Something's fishy here. In the current (October) issues of The Progressive, Adolph Reed issues his own endorsement of Democrat Tom Fricano -- the same candidate the Buffalo chapter was ousted for endorsing. Walter Daum On Sun, 22 Sep 1996 13:43:00 -0700 (PDT) Doug Henwood said: >I forwarded Paul Zarembka's account of the Labor Party's expulsion of the >Buffalo chapter to Adolph Reed, a member of the LP's national executive >committe and one of the authors of the party's platform. Here's Adolph's >response. > >Doug > >---- > >>I don't know exactly how Zarembka is characterizing what the INC did or >>what provoked it; I do know that in some earlier pronouncement he brushed >>off consideration of the action that had precipitated revocation of the >>Buffalo chapter's charter by saying that it wasn't really pertinent to his >>procedural complaint. Here are the simple facts of the case. At the Labor >>Party Founding Convention which had adopted by democratic vote after free >>and open debate a resolution on political action that included the >>following commitment: "The Labor Party will not endorse candidates of any >>kind, will not run people for office, and will not spend Labor Party >>resources on electoral campaigns, before an electoral strategy is adopted >>by a national Labor Party convention, nor before we prove capable of >>recruiting sufficient numbers of people around a new agenda." Three weeks >>after the convention a majority of members present at a meeting of the >>Buffalo chapter in clear and self-conscious violation of that position >>voted to endorse a Demopcratic candidate for congress.(Minutes of the >>meeting indicate that the fact that this action was in violation of Labor >>Party policy was discussed and report that one member indicated that the >>chapter would "endorse him and the national organization would follow".) >>Zarembka, signing as chair of the chapter, wrote a letter to the candidate >>informing him of that endorsement. Since that time, I've seen some of >>Zarembka's sophistry feigning ignorance or confusion about the policy. >>That's preposterous. He was at the Cleveland convention, was an active and >>vocal participant -- even to the point of attempting to form a dissident >>caucus in the back of the convention center immediately upon our final >>adjournment. What we passed was unambiguous. >> >>The action taken in the name of the Buffalo chapter was a clear provocation >>and one that both could have deleterious consequences for trying to >>maintain a coherent national organization -- why bother to have a >>convention, program and constitution if they in no way constrain the >>practices that can be undertaken in the organization's name? -- and could >>jeopardize us legally with respect to Taft-Hartley restrictions on use of >>trade union treasury funds to support electoral action. Under the >>circumstances the Interim National Council had to move swiftly and firmly >>to protect the interests and integrity of this fledgling organization, and >>Tony M. acted prudently as National Organizer in revoking the chapter's >>charter immediately upon ascertaining the facts of the case. >> >>I don't know what Zarembka's problem is or what his game is; I do know that >>his only visible role in this effort has been obstructionist. > >
