March 30, 2008 (LPAC)--Representatives of Lyndon LaRouche brought reality to the California Democratic Party state convention in San Jose this weekend, by placing before them the historic task of acting to reverse the greatest depression in history, as the only topic worth discussing. The continuing intervention of the LYM--both from the inside, through LYM members who have been elected to party positions and as delegates to the convention--and from the outside, in the halls of the convention center, at the caucuses, and at the FDR Legacy Club table, was critical in forcing many well-meaning, but ignorant and impotent Democrats, to reflect on the best tradition of the Party, that of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and its leading advocate of today, Lyndon LaRouche.
The long term impact of LaRouche and the LYM could be seen in several fleeting glimpses. In particular, there were more references to FDR than in past conventions, e.g., Lt. Gov. Garamendi ended his otherwise unremarkable speech with a quote from FDR, saying this is relevant to democrats today. However, the general mood was of another era. Most speakers spent enormous amounts of time blathering on about non-existent global warming, praising the "diversity" of the Party, and honoring Speaker Pelosi, though the response to her was less than warm, with many grumbling about her sabotage of Congressional action against Bush-Cheney.
It took the aggressive organizing of the LYM to bring reality into the public and private discussions. In the main session of the convention on Saturday, LYM member and California Party African-American Caucus Vice-Chair Quincy O'Neal exposed the silliness of the official discussion of immigration, by blasting the post-industrial , free trade policies for destroying Mexico and the U.S., and counter-posing FDR's Good Neighbor policy. Quincy, who was on the stage as part of the official panel, was backed up by a steady stream of LYM members from the floor, leading Party Chair Art Torres to crack that Quincy had stacked the audience to take over the discussion. It was during this LYM barrage that Cody Jones launched his effective salvo against Fat Al Gore.
The economy, i.e., the collapse of the banking system and the drive of the Anglo-Dutch financial establishment for fascism, was the subject of conversations initiated by LYM members throughout the convention. At our table, the “Firewall” DVD played continuously, drawing over especially youth, but also Congressmen, state legislators, and delegates. Many acknowledged they had followed LaRouche for years; several presented their idiotic impressions of LaRouche, only to be challenged effectively, often with biting irony, on the idiocy of popular opinion. Any effort to avoid discussion of the economy was countered by asking, “What do you think about the Bear Stearns bailout?” This usually led to an interesting discussion, and acknowledgment that the crisis is systemic, and must be the leading issue in the campaign. Thousands of copies of the “Three Steps to Survival” LPAC leaflet were distributed, along with webcast pamphlets and additional literature, and dozens of contacts were made. As in past conventions, the presence of the LYM chorus was central to our intervention. The chorus serenaded convention attendees leaving the Saturday morning session with the “Jesu” motet and the “Ave Verum.” Many commented to us that they know us from the singing, and told us how they appreciate it. One state assemblywoman asked, “Where do you get such good singers? Do you just recruit good singers, or do you train them?” (Ironically, this discussion occurred at a Karaoke party her campaign sponsored!).
The Clinton-Obama battle was somewhat muted Friday and Saturday, though we briefed everyone on the British game-plan to destroy the Clinton campaign and pull the plug on Obama, to prevent the potential for an FDR alternative to fascism and war. Several top Obama field operatives and regional coordinators were briefed, and were intrigued by what we were saying, asking for future meetings.
The Clinton-Obama drama heated up Sunday, as Bill Clinton spoke on behalf of his wife. We had been asked for the chorus to participate in the rally to greet Clinton, so the LYM chorus warmed up the rally outside the convention center with the favorite canons, “Pimp Slap Dick Cheney”, “Al Gore is a Fat Nazi”, and the Rohatyn canon, followed by Mozart's “Ave Verum Corpus”. The chorus was greatly appreciated by the crowd. Bill Clinton, in his speech, started with the economy, especially the broader effects of the “foreclosure crisis”. He said that one million families are at risk of losing their homes, and that this affects everyone, not just those suffering foreclosure. Though the Obama campaign had brought in a large part of the audience, which was quiet at first, the crowd began responding to Clinton (more on his speech later). Lyndon LaRouche and his movement were well-represented by the LYM members who attended the convention, and the leading sectors of the California Democratic Party—the nation's largest state party organization—were forced to take up reality, as a result of our presence.
