Juan Lopez is chairman of the Communist Party USA in northern California.
In today’s Peoples World he claims an “historic victory” in the health care front and looks forward to more more battles on the road to American socialism.
Lopez makes it clear that Obamacare is only a first step on the road to fully socialized healthcare “enshrined in the Bill of Rights, as an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing free health care for all as a basic human right”.
The signing into law of the new health care reform package has all the earmarks of a historic victory in more ways than one.
It was not all that any of us wanted – but neither was Social Security to earlier generations when it was first enacted into law. It was in the course of subsequent battles that it was improved.
Similarly, health care reform will take many more fights and a radically changed political environment before it becomes fully enshrined in the Bill of Rights, as an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing free health care for all as a basic human right…
The law is the federal government’s biggest attack on economic inequality since President Reagan 30 years ago began the offensive to redistribute wealth in favor of the large corporations and the rich…
Unfortunately, some pitted single payer, in which the private insurance carriers are put out of business, against this legislation in its changing permutations.
These folks fail to appreciate the importance of struggling for partial demands that can be won in the short run because they are broadly supported while pressing for more advanced demands that may not yet have wide support but that can be won in the course of struggle.
Even if single payer were widely supported by the public, as some claim, that certainly was not the case in Congress, especially in the Senate.
That we could not win the public option despite majority public support for it was mainly the function of the present balance of forces in the Senate, where it was blocked by a rock-solid Republican opposition and weak-kneed conservative Democrats.
Unlike the new health care law, Social Security and Medicare were initially passed with majorities that included a substantial number of Republicans in both houses of Congress.
In 1935 Republicans in the House voted in favor of Social Security 81 for, 15 against; in the Senate 16 for, 5 against.
In 1965 House Republicans voted for Medicare, 70 for, 68 against; in the Senate 13 for, 17 against.
Instead, last week Republicans gave health care legislation a big zero in both houses of Congress.
The Republican Party of today has evolved into the political home of the most reactionary sections of big business and of the far right.
To me, today’s health care battle points to two things:
One, that it was a formidable opposition that had to be overcome, making the victory all the more significant.
Two, if we expect to improve on this piece of legislation or not lose ground on it, we’d better do everything in our power to defeat more Republican members of Congress in November and, where possible, replace more conservative Democrats with more liberal if not progressive ones in the primaries.
One of the significant things about the health care victory is that it’s re-energizing the coalition that elected President Obama, especially at the grassroots.
At the same time, it is disorienting the Republican rightwing opposition.
Despite the nay-sayers, President Obama, progressive and even moderate legislators, organized labor, the people’s movements, and a majority of Americans who backed the main tenets of the health care package deserve a big hand for a job well done under heavy political fire.
With the wind at our back, a more confident labor and people’s movement can now move to the next major fight – bank and financial regulation, jobs and immediate relief for the people – on the way to the crucial midterm elections.
While few in America would realize it, the Communist Party USA and their friends in the , Institute for Policy Studies and the labor movement are the real agenda setters for the Democratic Party.
If you want to know what the Democrats will do tomorrow, read the Peoples World today.
More facile cant from Ug-Am.
You might do well to consider Paul Thomas's piece in yesterday's Herald……"The lunatic fringe returns".
Thomas quotes John Avlon, author of "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America"; "Obama Derangement Syndrome – pathological hatred of the President posing as patriotism – has infected the Republican Party" says Avlon.
Exemplified by the religious fervour of the questionably remunerated Trevor Loudon and you Ug-Am…..? You bet !
Right-wing demagoguery remains right-wing demagoguery notwithstanding the wheeling out of the odd simpering Fox Noise token from time to time.
Lt. Col. Allen West for president!
Well, congress in Florida first.
http://saucyusa.blogspot.com/2010/04/vote-aug-24th-lt-col-allen-west-for.html
Oh, he has dark skin? Who cares! He kicks a&& & rocks my world.
Sad really. Statists like Steve are the ones who keep bringing up race. Typical: classify someone in a group & and get annoyed when people try to get out of it. Stay in your group damnit! Race baiting is a whole industry and Steve wants to join up apparantly.
Get of your mama's basement Steve. Go listen to Kevin Jackson for re-education: you have blinders on.
http://theblacksphere.net/
Guess what: Its the policies which matter!
THAT IS WHY WE HATE THE OBUMBLE REGIME.
Technically, BHO is mulatto. So? Socialism still SUCKS.
Is Tiger Woods asian, white or black in your book Steve and who cares as long as he can put, right?
9 million in Chicago has more ethnic people than 4 million in NZ will ever have, but I'm in NZ for the warm weather… Now if we could STOP THE ETS tax plans, life here would be just swell…
More overblown "tiko" from Ugly American Lisa G (strangely) in NZ…..
The real issue for Ug-Am is not Unicorns on the Rainbow but Acorns on the Rubicon…..fringe dwellers like Lisa just will not get over the fact of a "mulatto" (her word) in the White House…..poor things.
On the other hand millions upon millions upon millions of Americans applaud the fact that with Obama and healthcare America is now demonstrably less Ugly.
The Rubicon has indeed been crossed.
Hurrah for America !
Don't worry about Steve's inane commentary Mr. Oblivion.
Steve, you obviously haven't done your assigned homework, young man!
Myth: "This bill (Obummer-care) provides health care to 31 million people who are currently uninsured."
Reality: "This bill will mandate that millions of people who are currently uninsured must purchase insurance from private companies, or the IRS will collect up to 2% of their annual income in penalties. Some will be assisted with government subsidies."
more here: http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/19/fact-sheet-the-truth-about-the-health-care-bill/
Mr "nice" Steve believes in socialism / statism / communism so much that he has agree to work full time, give the government his entire check and let the government redistribute it to anyone unfortunate.
These unfortunate will then vote to keep the government in power which gives them free stuff!
Steve will be willingly handing over all his money!
Thanks Steve!
… oh, Steve lives in NZ? well then never mind… noone lives on the dole there… we all ride unicorns on rainbows!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of mans' oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness….. JK Galbraith (1908-2006)
Excellent sophistry there Billy !
On the one hand you confirm healthcare as a basic human right.
On the other hand, in mock "philosophy", you invoke free speech and the NRA dream to say that healthcare for those who don't have it will defeat your "right" to it.
Utter, wilfully disingenous, nonsense of course….. but who amongst us expects else from the "Ugly American" right ?
Come clean Billy. You proudly support denying 30 million plus Americans. Have the balls to say so…..enough of your deceptive cant !
Health care is a basic human right.
As is the right to free speach.
As is the right to arms to defend oneself, ones family and ones community.
But a right to free speech does not entitle me to a megaphone at the expense of my neighbor.
And it does not entitle me to a belt fed machine gun at the expense of my community.
And my right to visit a doctor of my choosing when I determine I need it should not obligate someone on the other side of the country to provide it.
My rights are never your obligations (except that you are obligated not to prevent me from the reasonable expression of them, but that's getting deep).
How about if we redistribute the wealth of rich democrats to pay everyone's doctor bills.
Obama is a multimillionaire, lets take everything over 250,000; and there's George Soros, and John Kerry; the Kennedy's, etc., etc. Castro is a billionaire, let's loot him too.
How about abolishing tax free foundations where the super super rich hide their enormous wealth. If they paid taxes like everyone else, the poor wouldn't need to pay anything.
Of course that wil never happen, socialism was created by bankers to unjustly enriich bankers. It's working exactly like it was designed to work.