As a co-chair of the Western Massachusetts Club of the Communist Party USA, I feel compelled to share our alarm at, and profound condemnation of, Donald Trump’s redbaiting. We continue to appeal for the broadest unity in resistance to MAGA fascism, recognizing that Trump’s comments are an expression of weakness as we approach November’s midterms. I also intend to dispel some misconceptions, of a somewhat different character, exemplified by a David Arbeitman’s July 7 letter to the Gazette [“The Red Scare won’t work this time“].
The first point of clarification, one which we have encountered frequently in our public presence, is a matter of fact: Vladimir Putin is not a communist. The war between Ukraine and Russia has led to the imprisonment of anti-war communists in both countries, and taken the lives of many workers on either side of the border. Despite their Soviet history, neither the Russian government nor people have any innate communist character, just as the United States was long stereotyped as inherently capitalistic, only for recent developments to tell another story.
The second is our party’s role in the struggle for democracy. It is no coincidence that Trump, like the fascists of the 20th century, appeals to anti-communism as he tramples the Constitution. When Communist Party leaders were jailed under the unconstitutional Smith Act nearly 75 years ago, they warned that McCarthyist attacks on the Bill of Rights would set our country on the road to fascism. The party’s role in expanding democratic rights to all — not just the largest corporations — had put them in the crosshairs of the movement we now know as MAGA.
We would agree with Mr. Arbeitman in drawing a distinction between democratic socialism and communism: we are separate organizations reflecting different political traditions of the working class. This was even exemplified in Northampton last year, when two democratic socialists ran for local office against a broad progressive coalition which included myself as a candidate and the Communist Party as a force. Nonetheless, our call for unity and working-class leadership against fascism remains unchanged. Forward together!
Luke Rotello
Florence