Communist Party Endorses Obama

It may be early in the campaign season, but Sam Webb, chairman of the Communist Party USA, threw his support behind Obama’s re-election bid for the 2012 election.  Last November, the Communist Party USA was caught scrubbing its website of references that stated it “actively supported” President Obama’s election. Do Obama’s socialist agenda and those of the Communist party coincide?

In an article last week at People’s Weekly World, the official newspaper of the Communist Party USA, Webb discussed the need for a third party consisting of the so-called working class and labor as well as “racially and nationally oppressed people, women, youth, immigrants, seniors, gay and straight.”

Webb, however, recognized that such a party is not likely to emerge by next year.

“Millions who have to be at the core of this party still operate under the umbrella of the Democratic Party, albeit increasingly in an independent fashion,” he noted.

Webb said that for communists there are major differences between Democrats and Republicans. He urged his supported to continue to back the Democrats.

Wrote Webb: “Neither party is anti-capitalist, but they aren’t identical either. Differences exist at the levels of policy and social composition. And despite the many frustrations of the past two years, the election of Barack Obama was historic and gave space to struggle for a people’s agenda.”

While noting he is disappointed with “some aspects” of the Obama administration’s domestic and foreign policy, Webb said, he supports the Democrats and Barack Obama.

An article posted on the party’s official website on Dec. 30, 2007, stated, “Our Party actively supported Obama during the primary election.”

The article was referring to Obama’s 2004 election to the Senate. It detailed how the African-American community and trade unionists played key roles in defeating the “ultra right.”

“This was also reflected in the historic election of Barack Obama. Our Party actively supported Obama during the primary election,” stated the article, a screen shot of which was captured by the New Zeal blog. The website has since been scrubbed of the reference to the Community Party USA aiding Obama, with the article now reading simply, “This was reflected in the historic election of Barack Obama.”

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, or AFL-CIO, sponsored a poll showing union members supported Obama by a 68-30 margin and strongly influenced their family members. According to the survey, Obama won among white men who are union members by 18 points. Union gun-owners backed Obama by 12 points, while union veterans voted for Obama by a 25-point margin. In the general population, Obama lost these groups by significant margins.

Political Affairs, the Community Party USA’s magazine, quoted AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, a longtime member of the Boston chapter of the Democrat Socialists forAmerica, expressing hope labor unions can continue working with Obama.

“The election is just step one in delivering the change we need,” Sweeney said. “Working men and women are poised to keep the energy pumping to help the Obama administration lead the change we need. There will be no gap or letdown.”

The communist magazine said priorities for labor unions are “regulating Wall Street and restoring fairness to international trade,” as well as “health-care reform” to provide coverage to “nearly 50 million people without insurance and make medical care affordable for all.”