From The American Left History Blog Archives (2007)-On American Political Discourse-

Markin comment:

In 2007-2008 I, in vain, attempted to put some energy into analyzing the blossoming American presidential campaign since it was to be, as advertised at least, a watershed election, for women, blacks, old white anglos, latinos, youth, etc. In the event I had to abandon the efforts in about May of 2008 when it became obvious, in my face obvious, that the election would be a watershed only for those who really believed that it would be a watershed election. The four years of the Obama presidency, the 2012 American presidential election campaign, and world politics have only confirmed in my eyes that that abandonment was essentially the right decision at the right time. In short, let the well- paid bourgeois commentators go on and on with their twitter. I, we, had (have) better things to do like fighting against the permanent wars, the permanent war economies, the struggle for more and better jobs, and for a workers party that fights for a workers government . More than enough to do, right? Still a look back at some of the stuff I wrote then does not a bad feel to it. Read on.

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HANDS OF CUBA!

COMMENTARY

END THE U.S. BLOCKADE! U. S. OUT OF GUANTANAMO!

Yes, I know. This is a day we should be happy that there is a ceasefire in Lebanon and the civilian population of South Lebanon can get a reprieve from what apparently was going to be a total blitzkrieg by the Israeli war machine. However, this writer has been troubled by the doings of the Bush Administration and its underlings, official and unofficial, in Miami and elsewhere among the exiles. For years, this Administration and the Congress, generally, has sought to further isolate Cuba in the hopes that it would cry- “Uncle!” There is a governmental organization in place-The Assistance to Cuba Foundation that is set up exclusively to bring American-style democracy (remember Iraq, please) to the island. Expect that operation to gear up for trouble.

With the announcement of Fidel Castro’s illness and turning of power over to his brother Raul the exiles are dancing in the streets. What knows what will happen over the coming period. But the American imperialists and their Cuban allies are getting ready in order to implement their preferred outcome. Whatever differences militant leftists have with the course of the Cuban revolution when the deal goes down we must stand in defense of that revolution. When you think of the Cuban exiles and the American government remember one word. Batista. Forget all the noise about democracy and all those nice things. That is important for us. It is most definitely not important to this government or to those old time Cuban exiles who want to revert Cuba back to a 1950’s scenario. Now that would really be retro. As always these days- be ready!