BY ANDY BUCHANAN
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire - Socialist workers from Boston traveled here to talk to workers and young people before the Republican primary. The old mill town of Manchester is covered with signs for the various presidential candidates. Groups of campaign supporters, including the "Buchanan Brigades," stand at intersections and wave to cars.
The socialist salespeople fanned out in the parking lot of a huge shopping mall with the Militant. One middle-aged woman who had "always voted Republican" explained that she was deeply committed to a woman's right to choose abortion, and that she was horrified by the anti-choice positions all the Republican contenders are taking. She was pleased to take a statement issued by the Socialist Workers Party in Boston calling for the prosecution of antiabortion terrorist John Salvi.
Another young woman, who is Black, was rushing to her car but spun around when she saw the socialist paper. "I'm so glad to see you!" she said. She explained that when she was laid off as part of a "downsizing" operation at a local plant, Buchanan supporters had turned up outside the factory to protest the job cuts. The woman said she was initially attracted to this seemingly militant response. "When I saw exactly what they had to say, I thought again," she stated.
Another team of Militant salespeople visited Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire. Their literature table, set up inside the college and complete with a large sign saying "Workers say no to Buchanan's fascist" program, became the center of a lively discussion. One young Buchanan supporter denied her candidate was racist or fascist, claiming he "sees everyone as equal." She was answered by three young Black women who expressed their support for the socialists' sign.
Altogether, the campaigners sold 17 copies of the socialist newspaper.
Andy Buchanan is a member of the United Auto Workers in Boston
BY PATTI IIYAMA
HOUSTON - The day after Patrick Buchanan's victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary, copies of the Militant were snapped up at a local union meeting of the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers (OCAW) here. As soon as they saw the headline, "Buchanan puts forward fascist agenda in Iowa," many unionists at the meeting came over to look at the paper. Unfortunately, underestimating the likely response, I brought only six copies to the meeting and all were quickly sold. One co-worker remarked that Buchanan was a real danger to working people and he was glad to see someone coming right out and openly calling him a fascist.
The central discussion at this OCAW local unit meeting was the lockout by Crown Oil of 271 OCAW members beginning February 5. The local decided to assess the more than 700 OCAW members at Lyondell-Citgo Refinery in Houston $25 a month for the next six months to help defend the Crown workers against the company's union busting. A support rally planned for February 3 is being sponsored by a number of area OCAW locals.
In the context of the boss's assault at Crown and the rise of fascist demagogue Buchanan, a deepening interest in Path finder books was also found among some participants in the union meeting. I showed around copies of the new book, Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War by Ernesto Che Guevara and The Truth About Yugoslavia. Two co-workers made commitments to purchase the Guevara book and I arranged to call on them in the next few days to bring them their copies. Both were quite interested in Che Guevara and wanted to learn more about how the Cubans actually made their revolution.
Patti Iiyama works at Lyondell-Citgo in Houston and is a member of OCAW Local 4-227.