The following articles represent the views of each individual author. Hopefully they will spark new thinking about how progressive, radical, and working-class activists can build the Communist Party and the broad struggle for social change in our country. Please post your thoughts below.
Shouldering Our Burdens
By Glenn Ramsey
In “Living in an Era of Change,” C. J. Atkins makes a disarmingly gentle, yet muddled case for name change. After an opening congratulatory appraisal of the Party’s past 20 years (of successfully avoiding name change while remaining politically dynamic), he proposes that the Party not only drop its “Communist” label, but its self-definition as a party. He makes this recommendation while failing to convince that the Party does not act like a party, based on his assumptions that a party, by definition, must independently present its own candidates in the electoral process.
Change is Essential, but What Kind of Change?
by Beth Edelman
For me the Atkins article was less about the name of the Communist Party and more about the content and form of the organization and its goal. The observation that the Party is small, and has been small for a long period of time should concern all members. And the desire for change is important.
by C.J. Atkins
The 29th CPUSA Convention was a big success and will hopefully go a long way toward improving the party’s contributions to the democratic movement. The strategic policy of uniting all the core forces and movements to defeat the ultra-right and consolidate the people’s coalition was resoundingly re-endorsed by the delegates. The quality of the discussion both before and at the convention reflected the hard work that members are involved in on the ground and a willingness to do the kind of hard thinking necessary to match it.
Extreme Makeover Goes Too Far
by Joe Sims
C.J. Atkins, in his recent article "Living in an Era of Change," expresses a desire for a bigger socialist movement. To achieve it, he prescribes an “extreme makeover” for the CPUSA: first dropping communist from its title; and second dropping the designation “party” and becoming instead a socialist group within the Democratic Party.
by: Dan Margolis
C.J. Atkins’ recent article, “Living in an Era of Change,” was a worthwhile piece that should be considered an important contribution to a discussion necessary for the Communist Party USA. The rejoinder by Joe Sims, “Extreme Makeover Goes Too Far,” did raise a number of conclusions with which this author disagrees.
Response to C.J. Atkins “Living in an Era of Change”
Reply to "Living in an Era of Change" by C.J. Atkins
