LOS ANGELES (USA), July 2— “Good news from New York,” said a Los Angeles bus operator while taking Red Flag.
He referred to Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Mandani, 33, is a Social Democrat like Sanders and Ocasio Cortez. He defeated the “establishment” Democrat Cuomo.
Social Democratic parties include the African National Congress (South Africa) and MoReNa (Mexico). They are all capitalist parties.
“Maybe not so good,” a comrade answered the bus operator. “Mamdani is rounding up a lot of angry young adults into the Democratic Party.”
That includes some Red Flag readers we hope to recruit to ICWP.
“My friend told me Mamdani seems like he is for the people, and young, which is a change she feels is needed in leadership roles,” reported a young comrade.
“A younger person said Mamdani was better than Cuomo but agreed that the changes he advocates are small and local,” said another comrade. “I said all the budget will go for war preparations. They replied that ‘Everyone is really worried about world war.’ They said that Trump is attacking Mamdani. I said the media makes that the main story to divert us.”
“His program is different,” said another activist. “He knows he might not be able to get it all done, but at least he’s trying. And he’s getting a lot of support.”
Young Workers Want to Make a Difference
A friend likes Mamdani’s program but suspects he will sell out to the mainstream Democratic Party.
“We can’t vote ourselves a revolution,” a comrade said.
“That’s true,” replied the friend. “But Mamdani’s victory shows there is a lot of potential for us to run and win in local elections. We can make a difference that way.”
People want to make a difference. But not that way. We are in a global capitalist crisis. The world is hurtling into intensifying fascism and broadening wars.
It’s critical to understand that “government” is the political dimension of capitalist class dictatorship. Workers can’t take it over. Reforms won’t end war and fascism.
We make a real difference with small steps to build the International Communist Workers’ Party into a force that can overthrow the capitalist dictatorship through armed struggle. Wherever we can, whenever we can.
That includes reading, sharing, and discussing the communist ideas in Red Flag. Bringing them to workers, youth, and especially soldiers and sailors who are key to revolution. Joining and building ICWP collectives.
“Mamdani’s politics are performative,” said a comrade in South Africa. “He portrays himself as a working-class immigrant who is fighting the system when he is part of the system. He seeks not to address the fundamental contradictions of capitalism. He instead thinks he can reform it.
“The danger is,” the comrade continued, “that to the US masses, when his reforms fail, they will be viewed as failures of ‘communism,’ which it is not.”
Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism
“This isn’t a purely capitalist country,” said the bus operator. “There are aspects of socialism already.”
“Socialism and capitalism are more alike than different,” the comrade responded. “Communism will be different. Mamdani wants government grocery stores. In communism, nobody will pay for food. Workers won’t need wages. Everything will be provided according to need. Mamdani wants rent control, but in communism there won’t be rent.
As the worker left, he said, “My girlfriend and I are discussing how bad things have to get here before we move to another country.”
“How bad do things have to get before you become revolutionary communists,” the comrade countered.
“Do you really think people can change?” he asked.
“People are contradictory,” I said. “Some love Trump but fear for their health care. The balance can shift. So yes, I do think people can change.”
ICWP Manifesto Mobilize the Masses for Communism here