Has the Communist Party USA Endorsed Hillary Clinton?

Has the Communist Party USA endorsed Hillary Clinton, as headlines running throughout the conservative blogosphere have suggested this week?

The technical answer is no, it has not. It will not, however, push its own candidates in the November election, following a pattern it adopted in 2008 when President Barack Obama was running for office.

In other words, they’re for anyone who doesn’t have an “R” behind his or her name.

CPUSA National Chairman John Bachtell actually supported U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. But when it became obvious to everyone—except the Sanders supporters—that Hillary Clinton would be the Democrat nominee, he announced he would vote for her in the November election.

In June, he penned the following article for the CPUSA’s official website:

One of the things we constantly assess is what is new in politics, what changes are taking place in the political, class and social balance of forces and whether enough things have changed to produce a qualitatively new moment.

A number of new factors have arisen in economic, political and social life that are unsettling millions. Taken together they raise the question of whether the country has reached a qualitatively new moment fraught with the danger of far more right-wing extremism and with it the potential for these forces to make further gains.

At the same time we must also ask: Does the political moment contain a great possibility to inflict a ringing defeat on the extreme right and its policies?

What direction the country goes in depends in large measure on the fight for unity, the ability to build a broad multiracial labor-led movement working with the Democratic Party that can reach, educate and mobilize millions of voters and turn them out on Election Day …

[I]t will take a massive outpouring of voters in November to defeat Trump. And there is every reason to believe the American people will not go for the hate and fear he is pedaling.

There has been the growth of a broad democratic alliance over the past 25 years on a range of economic, political, social and environmental issues. Today, there are broad majorities in support of progressive ideas like taxing the rich, curbing greenhouse gases, higher minimum wage, criminal justice reform, reproductive rights, immigration reform, marriage equality, etc. This was a driving force behind the Sanders campaign.

One can speak of an anti-racist majority, which helped elect the nation’s first African-American president twice.

Millions of whites have also been deeply influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement and the national exposure to police killing of African-Americans.

All these organizations are united and clear on the danger Trump poses and are prepared to do everything in their power to see he is not elected.

They too will have a long-term impact on shaping U.S. politics. That includes the legacy of the Sanders campaign, which will live on and spur thousands of people to run for public office on a progressive platform.

The Democratic Party convention will be a mirror opposite of the RNC. It will be multiracial, feature the most progressive platform in history, advance thoughtful solutions on terrorism, police violence and criminal justice reform, etc.

The Democratic National Convention will shred Trump’s message and image.

On-the-ground expressions of multi-racial unity are driving this progressive agenda. Coalitions like Baton Rouge Together and Moral Monday Movement, led by Rev. Barber are examples.

These movements are combining unity and action on the economic issues and criminal justice reform with combatting racism and hate. They unite black, white and Latino, civil rights and labor, clergy and community.

They reject violence, including violence against law enforcement officers. They denounce the shooting of police officers.

Among all organizations probably the AFL-CIO is the best positioned to reach white working-class voters who have been influenced by Trump. Working America carried out a study in white working-class suburbs of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Intensive discussions of the issues were carried out over time by people they knew.

Working America found that about one-third of voters are hard core right-wing and unpersuadable. But the other two-thirds can be moved if approached in the right way, including by helping people understand Trump’s business practices, his failure as a businessman and the real-life implications of Trump policies.

Working America’s effort reflects a recognition that victory requires unity. It won’t be possible solely by mobilizing the vote of people of color, women and youth. It will take the mobilization and inspiration of the broadest majority of voters who reject Trump.

The AFL-CIO will not, nor should the broad anti-ultra right movement, cede white working-class communities to Trump and the right wing.

This approach is now being generalized by the entire AFL-CIO in swing states.

Our party and every member and supporter should be deeply involved in the campaigns, organizations, coalitions that are working to reach, educate, and mobilize millions of voters to the polls to defeat Trump and the GOP.

We are also encouraging every member and supporter to utilize the People’s World coverage and analysis, and to share it widely with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Through our mass communication tools, the newly launched cpusa.org and the People’s World, we will also help promote broad-based and realistic solutions to the crises the country faces including radical economic restructuring, rapid moves to sustainability, massive jobs creation, with radical restructuring of the criminal justice system and law enforcement, advanced programs to achieve social equality, funding of education and health care and wealth redistribution, etc.

Yes, it is a dangerous moment. But it is also a moment full of great possibility to defeat the right, create a far more favorable terrain of struggle for the working class, communities of color, women and youth and their allies and advance a progressive agenda. It all depends on the power of unity.

That’s about as close to an endorsement as you can get without actually giving one. Click here to read the entire piece.