The Gulf oil spill comes at a bad time for Obama and the Rockefeller-led imperialist wing of U.S. capitalists he serves. Just when economic calamity and sharpening global rivalry force U.S. war-makers to centralize control over industry and finance, the disaster exposes White House weaknesses and growing disunity among the bosses.

Frank Rich, an Obama watcher at the liberal imperialists’ New York Times whines (6/20), “What’s also being tarred daily by the gushing oil is the very notion that government can accomplish anything.” The Times’ columnist specifically fears that the oil mess may impair Obama’s ability to lead the U.S. war machine:

“[Obama] must rebuild confidence in his government for that inevitable day when the next crisis hits the fan. That would be Afghanistan, and the day is rapidly arriving.”

Adding to U.S. imperialists’ woes in the spill’s wake, Rich warns that, “The Tea Party is at the barricades.” “Tea Party” encompasses a loose collection of capitalist-led anti-Obama phony populist movements. These forces are funded and led by bosses unconcerned with the Rockefeller wing’s long-range strategy to maintain U.S. world domination and preserve its global empire.

Bosses who oppose varying aspects of this imperialist agenda for widening wars and top-down, federal control of business are successfully backing Tea Party candidates in mid-term elections. Some want lower taxes; some want less government interference; some object to the cost of imperialist wars that don’t benefit them directly; others seek trade with U.S. imperialists’ strategic foes such as China and Iran.

Muck Muddles Rulers’ Wartime
Oil Reserve Plans

In response, U.S. imperialists, as their Times’ mouthpiece Rich reflects, demand militaristic fascism. His op-ed harangue bears the title, “Clean the Gulf, Clean House, Clean Their Clock.” Cleaning the Gulf means far more than stopping the BP gusher so that profitable exploitation can proceed at other wells there. Oil drilling in U.S.-controlled waters — a major strategic initiative Obama endorsed in an April speech but on hold since the blowout — is crucial to U.S. global war plans.

“Energy Security,” a May 2010 “working paper” by U.S. imperialists’ leading Rockefeller-led Council on Foreign Relations think-tank proposed further discussion of “security benefits from domestic oil production during a protracted military conflict.” In such a case, “global oil markets might cease to function in a way that is close to normal.”

Iran’s nuclear-arming oil barons’ threat to shut off  Saudi, Iraqi and its own crude exports via the Straits of Hormuz  led to Obama’s green light for drlling in the Gulf of Mexico. (It is through these Straits that tankers move perhaps one-third of the world’s oil to Western Europe, the U.S. and the Far East.)

U.S. imperialists’ want a “clean,” that is, functioning, oil-pumping, Gulf as a more reliable wartime backstop to their existing Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which would last barely two months.

Rulers Tell Obama: End Bushite
Policies, Follow Rockefeller Road

The Times’ demand to “Clean House,” refers directly to purging the White House of strategically clueless officials and indirectly to far more stringent policing of business in general. The Hart-Rudman report (see www.plp.org), prior to 9/11, demanded more centralized government control to both install a more fascist police state to quell potential working-class rebellion as well as to discipline rogue capitalists who care little about long-range strategies to preserve U.S. domination internationally.

Pro-ruling-class pundit Rich complains that Obama interior secretary Ken Salazar, “left too many long-serving lackeys of the oil industry in charge at Minerals Management Service (MMS), even as he added to their responsibilities by raising offshore drilling to record levels.” Salazar’s sin, which Obama will surely punish, lies in letting Bush-Cheney holdovers, focused only on the next quarter’s profits, be allowed to ineptly steer a crucial build-up of the U.S.’s long-term war-making capability. MMS officials rubber-stamped BP’s risky but potentially lucrative failed Gulf well.

U.S. imperialists also call for a re-regulation of Wall Street. Topping their “to-do” list for Obama is enacting anti-speculation limitations aimed at ensuring U.S. banks’ long-term survivability.

The vaunted Volcker Rule, as dictated by Paul Volcker (David Rockefeller’s chief economist at Chase Manhattan) “would curb proprietary trading by banks for their own accounts unrelated to customers’ needs; [and] bar them from sponsoring hedge funds and private equity funds.” (Reuters, 6/8)

Rulers Want to Wipe Out Tea Party Bosses Blocking U.S. Imperialism

“Clean their Clock” targets BP apologist Tea Partyites ranging from Rand Paul to Sarah Palin. The Times’ Rich, pushing for broader state power in the hands of the biggest, imperialist bosses, throws down the gauntlet: “These tribunes of the anti-government right and their Tea Party auxiliaries are clamoring for a new revolution to ‘take back America’....Let Deepwater Horizon be ground zero for a 9/11 showdown over the role of government.”

The “showdown” follows Hart-Rudman’s post-9/11 drive to streamline the federal government in the service of the main capitalist Rockefeller forces and shove the anti-government phony “populist” types down the drain.

But the only anti-Tea Party move Obama made after the spill was to appoint a liberal-environmentalist “national commission” to “investigate” it. Appointee Frances Beinecke, president of the Rockefeller-funded National Resources Defense Council, typifies the panel. It boasts well-heeled and (for the bigger bosses) supportive members but lacks teeth.

However ineffectively, Obama is striving as best he can to fulfill the imperialists’ needs. Displaying the true class allegiance of all electoral politicians, he began betraying his anti-war, pro-jobs campaign promises as soon as setting foot in Washington.

Urging Obama to “do a better” job, or voting in “better” people in November, serves only the capitalist ruling class. What’s needed is spreading PLP’s ideas among the masses in the shops, unions, schools, churches, the military and in the communities to build a mass communist party. Our long-term outlook is eradication of the billionaire war-makers through communist revolution for workers’ power. That’s the only way the needs of the working class can be served. J

(Coming: Bosses Behind the Tea Party: Dogfights old and new rage among U.S. capitalists.)

CHICAGO, June 14 — At 6 am on a Tuesday morning hundreds of teachers and supporters picketed the downtown offices of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) before work. Later that day, the Board of Education passed a resolution allowing schools CEO Ron Huberman to increase class size and fire teachers. The demonstrators were sending a message that they intended to fight any increase in class size. As one sign put it: “When you cut teachers, students bleed.”

The demonstration came on the heels of a hotly-contested election for union officers that resulted in a victory for the reform Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE). CORE has a history of fighting the Board on behalf of school workers and students.

The current fight against increased class size is one fraught with both danger and opportunity, as are all reform struggles. The danger is in thinking that the working class has the power to stop the ruling class from implementing their plan to further destroy the education received by the predominately black and Latino students who attend Chicago schools.

The ruling class runs the show, with their legal system, their media and their power to both hire and fire workers. Any working-class victories will be limited and short-lived.

The opportunity, on the other hand, is that class struggle, as Lenin said, can be a “school for communism.” It appears that these struggles may be increasing. Four thousand teachers and supporters took over the streets on May 25. Three hundred came to the June 15 early morning picket on only one day’s notice (the Board meeting was an “emergency” meeting called at the last minute). Twelve thousand out of 20,000 Chicago Teachers Union members voted for an activist, militant caucus to lead the union. If communists in the struggle do their job, many of these workers can learn the truth of our analysis from the reform struggle.

PLP members have been active in all of these struggles. At the May 25 demonstration, we urged participants to consider the extreme racism of the CPS system and to realize that racism and capitalism are tied together and must be fought together. More than 50 years past Brown vs. Board of Education (to “integrate” the schools), Chicago schools are still segregated, with African-American schools bearing the brunt of attacks from CPS. Without marshalling our working-class forces together with the aim of overthrowing the profit system, any gains we make in the struggle will be temporary.

PLP members have been active in the CORE caucus since its beginning two years ago. The caucus is filled with young and old, black, Latino and white activist education workers who want to fight for a better world, particularly in the educational sphere. During the election campaign, hundreds of CORE members went to other schools to speak to fellow unionists, not just about voting for CORE,  but also about educational issues facing us such as: fighting the proposed layoffs, school closings and turnarounds, high stakes tests and issues at the local school level.

The incumbents in the election ran a nasty campaign based on lies and red-baiting. One campaign flier threatened that the “militant idealist socialist” CORE would go on strike immediately and the union would be destroyed. Because CORE has organized alliances with parents, students, and community groups, the incumbents claimed that if CORE won, they would turn the union into a community organization.

Interestingly, the red-baiting was countered by many members who thought the union would be better off if led by militants. This is not to say that a sophisticated red-baiting campaign could not be successful, but it does indicate a potential openness to communist ideas.

The next three years (CORE’s term of office) promise to be interesting and exciting times for union members, parents and students to learn first-hand about fighting back, the brutality of the ruling class, the limits of reform, and the possibility for a new communist world. 

BROOKLYN, NY, June 11 -— The unified, spirited voices of about 50 staff members and students rang through the streets as they rallied in front of their school against the latest rounds of racist budget cuts to all NYC schools.

 “They say cut back, we say fight back” and “Money for books, not for crooks” were just a few of the chants used during the half hour rally. This action reflects an effort by PLP members in two of the three schools housed in this one building, to unite the students and the staff in some struggle.

The effort began when a union meeting was called for all three schools to hear the district representative defend the United Federation of Teachers’ (UFT) agreement to allow teachers’ ratings to be based partially on students’ standardized test results. It quickly became clear that the UFT bosses work hand-in-hand with the education bosses to attack students, parents and teachers.

The district rep claimed the union was fighting for teachers’ rights by not allowing 100% of our rating to be based on students’ scores. He argued that a partial link between the two was a victory because since the Department of Education (DOE) was going to pass it anyway, this compromise makes it “less bad.”

A PL teacher responded by attacking the union. She argued that the role of unions should be to fight the boss, not to give in to what the boss wanted. She also said that if the UFT really wanted to fight this they could have organized teachers, students and parents across the country to strike. Lastly she stated that the threatened budget cuts and the linking of teacher ratings to student test scores were primarily a racist attack against students.

More teaching to the test will develop in the schools that are already struggling with low budgets — and these schools primarily serve black and Latino students. Many other teachers at the meeting were angered and spoke out against the district rep’s arrogant and combative attitude and by the anti-worker message he was bringing.

After the meeting teachers got together to plan a building-wide union meeting without the presence of any union hack. At the following meeting teachers decided it was time to take action. A debate ensued about whether to make the focus of our action the attacks against teachers or students.

A PL teacher put these latest attacks in the context of the bigger capitalist crisis. He explained that the bosses were mainly concerned with their imperialist wars in the Middle East so workers were being forced to pay for this latest capitalist crisis with layoffs, lowering of wages, attacks on our healthcare and pensions. He then argued that in schools the budget cuts were racist attacks on our students who are paying the price with less supplies, overcrowded classrooms, fewer electives and afterschool programs. Most teachers, many of whom read CHALLENGE,  quickly agreed to make our students the focus.

Two letters were drafted by two different teacher committees. One was a letter sent to newspapers countering the lies in all of the bosses’ media made about “lazy” workers in the UFT and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The other letter was for parents. It outlined the budget cuts, put them in the context of the bigger economic crisis and called on all parents to unite with their children and teachers to fight back.

Along with these letters, rallies were planned for every Friday morning till the end of the year, the union rally at City Hall on June 16th and one final rally the last day of school. In an act of solidarity, teachers from two of the schools agreed to rally even earlier in the morning than they would have had to because the third school starts on an earlier schedule. This small action shows the potential workers and students in this school building have to create the deep ties needed to develop a real movement against this racist system.

After six years of PL members working with students, parents and teachers, these rallies and meetings with members from all three schools are a huge step forward. Uniting our class brothers and sisters is not an easy or fast process since the bosses use every strategy they can to divide workers. They are splitting up larger schools and creating smaller ones in one school building to divide the student body and the teacher union chapters. But workers in this building are defying them. This is the only way to prepare for the on-going class struggles we need to organize to eventually destroy the system that denies us an education, jobs and our humanity! J

NEW YORK CITY, June 16 — PL’ers and friends attended a mass rally of city workers at City Hall. The rally was well-attended by workers from all over the city. Unfortunately workers were subjected to speeches from numerous union hacks and politicians who were all saying the same thing — not much. PL’ers attempted to start a picket within the rally, to no avail. However, PLP chants of, “No cuts, no more, no money for the war” did spur some discussion with workers at the rally.
All in all it was exciting to see workers from all over the city regardless of occupation together in one place. It was a reminder of the power of a united working class. It was also clear that workers were not satisfied with the empty “leadership” being offered by city unions. The leadership of the Progressive Labor Party is what workers need and want. 

DETROIT, MI, June 17 — If there is a crisis in the U.S. auto industry and within the United Auto Workers Union (UAW), you wouldn’t know it by looking at the 35th Constitutional Convention that just ended. The Hospitality Suites, Officers Receptions and Directors’ Dinners were in full swing as 1,200 delegates were wined and dined in a city where more than half the population, mostly black, former-UAW members and their families, live in poverty. We also were served a 10-course “meal” of politicians and government officials.

Since the last convention four years ago, UAW membership dropped another 35 percent to about 355,000 members, with the largest segment, 155,000, belonging to the Technical, Office, and Professional (TOP) division. The UAW helped GM, Ford and Chrysler impose a two-tier wage system that cut starting wages in half as well as cutting retiree health care.

After the UAW helped defeat their 2008 strike, the American Axel strikers had their wages slashed and then lost their jobs. As part of Obama’s bailout of the industry, the UAW agreed to a no-strike clause until 2015. Outgoing president Gettlefinger and incoming president Bob King (who tried and failed to force more concessions on Ford workers, while the company made a $2 billion profit) both referred to this as “saving the auto industry and the UAW,” to the cheers of the vast majority of delegates. 

If there was anything worse than the well-
orchestrated convention, it was the very loyal opposition of reformers and Trotskyites. The day before the convention opened they held a rally of less than 50 people. This in a city that is 90 percent black, facing poverty and police terror, and made up of tens of thousands of current, retired and former UAW members. On opening day they had less than 10 people picketing Cobo Hall. These “reformers” are current and retired UAW stewards, local officers and delegates, totally isolated from the workers.

In 2009, Solidarity House (UAW international headquarters) paid out almost $100 million in salaries to just over 550 vice-presidents, regional directors, international reps, organizers, attorneys, and more. This is only part of the union apparatus. This week, in the name of “sacrifice,” they gave up their Cost of Living Allowance while voting themselves a healthy raise to make up the difference. In contrast, new-hires at GM, Ford and Chrysler will earn a paltry $28,000 (if they work a full year).

The convention ended with a march from Cobo Hall to the Comerica Bank building, where the UAW, NAACP, Teamsters and state AFL-CIO all endorsed a mass march on Washington, October 2, for Jobs and Justice. What they really want is to rally the troops for the November elections.

It is clear that for the foreseeable future, PLP and other revolutionary-minded and anti-racist workers will have to function within the enemy’s camp, mixing patience and urgency in winning workers to our revolutionary communist outlook. The coming march on Washington is an opportunity to organize a growing number of workers to march and fight for communist revolution. Coming efforts to organize Toyota and the other trans-nationals can provide more openings for our Party. (We will have more to say in coming issues.)