As for the new alliance with the Left, it is a double-edged sword. Radicals have proved to be energetic and dedicated organizers. But they have also been an even greater liability in this most middle-class of societies. That is why Samuel Gompers, the founder of the modern labor movement, eschewed association with all manner of radicals, and it is one reason why Labor purged its Communist leaders in the 1940s. A public alliance today with those who are motivated by words like corporate power, exploitation and imperialism and whose goal is to mobilize a class struggle against global capitalism can not possibly work in Labor s favor in the long run, and, if the reaction to post-Seattle demonstrations is any indication, it will not even serve it well in the short run.
History always surprises.
Max Green is author of Epitaph for American Labor , published by The AEI Press.