Reform or Revolution

 Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung NYC (RLS-NYC) is the New York City branch of the German socialist–aligned Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, named after early 20th century radical leftist Rosa Luxemburg. RLS-NYC calls for a “progressive” Democratic Party that more closely aligns with the ideology of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) following his 2016 presidential campaign. 

Sanders' occasional use of  revolutionary rhetoric should not obscure the fact that he has voted with the Democrats 98 percent of the time. Let us put his qualified support for $18/hour into context:

1865: 'Instead of the conservative motto, A fair day's wage for a fair day's work, we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, Abolition of the wage system' (Marx, Value, Price, and Profit).

1928: 'Earning a wage is a prison occupation' (Wages, DH Lawrence).

1965: Workers still 'don't realise that they can abolish the wages system' (Socialist Standard).

2009: Current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour introduced.

2022: 'Bernie Sanders Backs Historic $18 Minimum Wage' (Common Dreams, 4 November 2022).

BS is often misleadingly called a Democratic Socialist (a tautological misnomer), rather than, at worst, a Social Democrat.

He once stated:

‘I don’t believe government should take over the grocery store down the street or own the means of production, but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a decent standard of living and that their incomes should go up, not down. I do believe in private companies that thrive and invest and grow in America, companies that create jobs here, rather than companies that are shutting down in America and increasing their profits by exploiting low-wage labor abroad’ (Slate, 15 November 2015).

Those who hope to establish socialism by means of a long series of reforms are doomed to disappointment.  Reforms can modify capitalism to some extent, but they leave its basis untouched. To establish socialism, a revolution—a complete transformation of private property into social property—is necessary.   And  “That is why people who pronounce themselves in favour of the method of legislative reform in place of and in contradistinction to the conquest of political power and social revolution, do not really choose a more tranquil, calmer and slower road to the same goal, but a different goal. Instead of taking a stand for the establishment of a new society they take a stand for surface modifications of the old"

Clearly, the NYC Stiftung's library is missing at least one of Red Rosa's key texts!