California: Vote Mackler!

Critical Support Is Not a Marriage Proposal

Workers Vanguard prints below in its entirety a letter received from Socialist Action (SA) “rejecting” our critical support to Jeff Mackler, who is running for U.S. Senate in California (see “Critical Support to Socialist Action in Senate Election,” WV No. 876, 15 September).

SA is under the misapprehension that our electoral tactic requires its embrace (although, frankly, it could use the votes). As a comrade put it to Mackler at an SA forum he gave in New York on September 24, we aren’t proposing marriage and we don’t need his consent. Our extending critical support to Mackler is premised on the fact that, standing as an avowed socialist against the capitalist Democratic Party and capitalist Green Party, SA’s campaign draws a crude class line. Thus it furthers the fight for the complete political independence of the proletariat from the ruling class and its parties and the forging of a revolutionary workers party.

While calling for a vote to Mackler, we have in no way buried our political opposition to SA’s deeply reformist program and practice, nor will we. Mackler does seem to understand this aspect of critical support, whining at the September 24 event that our support to him is like that of a rope supporting a hanging man. Until and unless Mackler withdraws his opposition to the capitalist Democrats and/or Greens, he has our vote.

* * *

25 September 2006

Spartacist League,

We read in the September 15 addition [sic] of “Workers Vanguard” that the Sparticist [sic] League has endorsed the Socialist Action candidacy of Jeff Mackler for the U.S. Senate seat in California.

This is to inform you that Socialist Action rejects your support on the grounds that it would be detrimental in the extreme to advancing and popularizing the program and practice of revolutionary socialism.

Mark Ostapiak, Director, Jeff Mackler for U.S Senate
Campaign for the Political
Committee of Socialist Action

P.S. A hard copy of this letter was also sent to your San Francisco address sometime last week.

Sincerely,
Mark Ostapiak, director, Mackler
for U.S. Senate Campaign
415-255-1080

For more information about the Jeff Mackler for U.S. Senate Campaign, check out www.socialistaction.org/macklerforsenate/