Submitted for discussion by W. David Fields, Madison, WI.

I agree with Comrade Korman’s proposal that there is a need to run Communist candidates in local and regional elections.  I would go further to say that given the correct circumstances we should run in state wide offices as well.  Our choices for these offices should be chosen with great thought.  We should not run against candidates that have a record of progressively supporting the working class.  For instance, would we run a candidate against Bernie Sanders and risk splitting the progressive vote and having him lose against a Tea Party candidate?  This may seem like an impossibility to some, but remember what happened to Al Gore’s vote in Florida in 1988.  Had not a third party candidate, in this case Ralph Nader, not run in that state it is likely that vote would not have been split and  Al Gore would have easily have won that state and subsequently the office of the President of the United States.  (It is true that other factors were involved, but Nader’s regressive campaign exasperated the conditions of that sordid affair). This had far reaching consequences that we are paying for today and we may very well be struggling against for years in the future. I think it’s safe to say we do not want to participate in that sort of mistake.

If this convention supports running candidates I would propose that some structure be put together to assure that the working class  benefits from our presence and we run in campaigns designed  to  bring forward issues that otherwise would be ignored.  Furthermore, we should make certain our candidates are prepared to run seriously for these offices, be informed of the duties of that office, and research and be educated about the office.  They should be willing to promote  the working people they represent and present themselves as viable Communist candidates that can be taken seriously.

The views and opinions expressed in the Convention Discussion are those of the author alone. The Communist Party is publishing these views as a service to encourage discussion and debate. Those views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Communist Party, its leading bodies or staff members. The CPUSA Constitution, Program, and all its existing policies remain in effect during the Convention discussion period and during the Convention.

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CONVENTION DISCUSSION 
30th National Convention, Communist Party USA
Chicago | June 13-15, 2014

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