On Wednesday, November 10, at Revolution Books NYC, Carl Dix read a statement from the Revolutionary Communist Party on the release of the CONSTITUTION For The New Socialist Republic In North America (Draft Proposal).
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Welcome everyone to the release celebration for the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America (Draft Proposal) from the Revolutionary Communist Party. This is a momentous occasion and I’m going to read a few brief comments about the significance of this Constitution, and call on everyone here to really get deeply into this, and be part of getting it way out in the world.As it says in the Introductory Explanation, this Constitution was written with the future in mind. It sets forth, “a basic model, and fundamental principles and guidelines, for the nature and functioning of a vastly different society and government than now exists: the New Socialist Republic in North America, a socialist state which would embody, institutionalize and promote radically different relations and values among people; a socialist state whose final and fundamental aim would be to achieve, together with the revolutionary struggle throughout the world, the emancipation of humanity as a whole and the opening of a whole new epoch in human history--communism--with the final abolition of all exploitative and oppressive relations among human beings and of the destructive antagonistic conflicts to which these relations give rise.”
This Constitution is a framework for a radically new economic system, a radically new political system and it is also a framework through which people will be able to work their way toward and reach a communist society. Quoting from the message and call of the campaign the Revolutionary Communist Party is currently undertaking, “the revolution we need... the leadership we have,” “A world where people work and struggle together for the common good... Where everyone contributes whatever they can to society and gets back what they need to live a life worthy of human beings... Where there are no more divisions among people in which some rule over and oppress others, robbing them not only of the means to a decent life but also of knowledge and a means for really understanding, and acting to change, the world.”
Bob Avakian’s new synthesis provides the foundation of this, and the principle of solid core with a lot of elasticity runs throughout. Reading from the preamble, “This means that, on the one hand, there must be a continually expanding force in society, with the revolutionary communist party as its leading element, which is firmly convinced of the need to advance to communism and deeply committed to carrying forward this struggle, through all the difficulties and obstacles; and, on the basis of and at the same time as continually strengthening this ‘solid core,’ there must be provision and scope for a wide diversity of thinking and activity, among people throughout society, ‘going off in many different directions,’ grappling and experimenting with many diverse ideas and programs and fields of endeavor--and once again all this must be ‘embraced’ by the vanguard party and the ‘solid core’ in an overall sense and enabled to contribute, through many divergent paths, to the advance along a broad road toward the goal of communism.”
The significance of having this kind of framework for day one, and then beyond after the seizure of power in a country like this, can’t be underestimated. This is huge, and those at the core of a movement for revolution need to be living in this themselves - putting ourselves there and wrangling very broadly with both the obstacles and potential pathways of human emancipation in a socialist transition to communism given concrete expression in policies and principles in this Constitution.
There is also great significance in what it means to have this Constitution out in the world today.
In a world where the planet itself is in grave danger, and where the vast majority of humanity is suffering from the daily exploitation, the soul crushing scramble for survival, the lives lost needlessly around the world to imperialist wars of domination and the alienation and desperation that comes from all this... people are being snuffed out and smothered both by the weight of this system and by the idea that these conditions are permanent, that it has to be this way.
No! The basis exists for a radically different, a radically liberating world. This Constitution is a declaration, it’s a concrete answer to what we mean by that, what we mean when it’s said in the message and call that “this is NOT the best of all possible worlds... and we do NOT have to live this way.”
Today, as those of us in the movement for revolution prepare for THIS future, this constitution is also a means of presenting a real alternative to the present system; a response to the argument, in whatever form, that there is nothing that can be done to change things, and there is no viable alternative; and a challenge in contrast to the program--or the lack of program--of other forces of various kinds. It’s an answer to when people raise questions about the objectives of the movement for revolution - or negatively raise the accusation that we are always against this or that, always negative but have nothing that we’re for or offer no positive alternative - this is an opportunity to challenge them, and prevail on them to get a copy and seriously engage this Constitution. And again – it is most of all the framework for actually doing something good – something very good indeed! – with the new state power that will be won and forged when the revolution succeeds.
And, as it says in the introductory explanation, it should “stimulate, as broadly as possible, such serious and substantive engagement with this Draft Proposal, and vigorous discussion and debate about what it puts forward as the kind of society and world to be not only imagined but actively struggled for.”
As you get into this, I want to invite you be part of discussions with us on what is in here. And I want to invite you to also be part of the work, now and over the next couple months to really get this Constitution out in society and the world with truly major impact. Feed in your ideas and brainstorms - talk to me, or people with the buttons asking for your ideas. You can also join us tonight after the celebration for a more formal planning session. Come out with us on the campuses and to the neighborhoods, getting out materials broadly and selling lots of copies. Buy ten tonight to get to friends, and tell us your ideas on where we should go and who we should reach.
Contribute funds to make this promotion possible - the printing of materials, online advertising for the web release (Monday, 11/15). Buy copies for prisoners, sell tickets to the fundraising dinner on 11/20, buy one for yourself and invite your friends, hold a fundraising dinner in your own home and also, talk to us about your ideas for raising larger funds, including if there are people you know who we should approach.
We ARE building a movement for revolution... and this Constitution lays out WHAT that revolution is going to bring into being, in a visionary but very concrete way. And wherever you see yourself in relation to this Constitution, and the movement for revolution we are building to bring this society into being... and whatever this Constitution evokes and provokes in you... we very, very much want to hear your response, embarking on and keeping up a dialogue.
Thank you again to everyone for being part of this celebration, stick around, let’s talk with each other further about this Constitution, its significance, potential impact and what it’s going to take to realize that potential.
Thank you.
