Why workers shouldn't be fooled by Ron Daniels campaign

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Some radical-minded working people are supporting longtime Black political activist Ron Daniels in his presidential campaign as an independent. They see his "Campaign for a New Tomorrow" as a viable "independent" alternative for Blacks and other progressive-minded people to support against the Democrats and Republicans in 1992. In California, Daniels is running for nomination by the Peace and Freedom Party.

Who is Ron Daniels? What does he stand for? Should supporters of Black and women's rights, and the labor movement, support his campaign?

Gary Convention Daniels served as executive director of the National Rainbow Coalition and deputy campaign manager of Jesse Jackson's 1988 Democratic Party presidential campaign. Before that he was active in Black nationalist politics. He was president of the National Black Political Assembly from 1974-1980.

The Assembly was formed out of the historic National Black Political Convention held in Gary, Ind., in March 1972. That convention adopted a radical Black Political Agenda, which outlined a strategy for Black liberation. It specifically criticized the Democrats and Republicans as parties that have "betrayed us."

At the same time, the convention did not call for the formation of an independent Black party and followed a policy of supporting "good" Black Democrats-that is, an inside-outside strategy. Daniels was an advocate of this strategy.

I attended the Gary convention and supported the more militant Black nationalist currents who wanted to use the Black Political Agenda as a program to build an independent Black political party. Daniels opposed our call. In fact, he oriented the Black Assembly away from independent Black electoral action.

Formation of NBIPP

In the late 1970s, supporters of independent Black politics formed the National Black Independent Political Party (NBIPP). It adopted a program that stood on the shoulders of the Black Political Agenda and urged Blacks to build an independent Black political movement to fight racism and for Black self-determination. Daniels at first stood outside the process, since he still supported the "inside-outside" strategy. He eventually got on board and became a co-chair of NBIPP in the early 1980s.

NBIPP, however, was unable to develop beyond a narrow base of support in the Black community. Daniels and other NBIPP leaders, in its decline, decided to back Jesse Jackson's 1984 Democratic Party presidential effort. For Daniels, this was a return to the inside-outside strategy of the Black Assembly.

Campaign for a New Tomorrow In an interview with Tim Wheeler, editor of the Communist Party newsweekly, the People's Weekly World, April 11 issue, Daniels explained his decision to run for president. It came, he said, after Jackson decided not to run as an independent in 1988.

"The Rainbow Coalition held great promise to me." he explained, "In the end, it represented great strides and lost opportunity. Jesse Jackson was one of the few political leaders who challenged the madness of Reaganomics and Reaganism. The problem is that he was ignored by the Democratic Party. [My emphasis.] "Many of us felt," he continued, "that was a time for Jackson to go as an independent candidate—to change the political chemistry, the political dynamics. With working people, women and minorities behind him, he could have gotten 10-12 million votes.

"But alas, Jackson elected not to do that. Instead of putting forth an inside-outside strategy, which would have allowed for running Rainbow Democrats, Rainbow independents, etc., as progressive Democrats, he elected to stay locked inside the Democratic Party."

Daniels claims, "We need a declaration of independence from the Democratic Party." But it quickly becomes clear in the interview that his campaign is aimed at pressuring the Democrats towards reform. He asks rhetorically why the Democratic Party refuses to organize low-income people. He then states: "That would put a Democrat in the White House. But in order to do that, the party would have to put forward a far more radical program than it is willing to do."

Daniels added that he sees his campaign as organizing for a broader campaign in 1996. A national progressive convention will be held on Labor Day weekend in Ypsilanti, Mich., to organize his Campaign for a New Tomorrow. The convention will not form a new organization. Its purpose, Daniels explained, is to build a broader progressive movement as Blacks tried to do in the Gary conference of the early 1970s.

A fundamental flaw What is wrong with the perspective put forward by Daniels? Fundamentally, he states that the problem is that the Democratic Party ignores us. It needs to be rebuilt with a radical program for working people and the oppressed.

But this misses the main reason why the Democrats (and Republicans) exist: They are parties organized by the capitalist rulers to run their system of super exploitation and oppression. They are used to convince the majority of society-workers—to believe in the system.

Not to tell the truth about these parties to Blacks and other working people is why "lesserevilism" (supporting the best of the worst) is not a policy to bring real social change. We have low political consciousness in the working class. Working people do not yet see our class and political interests clearly.

The formation of a "progressive" party along the Daniels line can only deepen those illusions. What's needed is a clear break and rejection of those parties. This includes "good" Democrats.

By Malik Miah The "inside-outside" strategy advocated by Daniels for 20 years has not and cannot succeed. That's why Jesse Jackson has opted for full immersion into the Democratic Party. He will back Clinton or whoever is nominated, whatever his program.

Tapping real anger

Daniels is seeking to tap the genuine anger of working people who are demanding change. (It's also why some workers are seriously looking at the billionaire Ross Perot's "independent" campaign.) Workers know the future is bleak with a recession, lost strikes (for example, Caterpillar), and heavy attacks on social gains such as affirmative action and abortion rights.

Workers do need a party representing the interests of working people. We need a labor party—as well as an independent Black party. Working people need more than a Rainbow Democratic Party or Peace and Freedom Party.

While I'm glad to see Brother Daniels supporting striking workers, abortion rights, and other socially progressive causes-—and using his campaign to do so—a true independent movement will not emerge based on the strategy of the Campaign for a New Tomorrow. It is a false start. •