Initial Responses to the Statement by Bob Avakian “On the Immediate Critical Situation …,” Glimpses of Potential Impact, the Need to Spread Far and Wide
“Bob Avakian is a very clear thinker — we should move ahead with this message.”
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This is an important, well thought-out and strategic statement.
I've always admired the intellectual tenacity of Bob Avakian. His social and geopolitical analyses are always on target.
Regarding the “immediate critical situation and looming outlines of a consolidated fascist dictatorship”; “for sure, you hear people now saying terroristic, fascistic, it is used more freely, dictatorship, NAZI’s—this is openly being said. Trump is undermining the democratic system. These are all common statements now, but Bob Avakian and Refuse Fascism has been saying it from the beginning. This situation is quite urgent, obviously urgent—Trump is out in the open with it, no pretenses, not even trying to cover it up.
The statement from BA—ON THE IMMEDIATE CRITICAL SITUATION, THE URGENT NEED TO DRIVE OUT THE FASCIST TRUMP/PENCE REGIME, VOTING IN THIS ELECTION, AND THE FUNDAMENTAL NEED FOR REVOLUTION—released on August 1, 2020 has been taken note of by a very broad section of society, coming from very different perspectives. It has landed right in the midst of a major struggle in this society sharpening up right now—the conflict between those sections of society upholding and working to consolidate the Trump/Pence fascist regime, and those opposing it from many different perspectives.
The spectrum of those who have responded publicly to this statement ranges from right-wing news sources like Breitbart, Washington Times, Fox News, and the Trump re-election campaign; to writers and journalists for mainstream liberal media; and to those from the so-called “left” movements and analysts, different individuals who have been agonizing over the march toward fascism.
The response to this statement has come from major media sources, as well as a whole range of individuals holding very different viewpoints. There has been surprise and controversy sparked by the fact that Bob Avakian, BA, the “most important political leader and thinker in the world today,” has issued a statement entering into this momentous struggle, giving leadership to guide the millions in society who sense the existential danger to humanity and calling on them to act.
Already this has opened up what must become a much—much—broader and deeper engagement and is opening up a major struggle and debate centered on the actual content of the analysis and conclusions drawn in this statement.
Right now, for everyone who is concerned with ending injustice and oppression, and with the question of whether humanity will have a future worth living—or will have a future at all—removing the Trump/Pence fascist regime from power is an immediate, urgent question and truly historic imperative.
The Trump/Pence fascist forces and their mouthpieces in fascist media have mainly focused on and simplistically reduced it to titles like “RCP Chairman Bob Avakian endorses Joe Biden,” converging with attempts to use this to discredit Biden’s campaign for president. Some of the so-called “left voices,” petty and sectarian reformists, have distorted this statement in a similar way, many based on just reading the headlines from the right-wing media and dismissing the statement as “liberal” from a “more-left-than-thou” approach.
The actual analysis of what we confront—that there is a fascist danger that is existential for humanity and has to be stopped—is largely ignored, denied or dismissed, as is what he fundamentally calls for in terms of mass political resistance to drive out this regime, and not simply relying on the elections. The content and argumentation that Bob Avakian does compellingly make for why people need to vote in this election is also missing, as is the nuance and sophistication of the whole approach and position.
Different from these are many different people who are honestly looking at the leadership being given to all of humanity, finding firm agreement in some cases and questions in others, but from the perspective of really wanting to figure out what we are going to do about the danger of this fascism, with a crucial juncture in the coming months with the elections scheduled—so far—for November.
We are providing below excerpted samples of different responses to give people a broader sense of what is in contention, and the need, importance—and potential impact—of this statement getting out very broadly now.
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From a filmmaker, documentarian
“When the RCP actually calls for people to vote—you know the situation is really, really bad. I've always admired the intellectual tenacity of Bob Avakian. His social and geopolitical analyses are always on target.”
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From a member of the clergy who has been involved in Refuse Fascism
“There is a clear emergency in the present situation, and I am surprised because I thought I would never hear BA say ‘vote.’ BA’s statement is very clear, and what I hear BA saying is that the situation is so dire—we need to take whatever measures we can to get back to some kind of normal… to get to creating a revolutionary situation; and, that fascist Trump consolidating is not just a threat to revolution but to the human race as a whole.
“This speaks very well of Avakian—he is putting the well being of human beings first.”
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From a retired supervisor in a prominent African-American church
“My goodness, yes, Bob Avakian went all out with that! (how do you pronounce his name?).
“He is a very clear thinker—we should move ahead with this message.” Regarding the “immediate critical situation and looming outlines of a consolidated fascist dictatorship”: “for sure, you hear people now saying terroristic, fascistic, it is used more freely, dictatorship, NAZI’s—this is openly being said. Trump is undermining the democratic system. These are all common statements now, but Bob Avakian and Refuse Fascism has been saying it from the beginning. This situation is quite urgent, obviously urgent—Trump is out in the open with it, no pretenses, not even trying to cover it up.
“Bob Avakian talks about the unprecedented times we are in. Avakian warned of the dangers—but it is more than even I expected, and it intensifies by the day. Then, Trump calls for possibly not having elections—that is the extreme end of it. I also like the comment ‘demented bully with his finger on the button.’”
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From a “leftist” musician, filmmaker
“I figured RCP would tell people to vote against Trump causing folks to vote for Biden or someone like him.
“Instead, predicting this position, RCP could have told people early on to vote for Sanders—sending a signal that the working class is further to the left than the media says it is. This change in perception would do a lot toward the working class becoming more radical.”
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From a retired pastor
“This is an important, well thought-out and strategic statement.”
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From musician active in Refuse Fascism
“I was not expecting to read this statement re: voting, but it proves, once again, that Avakian is a scientific thinker, and a great practitioner of dialectical materialism. He should be taken seriously, but people are into gossip, rumors, and trendy bullshit, and don't engage in actual debate. They talk a lot of shit and spread a lot of lies that they heard from someone else and don't examine the validity of the gossip they hear. This is the most important thing you could read regarding the situation we currently face.
“Again, in these very particular, extraordinary circumstances, if the Trump/Pence regime is still in power by the time of the election, in spite of mass mobilizations demanding the ouster of this regime, then the struggle against this fascist regime needs to include voting against Trump by voting for Biden, while continuing to build sustained mass mobilization against this regime and everything it represents and concentrates, and being prepared to carry forward this mass mobilization if Trump loses the election but refuses to leave.” [from statement]
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From religion school faculty
“Fascinating statement. Still processing my assessment of it. Mixed feelings on my end… How has this gone over with members of the party and other allies?”
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From journalists concerned about the rise of fascism
“Holy shit, Bob Avakian has endorsed @JoeBiden”
“Bill Kristol to Bob Avakian is an impressively large tent TBH”
“Hello? The person referred to here as 'his Democratic opponent' is named 'JOE BIDEN.' You can't vote 'to defeat Trump' unless you also vote for 'JOE BIDEN.' Chomsky can say it. Brother West can say it. Even Bob Avakian can say it. Why can't this letter?”
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From progressive professors
“2020 something else when you’re getting Bob Avakian emails telling you to vote for Biden. And not just telling you, but, in revolutionary communist fashion, telling you why in a 6-point statement.”
“Even Bob Avakian's Maoists are in favor of voting Biden to drive out Trump! Good on them.”
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From progressive journalist-activists
“Revolutionary Communist Party leader backs Biden... Bob Avakian said 'Biden is not ‘better’ than Trump, in any meaningful way—except that he is not Trump and is not part of the move to consolidate and enforce fascist rule, with everything that means.”
“I’m seeing a lot of mostly conservative outlets writing about how the Revolutionary Communist Party @therevcoms is encouraging members to vote Biden this year.… Importantly, they still hate Biden. Their logic is still that he is ‘not Trump.’”
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Other comments from social media
“well written, powerful stuff. I find myself agreeing but I haven't felt comfortable publicly advocating for anyone to vote for Biden… although I do plan to at least participate in the general.”
“100% please go vote in November. I hate Biden just as much as anyone else and it is so important we vote for him to get Trump out. I look at it this way: revolution work is work done outside of the system and there are many people trying to work inside the established government system as well. There are people in the system who are trying to help, or at least aren’t doing active harm, and its really important that we go vote for those people. Theoretically, the way to make lasting change is working both inside and outside the system and we need to support both.”
“what bob is trying do is what mao did during china civil war where he unite with china nationalist against japan knowing full well the nationalist would turn on them and did at different points to fight the fascist japan. the democract are not are friends. trump being japan”
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A SAMPLE FROM FASCISTS AND THEIR MOUTHPIECES:
Trump campaign release
COMRADES: JOE BIDEN ENDORSED BY LEADER OF REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNIST PARTY
Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield just this morning made clear that “everybody who believes that Joe Biden should be president” is “welcome into this campaign.” That now includes Bob Avakian, the radical founder and leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party who just endorsed Joe Biden and instructed fellow communists to support Biden in the election. Avakian once faced serious charges of rioting and assault for protesting in favor of Chinese communist Mao Zedong’s bloody and brutal regime. Avakian also titled his memoir My Journey from Mainstream America To Revolutionary Communist. “Bob Avakian has taken the whole idea and conception of communism to another level,” one of his admirers once wrote.
Avakian’s endorsement further demonstrates that Joe Biden is an empty vessel for the radical left. Indeed, Biden is seriously considering communist Rep. Karen Bass to be his running mate. Bass praised Fidel Castro, traveled to Cuba many times as part of a radical communist revolutionary group that trained in terrorist tactics, and eulogized a Communist Party USA member as her “mentor” in 2017. This is who Biden may put a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Joe Biden is too weak to be president and too weak to stand up to the radical left. He’s nothing more than an empty vessel for the extremist fringe of the Democrat Party, a terrifying cabal which now includes active communist leaders.
They’ve taken over Joe Biden. Don’t let them take over America.
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CNS news service
The leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA, Bob Avakian, has stated that we currently live under a “fascist regime” and, come November, if President Donald Trump is still in office, then people need to vote “against Trump by voting for Biden.”
“We are confronted by—we are now being ruled by—a fascist regime,” said Avakian in a statement on the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) website. “[T]his election is different. … The question is not whether Biden and the Democrats represent something ‘good,’ or whether, in fundamental terms, the Democrats are ‘better’ than the Republicans. Both of these parties are ruling class political parties, and none of their candidates represent anything ‘good’ in the most basic and essential sense. Biden is not ‘better’ than Trump….”
But “if the Trump/Pence regime is still in power by the time of the election, in spite of mass mobilizations demanding the ouster of this regime, then the struggle against this fascist regime needs to include voting against Trump by voting for Biden,” said Avakian. “To be clear, this means not a ‘protest vote’ for some candidate who has no chance of winning, but actually voting for the Democratic Party candidate, Biden, in order to effectively vote against Trump,” said the Communist leader.
He added, “At this critical hour, every appropriate means of non-violent action must be utilized to remove this regime from power.”
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