This article was reprinted from the January 11, 1997 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.
Gus Hall delivered his annual New Year's predictions at the Communist Party's Holiday Open House in New York City Dec. 22. One of his predictions - that resident Clinton would not enforce the Helms-Burton Act against Cuba - has already come true. Not a bad start. So read on if you want a preview of the coming year.
The holiday season is a time we ponder the year that is passing and the year coming into being - what has been and what will be.
This holiday season brings perhaps the greatest changes in many a year. Indeed, 1996 was a great year of struggle and change for the people.
Communists are, first and foremost, political people. We believe that life gets better - or worse - as a result of the political struggles between the filthy rich - the haves, and the poor - the have-nots.
At the year's end we look back at the class struggles of '96, so we can predict what's ahead for '97. Let's take a peek at how things look now as we enter the New Year.
The unions won a new, more militant AFL-CIO. The people won the battle against the fascist threat from the ultra-right, Gingrich-led Republicans and their Contract on America.
After the Oklahoma City massacre and the exposure of the terrorist militias; after the attacks on Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Social Security and public education; after the downsizing of jobs and privatizing of public services; after the attacks on immigrants, the church burnings and Nazi hatemongering, the people said "Enough!"
Labor, united with the people - Black, brown, red and white - went to the polls, made history and saved the day.
Although the '96 elections changed the political landscape for the better, most political camps would like to forget some of the things they did, and didn't, do.
Gingrich, who was almost invisible during the elections, would like to forget his Contract on America. And his freshmen flunkies would like to forget Gingrich, his Contract and his "revolution."
The Democratic Party would like to forget one of the poorest election campaigns in U.S. history.
The so-called Reform Party would like to forget their vote and forget that Perot ran the nastiest anti-Clinton campaign on nightly nationwide TV.
The Greens and other third party candidates would like to forget that they helped elect some of the right-wing Republicans to Congress.
The Christian Coalition would like to forget that they were so unpopular that they had to go into hiding and run a "stealth" operation.
Probably millions of non-voters would like to forget that their no vote helped to elect some reactionary candidates.
And there are some right-wing Republicans who would like to forget some of the outrageous things they said when lobbying for some of their big business patrons.
For example, Representative J.D. Hayworth of Arizona advised his constituents that logging is particularly beneficial "because forests are a fire hazard."
Representative John Hoestettler from Indiana told a group of high school students that the Second Amendment's right to bear arms allowed for the private ownership of nuclear weapons.
Defending the use of jaw traps to hunt animals, Representative Donald Young of Alaska put his hand in a steel jaw trap to prove it didn't hurt animals. Recently, he admitted, "I never told anyone, but it hurt like hell."
There are some forces that don't have to forget anything they did or said. In fact, the trade unions all over the country who devoted themselves to defeating the ultra-right can be proud of everything they did. They were responsible for mobilizing the votes that delivered a setback to the extreme right and fascist forces.
And even though there was an increase in right-wing Republican propaganda against the trade unions, they won a number of important strikes and the minimum wage increase. The latest victories over Bridgestone-Firestone and Yale University are victories for the whole trade union movement.
Women voters won't forget that they did the right thing, that 60 percent voted against the reactionary candidates. The African American community and the new power of the Latino voters should never forget that their votes played a critical role in pushing back the ultra-right.
Millions rejected the "Gingrich revolution" and the Contract on America because it is a betrayal and a swindle and because it is causing pain and suffering that grows everyday. Perhaps the biggest anti-people betrayal of the year was the welfare swindle.
The welfare swindle started way back in the executive suites of the biggest, greediest corporations - who, by the way, have a corporate welfare system of their own. Here's how the swindle worked.
First, the corporations put their downsizing plan into operation and laid off millions of workers, throwing poor families into the welfare system. Then the press, radio and TV got into the act and started a stinging campaign to brand the unemployed on welfare as lazy and living off the taxpayers. Then the political hyenas in Congress moved in for the kill.
Gingrich led the attack that pushed through legislation that cut funds for welfare and then passed what was left to the states. Now the governors and state legislatures are moving in to throw people off welfare and privatize what is left.
The very corporations that created the problem by laying-off workers and throwing them into poverty and onto welfare are now making bids to privatize, to take over what's left of the welfare system and milk it for all the profits they can get.
Welfare cuts may be the worst, but there are lots of swindles under this evil capitalist system of ours.The latest is the new heating oil scandal. The oil companies are now raising prices to the highest ever across the country. Their excuse: they didn't refine enough last year to meet this year's demand. So people have to pay to keep profits up and the many who can't will just have to freeze to death.
Clinton has to clamp down on the oil companies and undo the damage of the welfare bill he signed. He has to be reminded that he was reelected by labor and the people to help, not harm.
People need jobs, decent paying public works jobs. We need the Martinez Public Works Jobs Bill that will put millions to work doing things like repairing our streets and bridges and schools and building new, affordable housing.
There are some things that are either impossible or very difficult to make predictions about. Our capitalist economy is one of the more difficult. But there are some developments it is possible to predict with some certainty:
The AFL-CIO will continue to advance along its new path. The trade unions will continue to win struggle and strikes. The AFL-CIO will organize more workers into unions in 1997 than they have in any year in the past 25 years.
The unions will continue to be a growing factor in election campaigns. They will continue to run trade unionists for public office and win.
They will win victories in the "Campaign for a Living Wage" and make headway in the fight for a six-hour day.
Support will grow stronger for passage of the Martinez Public Works Jobs Bill.
The worldwide anti-imperialist sentiment will grow and will have a sharper anti-U.S. imperialist element. With its anti- Cuba policy the U.S. has become totally isolated in the world. Because of this the new Clinton administration will most likely postpone the implementation of the anti-Cuba Helms-Burton Law.
The very existence of nuclear weapons, worldwide, increases the danger of nuclear war. The new movement to get rid of all nuclear weapons will gain momentum in '97. And we will see the resurgence of the great U.S. peace movement.
Unless the right-wing Israeli government puts an end to the provocations against the Palestinians, the peace process will be completely destroyed and there will be a new outbreak of war in the Mideast.
The Federal Aviation Agency and the FBI will finally have to admit that some, if not all, of the Boeing airplane crashes are the result of corporate manufacturing flaws.
If lame duck Clinton decides to wobble down the middle of the road politically, he will soon become a cooked goose.
The labor and people's agenda for the 105th Congress will demand passage of the Martinez Public Works Jobs Bill, adequate welfare, a new offensive against corporate racism, defense of Medicare and Medicaid, and health care coverage for the millions who have none.
New movements and alliances will be born and built in the new year to continue the struggle to defeat the right wing in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
The Communist Party will continue to participate in the struggles of the American people. It will continue to be an important factor in the struggle between corporate America and the working class.
The CPUSA will continue to be a vital force in the struggle against racism, chauvinism, anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry. Our Party will continue to give leadership in the fight against the fascist danger.
The CPUSA will continue to be the fastest growing organization on the political left. The People's Weekly World will continue gaining new readers as the strongest voice of labor and people's struggles.
Young people, shut out of education and jobs, will continue to find their way to the Young Communist League.
We will continue to debate the question of socialism as a far superior system to capitalism. In Cuba, Vietnam, China and North Korea, socialism will continue to develop and grow. Socialism in Russia and the republics will make a comeback. But how and when is difficult to say.
Socialism will continue to have its ups and downs. But the long-range outlook is that it will be the next inevitable stage in the progressive direction of human society.
The best book of the year award goes to Al Franken for the best seller, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. Why? Because he is.
Rush Limbaugh and his fellow hate-talk-show hosts are trying to turn millions away from struggling against the real agenda of the right wing. And this book uncovers all their lies, big and small.
In 1997, I predict the the best selling book will be Michael Moore's, Downsize This! It sticks it to Corporate America with the truth.
Last year, we said the best song was Bruce Springsteen's Youngstown. But he outdid himself this year when he refused to let Dole use his song, Born in the USA.
Best movie of this year was the Star Trek movie. We've always said Communism is inevitable. And in this movie the captain of the starship says, "In our time there's no need for money. People work for the common good."
Last but not least, two class struggle victory of the year awards:
To the Steel Workers union and the workers of Bridgestone- Firestone for holding the class struggle line.
To the Yale workers and the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union who just won their long struggle with Yale. They showed that it takes a fight to win.
The Scientific Discovery of the Year Award goes to the evidence found in rocks from Mars. There is new evidence that there are other living beings in our universe. Who knows, maybe they are even more intelligent, more peaceful, wiser and stronger then we are. And, maybe their vocabulary doesn't include words like "rich and poor, racism, lying, selfishness and capitalist exploitation."
After all is said and done, what kind of year will 1997 be? That will be determined by the bottom line - struggle. Without struggle, workers' wages will continue to decline. Corporations will continue to downsize and lay off. Without struggle, racism, chauvinism, anti-Semitism and discrimination will increase. Without struggle, the poor will become poorer, the homeless will increase. And, what is the power that can change all this: unity, unity in struggle.
So let me end by wishing all of you many, united, victorious struggles in 1997 - and urge you to join the Communist Party.
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