to my GP comrades
In response to a critique of Marxism I had circulated, a “Red” amongst us wrote:
> What we ask of the Green Party is, simply, to understand that both
> viewpoints exist within our ranks and seek ways to build a party
> in which individuals who subscribe to both can enthusiastically participate.
I reminded him that I had written many times that Red-Green ideological alliances are clearly on the agenda at this point in time. The continuing appeal of Marxism among some activists is undeniable.
I do hope that the Green Party will become recognized as the best and most prominent electoral vehicle for the broad left. And if that happens there’s no question that we will continue to see plenty of ideological diversity. We should welcome such, but there’s also no question that the best ideological orientation for the movement will always be discussed and debated.
Surely the Greens are having a significant effect in that regard. Just about every leftist program now includes an appreciation for ecological limits and balances. And a communitarian inclination (re: “Community-based Economics”) is also more and more evident. The Greens should keep making the case for a fully-Green orientation based on our Ten Key Values and our distinctive kind of eco-socialism.
I’m not advocating that the Greens be exclusionary. We just should make our case. What I consider important is to point out how the left has been in limbo. An explanation is needed. I think it’s because the left has been burdened by Marxist delusions (delusions in regard to an erroneous interpretation of human history; delusions about the “agency” and process of social change) and it has been burdened by an over-identification with the discredited old-style-socialism movement of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. If we care about the left, as we should, I think it’s constructive for us to advocate for an ideological transition “from Red to Green.”
For example: We should make the case to Kshama Sawant that she’s mistaken in advocating for a new party based on a retrograde ideology. We surely can work with her group (in a Red-Green alliance), hopefully accomplishing progressive goals together, while endeavoring to influence them … on the basis that their messaging is not conducive to advancing the broad movement.
* * * *
We should show that we care about and want to represent the movement as its electoral vehicle. Dare to struggle for the support of Medea Benjamin, Richard Wolff, Katie Halper, Briahna Joy Gray, Norman Finkelstein, Michael Hudson, Chris Hedges, Victor Wallis, Krystal Ball, Michael Moore, Jeffrey St. Clair, Joshua Frank, Paul Street, Laura Flanders, Paul Buhle, Cenk Uyger, Abby Martin, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, Richard Falk, Counterpunchers, DSA’ers, etc. etc. — and, of course, all the masses whose welfare would be enhanced by the greening of society.
