Marxism's Rebirth?

Marxism's Rebirth?



By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:20 PM PT

Election '08: America's Communist Party is giddy over current political events, saying its movement has reached a "turning point." There's no mystery why. Their candidate is the White House front-runner.

Part of the Communist Party USA's glee can be attributed to the current economic turmoil. The radicals who make up its membership have long rooted for capitalism to fail.

But it can't be denied that the popularity of Barack Obama, the most far-left candidate to run for president as the nominee of a major party, is a big part of the Communist Party resurgence.

In an article chronicling that revival, Agence France-Presse makes sure that it mentions that "the Communist Party does not endorse Democrat Barack Obama." The fact is, the party does not officially endorse candidates.

Members of its staff, however, are upfront with their support. The AFP story notes that "many" of the workers at the party headquarters in Manhattan wear Obama's image on lapel buttons.

Not enough of a link? How about the party's Aug. 15 Web site editorial that talks of Obama's "transformative candidacy" as one "that would advance progressive politics for the long term."

Obama's election, the editorial continues, will boost "The struggle to defeat the ultra-right and turn our country on a positive path" and "shift the ground for successful struggles going forward."

"None of the people's struggles — from peace to universal health care to an economy that puts Main Street before Wall Street — will advance if (John) McCain wins in November," says the editorial, listing issues that sound a lot like the concerns of the Democratic Party's platform.

The Communist Party's dedication to Obama is not new. During the primary season in March, the party noted in a news release that the Obama "campaign has the clearest message of unity and progressive change."

While America's communists are beaming over the prospect of an Obama presidency, the Illinois senator's biggest fans in Europe — judging by the rock star treatment he got when he spoke in Berlin in July — are moving back to Karl Marx. The media report that sales of "Das Kapital" are on the upswing in Germany.

Again, economic concerns are driving people to desperation. But considering Berlin's warm welcome for Obama, it's easy to make a clear argument that the momentum of his campaign, with all its leftist language and Marxist principles — most recently, Obama's admission that he wants to "spread the wealth" — has inspired Germans to return to Marx.

Voters need to remember on Nov. 4 that when Marx's books are selling well and communists are happy, we are headed for trouble.