Boise RCA
On April 14, Sanders took to the Fighting Oligarchy tour stage to defend “American democracy” in Nampa, ID.
He hammered his new talking point: “For the first time in 250 years, the US has a president that supports dictatorships.” What a scandalous lie! The US government has always supported dictatorships, regime change, and political repression—not to mention the millions of innocents dead in imperialist wars.
Activists unfurled a Palestinian flag behind the stage after Bernie repeated the stock liberal line, “Israel . . . has the right to defend itself.” Police snatched the flag and arrested the protestors. The crowd booed the cops and chanted: “Free Palestine!”
Did Bernie try to stop the arrest? Did he proclaim his solidarity with Palestine? Did he connect the fight against Trump and the billionaires with the fight against imperialism in Gaza?
No. He mumbled on with his prepared speech, annoyed by the interruption: “Let me move on . . . I know that this is a sensitive issue . . . Hold it, hold it . . . But we gotta focus on . . . the crisis facing the working class of this country.”
Unlike liberal-socialists, communists tell the truth. The American working class has nothing to gain from the murder of workers in other countries. The capitalists waste billions killing and maiming women and children abroad, while cutting social services and exploiting workers at home. These struggles are connected.
Our class-struggle message was very well received by the Nampa crowd. Boise RCA comrades report:
“Sanders and AOC are regurgitating the same tired rhetoric. We explained that to really fight the oligarchy, we must build a class-independent party to wage a revolutionary struggle against capitalism.”
“The enthusiasm was palpable. We sold 22 papers and got 54 sign ups. ‘There are communists here!? Hell yeah!’ one attendee said before buying the paper. We replied ‘Yes! We’re everywhere!’”