I want to begin by quoting the document that will be released tomorrow, WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM:
IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE— the billions in this country and throughout the world, who are treated as less than human—enslaved...exploited...oppressed...terrorized, brutalized and murdered by the police, and slaughtered by the armed forces, of this system we are now forced to live under: the system of capitalism-imperialism.
IN THE NAME OF HUMANITY—the billions in all parts of the world who are denied a decent life and a future worth living in, or any future at all: threatened with literal extinction because of the destruction of the environment by this system and the danger of nuclear war between the U.S. and its rivals in Russia and China—all of them ruthless imperialist powers.
We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to continue to dominate the world and determine the destiny of humanity. And it is a scientific fact that humanity does not have to live this way.
A whole different way of living is possible: a whole different way to organize society, with a radically different economic foundation and political system, emancipating relations among people and an uplifting culture—all of this oriented to meeting the basic needs and fulfilling the highest interests of the masses of people.
With the urgency the situation requires
WE DECLARE AND DEMAND: The Existing Capitalist-Imperialist System And Institutions Of Government In This Country Must Be Abolished And Dismantled—And Replaced By A New, Socialist System Based On The CONSTITUTION FOR THE NEW SOCIALIST REPUBLIC IN NORTH AMERICA.
That is the opening of what must be a truly historic statement to the world: WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM. This is the statement that contains the full demand of the future revolutionary people in the U.S. as they move to dismantle this economic and political system that has outright slaughtered millions in my lifetime to preserve its rule. And that is the opening of the statement—of the demand—that millions of people, yes right here in America, must be brought forward and organized, by you here today and then scores and then hundreds just like you, to prepare for the time in which millions can be led to go for revolution, all-out, with a real chance to win. A statement which, in the not far-off future but in these very times right now in which we live, must become the demand of millions and then tens of millions, ready, prepared and organized to fight to make it real.
What is the aim of that revolutionary struggle people must then wage? It is struggle, in the words of WE ARE THE REVCOMS, “to finally defeat the violent enforcers of this monstrous system… to abolish this system, with all its oppressive institutions, [and] its governing U.S. Constitution… and to establish a far better system, based on the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, written by Bob Avakian.”
Today I’m going to get into this new declaration, WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM as well as WE ARE THE REVCOMS—itself a crucial proclamation that must get out all over in tandem with this new piece. Now WE ARE THE REVCOMS is the document that lays out sharply and succinctly the problem, the solution, the method we use and the strategy, and the leadership we have in Bob Avakian, and the Revcoms.
And I do want to make a point on that leadership. Bob Avakian has been a revolutionary leader for over 50 years and over that time he has forged a new synthesis of communism—or a new communism—and in a very real way has rescued the project of human emancipation and taken it higher. He has developed the scientific method, including very particularly as it applies to understanding and transforming strategy… he has developed an analysis of imperialism and its dynamics… and he has taken revolutionary strategy to a whole different level. And very importantly, he has developed communist morality, breaking with the poisonous notion that the ends justify the means. So this leadership is a big plus, and in giving this talk I am consciously working to apply the framework he has developed.
But before getting into WE NEED AND WE DEMAND, I want to step us back to look at the conditions humanity faces today.
THE URGENCY AND INTOLERABILITY OF THE SITUATION
Now, right now, the U.S. is actively waging a proxy war against Russia—a war in which both Russia through its armed invasion and the U.S., through its arming and directing of Ukraine to fight Russia, are aiming to dominate MORE of the world. This is both a horrific human meatgrinder in Ukraine itself—one in which America is prepared to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian—and an explosive situation that could spiral into nuclear war at any time.
Now, right now, the U.S. rulers—led by Joe Biden and the Democratic Party—are also very actively preparing for war with China. They are manipulating people’s thinking, forging and strengthening military alliances, carrying out economic war, making threats and massively re-arming their armed forces. Both of these situations very directly threaten the existence of humanity in any viable form. This is the warmongering militarism they want you to celebrate on July 4.
Now, right now, over 45,000 children are working in mines in the Congo to gather the cobalt that went into the I-Phones in your pockets and purses; millions of women from Bangladesh to Juárez, Mexico are being exploited, harassed, degraded and repressed while they sew the clothes on our backs; and millions more peasants and small farmers in Latin America or Africa go hungry while they slave to grow the coffee you drank on your way here. This is what the great standard of living that they will brag about on July 4 rests on.
At the same time, the smoky air you breathed last week is just one of the “fruits” of imperialist economic development that went on long after these pigs knew that the way they were producing was threatening life on this planet. Their balance sheets—their “bottom lines” of relentlessly expand profit or go under—gives us the wildfires tearing through Canada, the smog in the air, the old people and prisoners dying in the murderous heat waves in the Southwest and South. And this is only a hint of what our brothers and sisters, our fellow humans, now suffer in the “Global South.” All while Joe Biden continues to grant new drilling permits and U.S. oil exports again rose last year.
Now, right now, we see the reality of heightened fascist repression on people within this country and the very direct threat of full-out fascist control. Last year the fascist-dominated Supreme Court took away the right to abortion and now state after state has outlawed it. On Thursday of last week, that same Court destroyed affirmative action—affirmative action was never really more than a drop in the bucket but ripping it away will now result in Black people being thrust even further down. On Friday, the Court made it “constitutional” to discriminate against LGBT people, in a year in which hundreds of laws have been put forward that demonize, dehumanize and repress transgender people. And then there’s the heightened police murder and violence against Black, Latino and Native people in the name of “stopping crime.” Think about what a full-out fascist regime would look like and feel like… then think about what normal is like, and how these Democrats have no answer other than 1) compromise with the fascists and 2) prepare for war.
These are all existential—life-or-death—threats.
Life or death.
RARE TIME: REPOLARIZING FOR REVOLUTION AND PUTTING REVOLUTION ON THE MAP
But there’s another side to this galloping madness. Listen to what WE ARE THE REVCOMS says:
This is… a “rare time” when the capitalist-imperialists who rule over us, in this country, are deeply divided in a way they have not been since the Civil War in the 1860s, and the country is being ripped apart, with one section moving toward an outright fascist form of rule with the other fighting for the horrific way things have been. They cannot resolve these deep divisions, and “hold the country together,” on the basis of the “normal way” this system has operated—and, in any case, that “normal way” is full of oppression, destruction, and the real danger of wiping out humanity. For these reasons, this revolution we are working for is urgently necessary—and more possible.
More possible? How can this be, when the situation is as bad as we just said? Let’s listen to what Bob Avakian has said, in Something Terrible, Or Something Truly Emancipating: Profound Crisis, Deepening Divisions, The Looming Possibility Of Civil War—And The Revolution That Is Urgently Needed, A Necessary Foundation, A Basic Roadmap For This Revolution:
As this situation develops, and the ruling class is more and more unable to rule in the old way, society and daily life for masses of people, from different parts of society, can become increasingly unsettled and chaotic, with frequent “disruptions” of the “normal” way things have been.
And as “the normal way” society has been ruled is failing to hold things together—and society is increasingly being ripped apart—this can shake people’s belief that “the way things have always been” is the only way things can be. It can make people more open to questioning—in a real sense it can force people to question—the way things have been, and whether they have to stay that way. And this is all the more likely to happen if the revolutionary forces are out among the people shining a light on the deeper reality of what is happening, and why, and bringing out that there IS an alternative to living this way.
So how do we do that? Here I want to talk about the polarization today and the repolarization we need to fight for.
First, what is polarization? Well, think about a magnet. You have the positive pole on one side and the negative pole at the other side, with all the iron filings in the middle that are going either toward one or the other pole, depending on their relative force of attraction each pole exerts. The polarization right now is between two different versions of this capitalist-imperialist system, each of which is deadly antagonistic to the masses of people.
Today you have the fascists on a rampage and they are drawing people more and more tightly around their magnetic pole of white supremacy, male supremacy and their ugly hatred of and contempt for people who are not “Americans.” And at the other pole you have the people who should be opposing these fascists—the oppressed people directly under the gun and those decent people who side with the oppressed or who themselves oppose one or another outrage of the system—but who today are either caught up in deadly reforms that go nowhere but right back into the killing embrace of this same system or else are mired in the backbiting, infighting, sniping, and worse that is “wokedom…” and they’re tightly packed around that pole. So the problem we have is that people are lined up behind one or the other side—and there’s way too many people, including maybe you, who is letting this way.
We need to be, in different ways that we can get into in the discussion, going directly against this polarization and repolarizing… fighting for a different polarization… FOR REVOLUTION. And NOT siding with one side or the other, or even sitting on the sidelines. Again, and if this makes you uncomfortable and the shoe fits… throw it away.
We have to transform the political situation and the way that people think to a fundamentally different polarization—to one where one or another way of holding onto this system of exploitation and oppression is at one pole and a real emancipating revolution is at the other pole, and that latter one is gaining strength. And we need a polarization between the U.S. Constitution, which is nothing but an exploiters’ vision of freedom, and the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, which provides a sweeping vision, a firm foundation, and a concrete blueprint for a whole new, emancipating way to live.
How? One big way is by as sharply as possible going right up against what people think they “know” and through fierce mass debate and sharp discussion answering people’s questions about the “deeper reality of what is happening, and why, and bringing out that there IS an alternative to living this way.”
REPOLARIZING AROUND THE TWO CONSTITUTIONS, JULY 4

And that leads us to July 4.
In two days, we’re going to dramatically expose the reality of the U.S. Constitution and we’re going to put it up against THIS Constitution [holds up the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America]. We’re going to do this in Philadelphia and we’re going to be doing similar things in LA and elsewhere on that day and then on through the summer, as one part of what we need to be doing. Here I’m going to read from WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM to help drive home the night-and-day contrast between the two Constitutions and then we can come back to it and get into it during the discussion. After first making the point that we DO intend to fight for the rights that are supposed to be guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, WE NEED AND WE DEMAND makes clear that:
the U.S. Constitution is a document that was written by and has served the interests of slave-owning and capitalist exploiters, from the beginning of this country down to today. It is a document that restricts the notion of “freedom” to what is possible within the killing confines of this system of capitalist-imperialism, a system of brutal exploitation and murderous oppression. It is a document that sets the terms for enforcing this system which treats the masses of people, here and all over the world, as objects to be used and abused to generate profits and increase capital for a small number of big-time exploiters...a system that casts off as useless, and treats as dangerous, huge numbers of human beings who cannot be profitably exploited...a system that causes endless wars that kill off millions and cause massive destruction...a system that treats the environment as something to be plundered in the pursuit of profit and rivalry to dominate the world.
The Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America is completely, fundamentally different than the U.S. Constitution. This Constitution for a new socialist republic provides a sweeping vision, a firm foundation and concrete blueprint for bringing into being a society, and ultimately a world, free from all forms of slavery, all exploitation and oppression based on class, race, sex and gender, all relations in which one part of humanity is subordinated to and dominated by others.
The new socialist system based on the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America will do what can never be done under this system of capitalism-imperialism: Through its institutions, through elections and in an all-round way, this new socialist system will provide the means to politically empower the masses of people, in order to carry out the revolutionary transformation of society, and to contribute to this process in the world as a whole.
Now there’s a whole section of progressive people who may or may not believe in god but who do worship the U.S. Constitution. OK, let’s straight up stack their Constitution up against what WE NEED AND WE DEMAND puts forward about:
A Whole New Dimension of Freedom and Rights of the People
A Whole Different Economy—To Meet Fundamental Needs And Serve Highest Interests
Eliminating Discrimination, Inequality, and Oppression in Every Form
Education to Actually Educate and Empower the Masses of People
Health Care to Serve the People
Abolishing Nuclear Weapons, Finally Abolishing War, And Systematically Addressing the Environmental Crisis
The U.S. Constitution not only couldn’t, it doesn’t even pretend to do any of this! Yet in this basic piece, and then in much more depth in the full book, the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, written by Bob Avakian, does.
GET THESE UP EVERYWHERE!
So what we’re doing on the 4th will be very important and it can’t be a one-off. But to be very clear: that’s not the only way we’re gonna REpolarize. To again go back to the rich plan laid out in WE ARE THE REVCOMS, we’re gonna
actively apply the strategic approach of Fight the Power, and Transform the People, for Revolution: involving masses of people in rising up to resist the continuing crimes of this system, and defending people from attacks on their rights and their lives by racist, woman-hating and anti-LGBTQ thugs, in and out of government... winning people to the scientific understanding that we do not have to live this way—that this system of capitalism-imperialism is the root cause and fundamental source of all the unnecessary suffering that masses of people are subjected to, here and throughout the world, and poses a growing threat to the very existence of humanity through the accelerating destruction of the environment and increasing danger of nuclear war—and that we need to, and can, bring a whole different and much better system and world into being through revolution.
As part of that, we’re gonna continue to go up against what people have been conditioned to think by this woke movement. There’s a framework provided in how to understand this and approach this provided by Bob Avakian—you can see it in the first and second interviews with him, and you can read it on revcom.us—and there’s a model in how to do it from Sunsara Taylor, which you can also watch on the RNL YouTube show. But there’s also religion, wanting to become a player, or playing the system’s game and nibbling around the edges—and we got to and should want to take all that on.

Chicago Photo: revcom.us
But again—and this is what I really want to stress today—as the key ongoing framework of everything, we’re gonna be getting these two manifestos up everywhere—far and wide this summer, wielding these to repolarize and learning as we go—and then on a whole other level in the fall, leading up to Thanksgiving—where our aim is literally to have these up all over, in neighborhoods on the walls, and shops, and rec centers and in colleges and high schools—people having this in their homes and on their walls—having all this being discussed and debated and fought out everywhere, with growing numbers of people—whole blocs of people—getting organized into this movement—funding it, watching The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show on YouTube every week, and at the foundation watching and constantly going back over the interviews with Bob Avakian. These interviews were done last year and they not only let people meet this leader, they not only answer the very most fundamental questions about the times we live in and how to understand what lies at the root of all that people here and around the world confront as we move through the world. Most of all they make clear the revolution we need, and enable us to see the future that revolution could bring.
It’s not a bunch of different things. It’s a whole ensemble that works together. It’s like basketball—a good team can’t just do one thing good, like make three-point shots. A good team has to be able to make threes, to make shots under the basket, to defend, and so on. So we have to do a lot—but again, with a real STRUGGLE to make these two documents known everywhere as a key link in all of it. A struggle to get these up on the scale needed and a struggle with what people think over their content. AND YOU—ALL OF YOU WHO ARE LISTENING—NEED TO BE PART OF THIS, beginning on a basic level now and then getting in deeper as you learn more. And by the way, like a good basketball team, if your plays are not working, you call a time-out to figure out what you’re doing wrong and fix it, or you immediately study the game films when you lose, whether it’s a close one or a blowout—’cause getting back on track is urgent if you intend to win.
And we do.
THE REVOLUTIONARY SITUATION
So the last question I want to touch on here is when is all this going to happen—when are things going to come to a head to where millions will answer the concluding call of We Need-We Demand to
… all those who hate injustice and hunger for a society and a world where people can fully thrive and give the fullest expression to their humanity, to join in making this the demand of millions and tens of millions—a demand which can finally be made a reality through the fearless, determined struggle of those millions and tens of millions: [the demand that]
The Existing Capitalist-Imperialist System And Institutions Of Government In This Country Must Be Abolished And Dismantled—And Replaced By A New, Socialist System Based On The CONSTITUTION FOR THE NEW SOCIALIST REPUBLIC IN NORTH AMERICA.
The highly volatile, or explosive, situation we have now is not going to last forever. Earlier I read from "Something Terrible OR Something Truly Emancipating," about the rare time we’re in now and how we have to take advantage of it. Almost immediately after the part I read, BA says this:
On the other hand, “left to itself”—that is, if the current character and dynamics of all this remain on the same course they are now on—this situation, the divisions characterizing it, and the outcome resulting from it are almost certainly going to become even more terribly negative. So, all this must be radically changed, in what is a relatively brief, “compressed” period of time—not just weeks or months, but also not decades. If things have not already fully erupted before then, the scheduled presidential election of 2024 is very likely to be a critical focal point and turning point, through which the fascist Republicans will attempt to gain and lock down power over society, and put an end to any possibility of a future “transfer of power” away from them.
Now that does not say “is certain to be a turning point”—but it does say “very likely.” And you can see it taking shape and intensifying even now. What’s going to happen if Trump is put on trial? If he is found guilty? Or if he is acquitted? What if he, or some other fascist, wins the presidency—and what if they don’t? Or what if things in Ukraine suddenly spiral out of control, as they almost did two weeks ago with the attempted coup by Prigozhin, and one side or the other makes a desperate move? Or if a war between the U.S. and China begins to develop over Taiwan? There are any number of things that are rooted in the very situation we face right now that could give rise to this, as well as any number of things we can’t even anticipate today, in which society could be plunged into unimaginable crisis.
At that point, we will be repolarizing against that BEB—or bourgeois electoral bullshit—exposing the deadliness of the “solutions” on offer.
In regard to the kind of situation developing that we’ve been talking about, BA has made this point:
[T]hink what it would mean, what a terrible crime it would be, if the crisis in society became qualitatively more profound, with the whole direction of society acutely posed in immediate terms—and in that situation the only forces capable of determining the direction of things were the fascists, on the one hand, or those within the ruling class seeking to uphold the "norms " of this monstrous system - and perhaps "woke" and/or other opportunists of the so-called "left," which "at most" could contribute to taking things into a disastrous dead-end! Think what a crime that would be! In opposition to that, it is the revolutionary communists, and truly massive numbers of revolutionary-minded people they are leading at that point, who must be in a position to wage a powerful struggle to determine the direction of things in such an acute crisis.
The vision of millions demanding THIS [holds up the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America] IS possible—but it doesn’t happen by magic. It happens through working back from what we know is necessary and actually possible, finding the ways to break through to make it real, constantly measuring everything against our goal and not where we are now and how we can get a little bit ahead. It might not seem that way on the surface, but the basis to make revolution is stronger now than it has been in our lifetimes—yes, we have a situation which is life and death, very directly so for hundreds of millions at the moment and for the 8 billion in the not-too-distant future, but there is the chance to make a major leap toward the world humanity needs through revolution, a world beyond the madness that has now brought humanity to the brink of extinction. We have a chance, a real chance—and as Bob Avakian puts it in the interviews with him, “you can’t ask for more than a chance.”
There is the science that can be wielded to understand how to do this; there is the rare and unique leadership in Bob Avakian who has for over 50 years, and can continue to, cut through the madness and confusion to get to the heart of things and show the way forward; and there is the strategy and solution, now crystallized in popular form in these two documents we’re discussing and celebrating today.
If you came to the store today or if you are watching this livestream, you care. If you have not yet stepped into this movement, today should be your day. Seriously. Your life could make the biggest difference possible. If you have stepped in, come in deeper—learn more, think more, do more. If you are already in the Revolution Club, talk to people with your questions and wrangle and get more deeply into Bob Avakian and the leadership he’s providing, especially through the interviews from last fall.
There really IS a world to win; we here and millions more must move now to win it.