In his first speech upon leaving federal prison in the mid-1950s, Gene Dennis, the General Secretary of the Communist Party at the time, said that the main problems facing the party were dogmatism in its thinking and sectarianism in its practice. He also, bravely in my view, made a pitch for the formation of a mass socialist party.

In retrospect, I believe Gene was onto something, but others in the leadership at the time were of a different mind. Too bad. We missed an opportunity to renovate the party’s thinking and practice.

But, to make matters worse, we did it again 30 years later when a substantial section of the leadership led by Gus Hall looked backward, doubled down, and repeated comfortable formulas as a good chunk of the socialist world was going belly up. This time, I was present. And I’m not proud of my role.

Only later did I rethink my positions, one of which was that marxism, if it is going to be viable and eye opening, has to possess a self-critical/self-reflective capacity. If it doesn’t, it becomes a theology, not a vibrant and open ended way of looking at and changing the world. Much the same could be said about a party or movement of the left.

I like this. Good advice. Beats going around this time of year and feeling pressured to be incessantly happy. Life isn’t always Good; at times, it sucks.

“Our democracy is what is at stake” Nancy Pelosi in this morning’s address to country.

We hear much about Russia, Ukraine, and an endless cast of characters these days (and for good reason), but at the heart of this political moment and struggle lies the viability and enduring character of our entire constitutional and democratic order. How to convey this message to the broader public is a first class challenge to Democratic leaders and everyone who is concerned about our country’s future.

When I was young my marxism (or Marxism-Leninism) on too many days was dismissive of the constitution and “bourgeois democracy,” seeing them simply as the creation and instrument of an ascending capitalist class to legitimize its rule and advance its interests. But like everyone else, I grew up and my views on these matters matured and gained in complexity. Better late than never!

I love it when the House Republicans say that they want to take of the country’s business — health care, infrastructure tax cuts of the middle class, and more — when bills that do exactly this have been passed in the House, despite their opposition, and then move on to the Senate where they are buried by McConnell. No shame!