Report given to the National Committee
The big excitement will come this afternoon when we hear Tim Wheeler and
the Florida comrades live from the eye of the storm! What's developing is
tremendous. Palm Beach will never be the same again, and neither will the
people's movements or the Communist Party. I want to appreciate the work
of the comrades in Florida and in Palm Beach where I was earlier this week.
Their small, rather quiet town filled with senior citizens was suddenly
catapulted into the center of the struggle against the ultra-right, with
the whole world watching. They are rising to the occasion, as they have
throughout their lives. This is a passionate struggle to stop George W.
Bush from stealing the presidential election. It is a fight that can be
won, despite the courts and the right wing. People in Florida came to the
polls in large numbers on the issues. Living under Governor Jeb Bush moved
the African American community to come out. Seniors saw Gore as someone
who would protect social security, who would deliver on prescription drugs,
who had supported affirmative action. Can you imagine the horror, and the
anger, of a grandmother, or a teacher, or a young first-time voter casting
a vote for Al Gore and having it go to the racist and anti-Semitic Pat Buchanan?
Or not getting counted at all, thereby favoring George W Bush? It is on
this basic issue of democratic rights and civil rights that people are pouring
out into the streets to demand that their votes be counted. On any given
day you can choose from several demonstrations. Issue organizations of every
kind, union members, seniors, students, women's organizations, Jewish and
African American organizations, which have not fully worked together in
the past, are coming together now. There is also a spontaneity to this movement
that our veteran comrades say is like the "CIO union organizing days." As
we watch with bated breath the dozens of court decisions coming down in
Florida, we know this is a long-term struggle. The most significant factor
is the ordinary people who are becoming involved and activated for democratic
rights and working class rights. The court decisions go back and forth,
but the fact that hand counting is still going on is a testimony to the
presence of labor and the constant actions taking place.
The Will of the Voters
No matter how many times George W Bush charges Gore with wanting to
steal the election, the facts are the opposite. Gore has a higher popular
vote. If all the uncounted and mis-punched Florida ballots were properly
counted, Gore would easily win Florida and the presidency. As soon as
my plane landed in Palm Beach, Tim Wheeler, Sid and Ann Taylor and I headed
off to a meeting on the election crisis at the Century Village Synagogue.
We saw reporters from Japan and France and other countries. Here were
all the top leaders of the AFL-CIO, part of the beauty of the National
Council of Senior Citizens becoming a part of the AFL-CIO. The situation
was laid out clearly, step by step as affidavits were collected from those
who believed their vote had been misrecorded. By 9 am on election day,
union phones, phones at the NAACP, and Gore headquarters were flooded
with voters worried about the confused ballot. Complaints were filed.
Many thought the election should be stopped immediately. Some people thought
they had to vote for both Gore and Lieberman and actually punched for
two presidential candidates. Others punched for Buchanan when they were
trying to punch for Gore. Every day, new violations come to light. Jeb
Bush didn't care how he delivered Florida for his brother. The election
process in Florida showed extreme racism. There are calls for an investigation
of violations of the voting rights act, and for an investigation into
the entire process. Dozens of court cases have been filed to address the
necessity to re-count, the possibility of a re- vote, and violations against
whole groups of voters. The demand for a re-count by hand is important
because the machines do not count a ballot that is not punched all the
way through. While a recount does not correct all the violations cited,
it is the first battleground now being fought through in the courts. The
spoiled ballots in overwhelmingly Democratic districts would put Gore
far ahead as the winner:
o 3,000 ballots in Palm Beach County mistakenly marked for Buchanan
o 10,000 not punched for either candidate according to machine read results
o 19,000 double punched for Buchanan and Gore
o 26,000 ballots invalidated for double punch for president in Duvalle
County, where ballot contained two presidential pages
o 9,000 near Jacksonville, predominatly African American
o Half of the ballots thrown out were in precincts with Black or elderly
voters according to a survey by the Palm Beach Post.
In addition, there was a massive effort to prevent Black and Puerto
Rican voters from voting in the first place:
o 10,000 primarily African American voters turned away in Seminole County
o 22,000 in Duvalle County (Jacksonville) after they registered at Motor
Vehicles but were never added to the rolls
o Leon County (Tallahassee) racial profiling: state troopers stopping
people and held them for up to two hours searching their cars. Charges
of African American voters showing up at the polls and being told to go
to a different place to vote. Nothing there. Mel Watts, CBC: African Americans
singled out for criminal background checks. Forced to show photo ID cards
while white voters were not.
o Over 200 Puerto Rican voters in Orange County, FL required to show two
photo IDs before permitted to vote. o Haitian voters' lawsuit assistance
in interpreting the ballot was rejected.
o State Police road blocked polling places (Tallahassee)
There were also other irregularities reported:
o Law stipulates up to three ballots in case of error. Replacement ballots
were not made available. Voters were told to make corrections on the same
ballot.
o Some precincts had ballots missing for the Senate and Congress candidates
o Seminole County Bush people were allowed to add required identification
numbers after absentee ballots were submitted, which is a violation of
law.
Right-Wing Tactics
The right wing is determined to stop the votes from being re-counted,
and they are determined to cover up the violations. Their tactics are
all-sided. They are using the courts to slow down the re-count or halt
it. They are using the media to create cynicism, blame the Gore campaign,
and imply a re-count is against the best interests of the country. They
are arrogantly moving ahead with announcements of a cabinet. They reject
any solutions to the vote count process proposed by the Gore campaign.
Right wing tactics include disruption and provocation within the community.
We went to a march and rally with Jesse Jackson in downtown West Palm
Beach on Monday afternoon. Police helicopters circled overhead. A few
people with Bush signs and red-baiting signs against the Democrats shouted
"Jesse go home". The marchers countered "Jesse stay".
Following the march, the Bush people tried to remove Jesse Jackson from
the stage. The crowd remained disciplined and refused to become violent.
It was understood that the Bush people were hoping to force a confrontation
in order to turn public opinion away from the demands for a re- count
and a re-vote. Finally, rally organizers directed everyone back to the
amphitheatre where the march had begun. The provocateurs were out-maneuverd,
but the Bush camp continues similar tactics at every demonstration. During
this rally, the national staff of the YCL, who had driven all the way
from New York, handed out 300 Peoples Weekly Worlds, and sold 100 "Stop
Bush" buttons until they ran out. People couldn't get our literature fast
enough. What Izzy, Anita, Jen, and Tony did was a big inspiration to the
comrades in West Palm Beach.
Labor and People's Movement
The national forces that led the campaign to elect Al Gore converged
on Palm Beach immediately after election day. The AFL-CIO now has up to
200 organizers working out of several union halls, rushed to Palm Beach
fresh from the election campaigns. Their presence provides the ability
to wage this giant battle. Jesse Jackson has been working night and day,
collaborating with labor and working with the Black clergy. Chapters of
women's, civil rights, environmental, and seniors' organizations are in
full gear. The AFL-CIO approach has primarily focused on the legal front,
collecting affidavits from voters and observing the vote counts whenever
they take place. The lack of priority to street heat and organizing, in
deference to the Democratic Party, was a missing element. At the same
time, union members across the country have been alerted under the slogan,
"This is America. Every Vote Counts."
Jesse Jackson has argued eloquently for the combination of legal and
public mobilizing tactics to make it "unmanageable" for the right wing.
He has successfully related the vote count struggle to the struggles for
living wage jobs, an end to police brutality, health care and public education.
Today's demonstration, in the Black community of Riviera Beach, has the
full participation of the labor movement. The organizing for this march
and rally brought seniors, Jewish activists and the Black community together
in a new way. Our comrades are at the center of the organizing. The tactics
of unity are hard work. The AFL-CIO, the community, the Gore campaign
and Jesse Jackson each have unique approaches to this voting rights struggle.
At the same time, all these forces share the same goal of stopping George
W. Bush from stealing this election.
Communist Party and YCL
The Communist Party and the YCL are now in a new position in Palm Beach.
As a result of this whirlwind of activities the club is beginning to break
out in new ways. Our people are welcomed on individual visits to elected
officials or organization leaders, or in planning meetings, or at rallies
and events. Working at the top in labor and at the grass roots among seniors
and in the community is modestly enabling a small club to make a big contribution.
Sid Taylor wanted to express appreciation for the quick response by the
national office in sending comrades down to help.
Long Term
The massive violations that have come to light in Florida are the tip
of the iceberg of voting rights violations against working people and
people of color across the country. The need for election law reform is
now seen by many, including abolition of the undemocratic Electoral College,
and restrictions on voter registration and political participation. People
are looking for deeper answers. Questions about who runs our country,
for who and how, come into the picture. The door is wide open for examining
the limits of democracy under capitalism and beginning the debate about
Bill of Rights Socialism USA.
National Campaign
George Bush can be stopped from stealing this election. It will take
more than Florida to do it. Street heat and public outrage are needed
in communities across this country. The Wilkensburg, Pennsylvania City
Council resolution can quickly be brought to many other cities. The AFL-CIO
has not yet made the determination to organize street heat on a national
basis. Local actions together with allies from the 2000 elections can
get the ball rolling. We can help introduce resolutions in union locals,
letters to the editor, demonstrations or press conferences calling for
a re-count, a possible re-vote, and for a full investigation. The capitalist
media is playing up the Bush line that it's time to get this over with.
The people's forces are saying democracy requires the time to count every
vote so the will of the people can be realized. The editor of our Peoples
Weekly World is on the scene, on the side of the people, reporting and
organizing at the same time. Our paper is a most valuable tool in the
fight for the minds of the people. It is a remarkable paper that gives
the facts and the confidence to fight and win, not just in Florida, for
the impact on peoples lives all over the country. At an open air meeting
of the canvassing board in Palm Beach County, one of the three commissioners
declared that if hand counting the ballots meant going to jail, then she
was willing to go to jail. It made us think of Ten Days That Shook the
World. A new member asked me yesterday, "Where is the hope, Joelle?" The
hope is in the people standing firm in Florida, the eye of the storm,
and across our nation. Whatever the outcome of the presidential election
crisis, the situation in Florida shows that labor and allies are on the
rise.
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