WWP/IAC and the Wrong ANSWER

[Armand Diego <causebellum@xxxxxxxxx>]

LouPaulsen wrote:

>I mean, REALLY.  If ANSWER had its own office, you
believe that Gitlin >wouldn't have written his
article, and Henwood's list wouldn't have been
>converted into the chuck0/seay/newman list for
griping about ANSWER and about WWP, and David Horowitz
wouldn't have written an article entitled
>"100,000 COMMUNISTS MARCH ON WASHINGTON", and Corn
wouldn't have written his article which should be
entitled "100,000 Dupes of Communists march on
>Washington"?  All of this would have been forestalled
if ANSWER had ITS OWN OFFICE SPACE?

Lou Paulsen strikes me as a seemegly intelligent kind
of guy.  So, I would judge his answer above as
disingenous.  I can't believe he did not get the point
that the EXAMPLE put forward by Lou Proyect of the
WWP's front group, IAC, sharing office space with
ANSWER is just that, an EXAMPLE.

Of course that solving that stupid mistake would not
have stopped the red-baiters.  But maybe would have
put the WWP in a more correct path to change MANY
other aspects of their work.  These may include:

1. Public meetings to develop strategy, discuss
logistics, agree on program, discuss speakers and
spokepersons, share resources, etc.  Truly democratic
forums to give the movement its share of
responsability for self-building.  Agree to common
teach-ins - while working on mass demos - to air the
different points of view on the war.

2. WWP/IAC/ANSWER should continue espousing their
views about supporting and promoting the political
regimes under attack by imperialism, but should cease
their exclusionary policies in regards to many who do
not support those regimes, but oppose the war.

3. WWP/IAC/ANSWER should clearly and publicly report
on the finances, fundraising and accountability of the
money they collected so far, where it came from and
how was used.  The money and accounts for any
coalition cannot be handled by one person or one
organization, but by several.  This will avoid other
problems such as that of the sharing space between
IAC/ANSWER

4. A truly democratically elected national steering
committee, with public and well advertised meetings
and minutes should be elected by the entire movement.
The steering committee should be formed in such a way
that no organization would control it.

5. The antiwar movement should elevate to a political
level, particularly at election times, campaigning
against Democrats and Republicans.  THis should not be
done by excluding Democrats or liberals from above,
using tricks, but by debating them in the movement
while at the same time we march together if they are
willing to do so.

Taking these and other steps will go a long way to
pull the rug from under the feet of the red-baiters
and to truly start building a democratic movement
against war.

Lou Proyect wrote:

My attitude at the time was the same as it is today. I
was ambivalent. On one hand, I was pleased that
somebody had gone through the effort to secure a march
permit, procure buses, etc. On the
other hand, I said to myself who the fuck are these
people who are going over the heads of the Central
American solidarity movement. Nobody from
WWP was involved with CISPES, nor with the Nicaragua
network in NYC.  This was not only a case of WWP
acting unilaterally, but completely ignoring a
powerful grass-roots movement.

Answer:

I hope that Lou Proyect can re-read what he wrote and
realize that he is making the same mistake than the
WWP.  Making the unconditional support for the FMLN or
the FSLN in the 80s a CONDITION for being at the table
of the anti-intervention movement.  There was not a
mass movement of the characteristics explained by Lou
around Central America, but strong opposition to the
war on the Central American revolution. The condition
of making POLITICAL support for the FMLN and FSLN went
a long way to undermine that movement and because of
it, when the FMLN and the FSLN shifted right, those
who supported such a position dissappeared as any
effective force.  The question of INDEPENDENCE of the
mass movement from these kind of requirements is
essential to develop a mass movement. Lou Proyect's
alternative to the WWP's sectarianism is not an
alternative but a mistaken position in the very same
direction.

Sincerely,

DA

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