Young Communist League Infiltrates US Democrats
The Communist Party USA and its youth wing, the Young Communist League is busily infiltrating the US Democratic Party.
The main party tends to work secretly at a high level. The YCL tends to work at the grassroots and is far more blatant.
Their stated aim is to elect socialist Democrats to the US Congress and deliver a leftist Democratic government and presidency.
The Democrats seem to welcome the young Communists into their ranks. Certainly there is no resistance.
Here are some examples from the 2004 elections which illustrate how the process works.
Shane Brinton, at 20 years old is the youngest voting member of the Humboldt County (Northern California)Democratic Party Central Committee. He is also the local contact for Progressive Democrats of America and serves on the National Council of the Young Communist League.
According to this post on the Marxism mailing list, Brindon;
spent last summer in Missouri with the CP and YCL working on electoral politics. We knocked on hundreds of doors and got a black socialist progressive (John L. Bowman) elected as a state rep. He ran as a progressive Democrat against a white right-wing anti-choice Democrat that was backed by the Republicans.
That was a battle that the party and YCL won, because we did the work. The party doesn't just talk, it works. That's why more and more young people like myself are attracted to it.
In a report to the National Committee meeting of the Communist Party on November 20, 2004, (originally delivered at a YCL conference) Jessica Marshall, YCL National Co-coordinator outlined examples of YCL electoral activity.
It's important to note here that this is a generation of young people that have no particular allegiance to the Democratic Party and show hope for the possibility of further developing independent and progressive voter coalitions and voting blocks. But this generation of voters also was mature enough to recognize the importance of uniting in this year's election to elect John Kerry and defend themselves against a President and Congress that has been wreaking havoc on our lives for quite some time. This represents a tremendous opportunity for the YCL as we continue to grow and work to build broader, progressive coalitions of youth and students.
Of particular importance to the YCL in our efforts to deepen and broaden our relations with other progressive youth and student organizations, were our YCL Midwest Summer and GOTV election projects. In July, we went to St. Louis where 13 YCLers (5 of whom stayed for the whole month) volunteered alongside the party, Planned Parenthood, CBTU, SEIU and AFSCME, and others on several campaigns including the victorious campaign of John Bowman who is here today. During that same period we sent 12 volunteers to Cleveland where volunteers worked with the Vote Mob and participated in labor walks.
Interesting that Democratic congressman Bowman, an activist with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, should be attending a Young Communist League conference!
We worked on everything from phone banking to lit drops and led precincts in Akron for the VoteMob operation....Both the Milwaukee and Chicago YCLers worked in Wisconsin, helping to chaperone a group of 400 high school students on election day who participated in a massive knock and drag effort to get people to the polls, in addition to their work with Vozes, an immigrants rights group, the League of Conservation Voters and ACT on door-knocking and GOTV efforts.
In New York YCLers were delegates and founders of the local organizing committees of the National Hip Hop Political Convention. In Providence, Miami and Chicago YCLers helped head up the League of Pissed Off Voters efforts. YCLers staffed Democratic Party operations and headed up precincts in Ohio and Florida. A YCLer from Virginia was a canvas director for a progressive young candidate in a tight race in Ohio. In Miami, the newly formed club helped ACT organizing efforts at Miami Dade Community College.
Headed up precincts in Ohio and Florida? The US Democratic Party is notoriously weak on the ground. In some areas, the CPUSA and their allies ARE the Democratic Party.
Guess who is supporting Barack Obama?
In Chicago YCL members were very active in the Youth for Obama efforts and one member worked with the United States Student Association and his student government to register over 1,000 new voters. New York YCLers worked on the election bid of Frank Barbaro in Brooklyn and to defeat Republican Olga Mendez in Upper Manhattan. In Buffalo, YCLers worked with Citizen Action and went to work in Ohio.
The list goes on and on. Thousands of young people were registered, thousands of doors were knocked and collectively our membership learned what it takes to seriously get involved with electoral campaigns.
This was just the youth wing of the CPUSA. The far larger main party mobilised several thousand activists to help the Democrats in 2004 and 2006.
No doubt they will be out in force, campaigning for the Democrats, Edwards, Clinton or Obama in 2008.
In a tight race, a few thousand dedicated activist may make all the difference.
The main party tends to work secretly at a high level. The YCL tends to work at the grassroots and is far more blatant.
Their stated aim is to elect socialist Democrats to the US Congress and deliver a leftist Democratic government and presidency.
The Democrats seem to welcome the young Communists into their ranks. Certainly there is no resistance.
Here are some examples from the 2004 elections which illustrate how the process works.
Shane Brinton, at 20 years old is the youngest voting member of the Humboldt County (Northern California)Democratic Party Central Committee. He is also the local contact for Progressive Democrats of America and serves on the National Council of the Young Communist League.
According to this post on the Marxism mailing list, Brindon;
spent last summer in Missouri with the CP and YCL working on electoral politics. We knocked on hundreds of doors and got a black socialist progressive (John L. Bowman) elected as a state rep. He ran as a progressive Democrat against a white right-wing anti-choice Democrat that was backed by the Republicans.
That was a battle that the party and YCL won, because we did the work. The party doesn't just talk, it works. That's why more and more young people like myself are attracted to it.
In a report to the National Committee meeting of the Communist Party on November 20, 2004, (originally delivered at a YCL conference) Jessica Marshall, YCL National Co-coordinator outlined examples of YCL electoral activity.
It's important to note here that this is a generation of young people that have no particular allegiance to the Democratic Party and show hope for the possibility of further developing independent and progressive voter coalitions and voting blocks. But this generation of voters also was mature enough to recognize the importance of uniting in this year's election to elect John Kerry and defend themselves against a President and Congress that has been wreaking havoc on our lives for quite some time. This represents a tremendous opportunity for the YCL as we continue to grow and work to build broader, progressive coalitions of youth and students.
Of particular importance to the YCL in our efforts to deepen and broaden our relations with other progressive youth and student organizations, were our YCL Midwest Summer and GOTV election projects. In July, we went to St. Louis where 13 YCLers (5 of whom stayed for the whole month) volunteered alongside the party, Planned Parenthood, CBTU, SEIU and AFSCME, and others on several campaigns including the victorious campaign of John Bowman who is here today. During that same period we sent 12 volunteers to Cleveland where volunteers worked with the Vote Mob and participated in labor walks.
Interesting that Democratic congressman Bowman, an activist with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, should be attending a Young Communist League conference!
We worked on everything from phone banking to lit drops and led precincts in Akron for the VoteMob operation....Both the Milwaukee and Chicago YCLers worked in Wisconsin, helping to chaperone a group of 400 high school students on election day who participated in a massive knock and drag effort to get people to the polls, in addition to their work with Vozes, an immigrants rights group, the League of Conservation Voters and ACT on door-knocking and GOTV efforts.
In New York YCLers were delegates and founders of the local organizing committees of the National Hip Hop Political Convention. In Providence, Miami and Chicago YCLers helped head up the League of Pissed Off Voters efforts. YCLers staffed Democratic Party operations and headed up precincts in Ohio and Florida. A YCLer from Virginia was a canvas director for a progressive young candidate in a tight race in Ohio. In Miami, the newly formed club helped ACT organizing efforts at Miami Dade Community College.
Headed up precincts in Ohio and Florida? The US Democratic Party is notoriously weak on the ground. In some areas, the CPUSA and their allies ARE the Democratic Party.
Guess who is supporting Barack Obama?
In Chicago YCL members were very active in the Youth for Obama efforts and one member worked with the United States Student Association and his student government to register over 1,000 new voters. New York YCLers worked on the election bid of Frank Barbaro in Brooklyn and to defeat Republican Olga Mendez in Upper Manhattan. In Buffalo, YCLers worked with Citizen Action and went to work in Ohio.
The list goes on and on. Thousands of young people were registered, thousands of doors were knocked and collectively our membership learned what it takes to seriously get involved with electoral campaigns.
This was just the youth wing of the CPUSA. The far larger main party mobilised several thousand activists to help the Democrats in 2004 and 2006.
No doubt they will be out in force, campaigning for the Democrats, Edwards, Clinton or Obama in 2008.
In a tight race, a few thousand dedicated activist may make all the difference.
posted by Trevor Loudon at
6/24/2007 04:46:00 PM
8 Comments:
No surprise about that. The Young Communist League even promoted the "progressive" circles in the Democratic Party linked to George Soros.
What's even more amusing is that Humboldt County is supposed to the dope growing capital of the USA. As a friend described it " the cops have got hair down to their ass, and you don't stop for more than fifteen minutes"
John Stormer, the author of None Dare Call It Treason, documented communist infiltration of the US Democratic Party decades ago. Didn't anyone pay attention? Apparently not. Hillary for 2008, anyone?
Perilous Times
Let's not forget about Communist infiltration into even U.S.-based "think-tank" groups such as the Council on Foreign Relations, where Hillary's husband-Slick Willie is a long-time member of the organ, along with several other Democratic candidates affiliated or are members them selves.
But to be fair, the CFR is also quite bipartisan in its infiltration of not just the Democratic Party, but the Republican Party as well, where Condi Rice and Colin Powell are CFR members.
Sorry, but you have it wrong. I'm not a Communist that has infiltrated the Democratic Party. I'm an ex-Communist who is now involved in mainstream center-left politics.
I ran for the local school board and joined the local Democratic Central Committee because I care about my community and my country. It has nothing to do with a communist agenda.
By the time I was involved in PDA and the local Democratic Central Committee, I was no longer involved with the YCL or CPUSA. I haven't seen anybody from the organization since before I was elected to office two years ago.
When people are young they are idealistic. I grew out of it when I started to really learn more about the organization's history. Marxism-Leninism and "democratic centralism" are nice on paper, but when you really understand them, they just aren't so appealing.
You still wouldn't agree with many of my views, but if you had the chance to talk to me, you would recognize that I'm really more of a social democrat - certainly not a Communist.
I would appreciate it if you would change the information in your blog to reflect the facts. I would also appreciate it if you would ask for permission before making use of my pictures.
Thanks for your note Shane.
A few points
You were a member of the YCL and the Democrats, less than 2 years ago-when you were in Venezuela in fact, in late 2005.
"Susan Brinton said that her son has always been very well read, and took a great interest in politics. He has contributed to People's Weekly World, a communist newspaper, and until recently played in a local band, Comrade. He is a member of the Young Communist League, the youth arm of the Communist Party USA.
Nevertheless, the candidate's mother said, her son is a registered Democrat, and the more radical elements of his political philosophy are not that surprising to many, in this day and age."
You had no qualms about being a Democrat and a YCLer then. You were also clearly associating with the YCL right up to election time.
You also had no qualms about helping a "socialist" candidate-your words-gain a seat on the Democrat ticket.
There is also the matter of several PDAers close ties to the CPUSA, Democratic Socialists of America etc.
Can you clear up those matters Shane?
I suppose it was about a year and a half ago, not two years yet. Sorry, my bad. An honest mistake. More typing than thinking.
The last time I had face-to-face contact with the YCL was in Venezuela. I had growing doubts about the organization. Some things happened around that time that led to me being less involved with the group.
After being elected to office I gained a greater respect for our democratic system. That, coupled with personality conflicts and previous ideological differences, led to the end of my involvement with the group.
But let me be clear, I haven't been reborn a conservative. I don't have a problem with Democratic socialists who value humane representative government, with checks and balances. My problem with Communists is their ends-justify-the-means attitude, not their lofty ideals.
I am not a communist. But, unlike you, I am not a staunch anti-communist. It's an idea that didn't work. It never will. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop working for social and economic justice.
I'm proud to be a part of the non-Communist left.
Fair enough Shane.
I'll take you at your word.
Unfortunately Progressive Democras of America works hand in glove with the CPUSA.
Conyers, Lee, Waters etc, if not secret CPUSA members, might as well be.
Unfortunately Shane I think you've swapped one CPUSA linked organisation for another.
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