad unity against the ultra right. And although we need to do more to build those connections and deepen our ties, we are on the way-this Convention is a vivid expression of that fact.

We are a very small Party in a very big country, yet despite our small numbers, we do some amazing work. Imagine-as I'm sure we all do-if our Party were bigger. Imagine if, in your town or city, there were twice as many Communists, or Communist Party clubs, as there are now. Imagine, if there were even a few more Communists in your union; even just a few more Communist Party clubs in shops and workplaces in your city or state. We all know what a difference that would make.

Simply put, comrades, we cannot do what we need to do, as Lenin said, to "organize the workers' class struggle" if we are not bigger-much bigger. We cannot fully play our special role, our unifying, organizing, mobilizing, ideological role-which is today so necessary and also so welcomed-if we are not bigger, much bigger. This is perhaps stating the obvious. The more important question is how -- and the answer is, to approach these processes -- Party building and movement building, simultaneously, dialectically. That is, to work to grow our Party as we play our role in building unity against the extreme right, winning real gains for our working class and people, and advancing the struggle to higher levels, against corporate power and for socialism.

Sam spoke about a turning point for our country. Our Party is also at a turning point, or perhaps better put, we have begun a turn, towards strengthening our Party organizationally and sharpening our strategy and tactics to fit today's political realities. But to fully realize the potential, to complete the turn, will take much work, creativity and commitment, on the part of all of us. No business as usual; all hands on deck, yes: that's what it's going to take, comrades.

This is a key task, not just one among many. It is not enough to be involved in struggle, nor is it enough to bring new members into our ranks -- these must be part of the same work. 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.

There are no quick fixes to the problem of Party growth; we have to be patient and realistic, we have to be dogged, but above all, we have to have a political approach to it-a strategy for Party building. Fundamentally, Party building must be connected with what we are doing politically, with how we are connected with the ongoing struggles, with playing our role. We aim to build our Party first and foremost among the working class. We aim to build our Party in the class struggle of today because it is the class struggle that leads to socialism, and that, obviously, is where we must be.

We need a bigger Party that brings into its ranks many new working-class fighters. I very much agree with Sam's call for renewed attention to building the Party in the organized sections of the working class and people. If we are working in coalition with others, we will come in contact with many who are open to political activity and organization, and it should be natural for some of them to join our Party. We have to make some changes so that this happens more, much more, than it presently does.

If it is a new political moment-and I believe it is-this should have bearing on the prospects for growth of our Party and YCL. The new levels and forms of struggle reflect new interest in politics; the many new and sharp problems cry out for militant mass struggle and for solutions, including radical ones. The broad coalitions that are forming, to fight the ultra right, to challenge corporate globalization, to defend democratic rights, to protect workers' rights and communities -- these present us with new opportunities. And so, while being realistic and scientific, and avoiding any quick fix approaches to Party building, we also can be bold and confident in coming up with ways to attract many new members to our Party and to our ideas, which have great beauty and power.

Our Convention should commit us to giving greater resources and attention to all aspects of Party building, from recruiting to educational work; from public relations to mass outreach. And, our Convention should agree, should commit us, to building a qualitatively bigger circulation for the PWW and Political Affairs-I would even go so far as to say that this is a prerequisite for building a bigger Party. Our press is both a conduit for our ideas and a bullhorn for the people's movements in which we must fully participate, and therein lies the connection with Party building.

Grass roots coalition building is an area where we, with greater attention to our own grass roots-our clubs-can make a big contribution to building the kind of strong people's movement that is required to defeat the ultra right and move to higher levels of struggle. After all, grassroots activity, work "among the masses," is Communists' forte, and, to paraphrase Lenin, politics begins with millions.

The independent political action that we advocate must include the mobilizing of millions of disenfranchised voters; demands for democracy and economic justice will not succeed without the support and participation of masses.

The strength of labor's ability to challenge the power of the corporations, to win organizing drives and protection of workers' rights and quality of life, requires the strongest, broadest, deepest rank and file mobilization. We can help build that.

Our concept of left center unity is more than a concept for our work at the leadership level-it is an approach to building big enough, broad enough, people's unity against reaction, which is necessary, and must be built at the grassroots level, in cities and towns; within and among the membership of congregations, community organizations and unions. Fundamentally, broadly described, this is the political task of our Party clubs.

How to do this is not a mystery; one key ingredient is connecting with the organized labor movement, and building unity between labor and its key allies in our communities. We can help make this happen, and it will transform politics in our country-it already has. In the coming period, we have to help the clubs figure out how to practice industrial concentration at the grassroots, which means strengthening the clubs' connections to labor and recruiting workers to the Party.

Sam's keynote eloquently described the political challenge facing the working class and people's movements. We need clubs that are able to develop their own piece of that strategy, clubs that are rooted and also active and connected, clubs that discuss new questions and challenges among their members and with others in the mass movements.

Lastly, we have had some debate about what kind of Party we are and should be. This is not a question that can be answered with one word, I don't think; it has many elements.

We need a Party whose membership and leadership are active in struggle, and help initiate struggle; who respond to developments quickly, creatively, militantly; who are part of broad coalitions and help form them.

We need a Party that is deeply rooted in the working class, and that systematically works to deepen and expand those roots. We need a Party that reflects, at every level, the multiracial, multinational character of our class and of the American people.

We need a Party that is a visible part of the political scene in our country, an organization with a meaningful program, with live, coalition relations on every level, with publications that speak to the issues of the day, with spokespersons who enter the debates on those issues.

We need an ideologically strong and flexible Party, able to train the best fighters and the most thorough Marxist thinkers.

We need a Party that attracts young people to its ranks.

We need a Party with a membership that is unafraid of debate and equipped to engage in ideological struggle in the mass arena.

We need a Party that is connected, assertive, public, bold, with a popular, mass style, and a political life and culture that revolve around organizing, educating, and "being in the mix."

Last but not least, we need a Party of scientific socialism, that is, that creatively applies Marxism-Leninism to our conditions.

This is the Communist Party that we are building, that will meet the challenges of the new century, that will be part of the rising tide of humanity to save the planet, to demand and fight for a democratic, humane society and overthrow the corrupt, violent, evil system of capitalism.

Thank you.