CPUSA Lamely Asserts Republican Party Is “Vanguard of U.S. Capitalism”

The old Communist Party USA, (CPUSA), the one that was the official fraternal party of the Soviet Communist Party until its dissolution, has for decades advocated conducting political work in the Democratic Party. It used to run its own presidential candidate, but has not done so since 1984, instead opting to endorse the Democratic candidate in each case. Its latest article promoting the Democratic Party is entitled Capitalisms ruthless vanguard party and is available at:

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/8853/1/315

In it, CPUSA official Terrie Albano argues that it is the Republican Party that is the vanguard of the bourgeoisie, and not the Democratic Party. Albano writes, To those on the left who say, Its the capitalist system that has to be fought. The Democrats also support capitalism, I ask, How can you defeat capitalism if you cant defeat its vanguard the Bush administration? On the one hand, Albano would be right if this argument were aimed at those who refuse to see important political differences between the far right forces in the Republican Party and, for instance, the relatively progressive forces of the Democratic Congressional Black Caucus. On the other hand, it is certainly not the case that there is something about the Republican Party that makes it inherently the bourgeois general staff. Indeed, wasn't the Democratic Party leading the capitalist state and even directing the general strategy of the ruling class at various junctures? The New Deal, the Great Society... these were reforms that were welcomed by working people, but they were certainly part and parcel of the bourgeoisies attempt to consolidate its class dictatorship.

The Democratic and Republican brands of bourgeois class rule allow the ruling class to employ dual counterrevolutionary tactics. In common lingo, its good cop, bad cop. A most striking example of this is in the area of foreign policy. The Republican Party is now associated with a policy of relatively open pursuit of monopolarity (U.S. being the only pole of power) in international relations and U.S. hegemony in every realm, earning deserved enmity from all quarters. On the other hand, during the 1990s, the Democratic Clinton administration employed human rights imperialist policies, subverting states and committed aggression everywhere, but with a softer and gentler accompanying line of propaganda. Indeed, it is almost certain that if a President Gore had taken the same action as Bush in invading and occupying Iraq, which is a very real possibility, many segments of liberals would support this action and be hoodwinked by the sort of human rights propaganda that sought to justify the aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999.

In short, the imperialist bourgeoisie maintains and benefits from a system of multi-party rule. It has two vanguard parties in this country.