Letter to editor on socialist look at the Florida 2018 midterm results

The following was written in response to the Dave Schneider’s commentary, “A socialist look at the Florida 2018 midterm results.” View part one of the article here. View part two here.

I found this analysis very interesting. I’m not a Florida resident. However, this analysis demonstrates clearly the centrality of the Black Freedom struggle as the spark plug that can unite progressives of all nationalities and across gender lines. (BTW, there was no discussion of the role of women voters in this election, which would have been very interesting.)

Schneider suggests that in Jacksonville, “It’s impossible to imagine a successful mass workers party, even locally, without the support of a major section of organized labor. But if Jacksonville’s unions pursued a third party in alliance with the city’s Black community, it’s equally impossible to imagine they wouldn’t make huge inroads.” This may be logically true but is nonetheless dreaming. It misses the historically determined reality that an independent Black-led movement for freedom can spur Labor and working class non-Black people and youth into progressive politics, not the other way around.

The dynamic and history of the Black struggle makes it very likely that such a movement will develop within the Democratic Party, and will stay there until it is clearly stymied by reactionaries in that party. At that point the need to break the chains that hold it back will be a necessity and masses of workers and progressives will follow.

Ted Pearson
Chicago