Posted on Facebook December 2, 2025

As I have posted here before, I am a strong supporter of Refuse Fascism and its campaign to flood Washington DC with relentless nonviolent protests with the explicit aim of driving out the Trump regime. They have called on people very broadly to recognize that:

1] what we are facing is indeed Fascism that is not imminent but is now upon us;

2] this Fascism cannot be defeated by staying within the bounds of “the way things work,” particularly relying on the 2026 election to flip congress (if you want to see how Trump and his allies are preparing to make sure that does not happen, check out the articles in The Atlantic of December by David A. Graham and J. Michael Luttig); and

3] the only way to end this nightmare is for the people themselves to force the government to grind to a halt by standing up in their millions, not unlike what happened in Egypt in 2011.

I was at the initial rally in Washington DC on November 5, and while I knew the turnout would be nowhere near the millions that Refuse Fascism says are necessary, the turnout of I think around 5,000 folks was impressive for its breadth of participants, particularly the number of young people (in contrast to that, the No Kings march in New York, which I also participated in, was heavily dominated by–ahem–people my age). Part of the basis for their strategy is recognizing that the many influential people, including in the government, who would join in this effort only if pushed from below, and that push has to be extremely broad and widespread. Unite all who can be united, recognizing that there are huge differences in ideology and goals within that tent–from liberals of every stripe to anarchists, from pacifists to traditional conservatives, and yes, even revolutionary communists.

And that brings up the point of this posting. Recently Kristofer Goldsmith, an anti-Trump influencer with a significant following, posted a rant against Refuse Fascism claiming, as if he had uncovered some deep dark secret, that it was what he called a “front” for the Revolutionary Communist Party (the RevComs) and in particular its leader, Bob Avakian. His purpose was to “warn” the increasing ranks of active opposition to Trump to “stay away” from this insidious, secretly communist-led group that only existed to recruit innocent people into their sinister “cult” while pretending to unite with the real Trump opponents.

I want to make it clear that I am not a RevCom, but I have worked with the RCP on many occasions and I have tremendous respect for Bob Avakian and the work that he has done these past several decades since the 1960s, when thousands of us believed in and fought for a new world. He has never given up on the goal of a communist revolution in this country, but he has not stayed mired in the past. Just the opposite, he has deeply analyzed both the accomplishments and flaws of the previous communist revolutions and emerged with what he has dubbed a “New Communism,” which is indeed quite new and startling. I strongly encourage everyone reading this to check out the “Draft Proposal for a Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in America,” which he wrote. Agree or disagree, you owe it to yourself to see what this is all about.

Here is what I want to say about Goldsmith’s fear-mongering rant: First of all, the RevComs are not exactly hiding in the shadows. It takes about five seconds on the Refuse Fascism website to know that they were key initiators of that movement. No big news there. In fact, Refuse Fascism was initiated (yes, by the RevComs along with others) during the first Trump administration when most people were firmly in denial that his program and goals were indeed Fascist (what was Goldsmith doing back then?). Not only are they quite open about their ideology and goals, but they are among the most principled people I have ever worked with. They don’t approach other organizations so they can sneakily latch on to their coattails, they approach them with their program and in the spirit of unity and debate (a spirit that is so critically needed today). They don’t lie about what they believe. They don’t try to trick people into following them. How many Democratic politicians, including progressive ones, can you say that about?

Goldsmith of course repeats the tired trope that the RevComs are a “cult,” blindly worshipping Bob Avakian who rules them with smoke and mirrors. While cults do indeed demand blind, unquestioning obedience to the “great leader,” Avakian has written and continues to write extensively about everything from the rise of Fascism in this country to the debate over who is the “goat” of professional tennis. Not only that, but he not only encourages but insists on open debate about his theories and program (again, take a look at that Constitution). Blind obedience? Quite the opposite. And as far as cults being a way for the “great leader” to gain power and fame, well, if that’s your goal you can do a lot better than advocating a Communist revolution in this, the most powerful imperialist country in the world.

We, the people not only of this country but of the entire world, are today facing the most severe crisis since the rise of Hitler. Fighting that threat with a genuine goal of thoroughly defeating it demands a level of both commitment and unity not seen since the 1960s. The LAST thing we need is for allies to assist the Fascists by throwing around baseless accusations and tired myths that do nothing but derail the kind of movement we need. With that in mind, my own warning to everyone reading this is to not be swayed by 1950s style accusations. If you have questions about Refuse Fascism and the roll of the RevComs in it, then by all means ask them and debate as deeply and thoroughly as you want. In that light I am going to link to the RevCom’s response to Goldsmith in the first comment.

And thanks for reading!