Why do USAmericans call me ML/Trot derogatively, depending on who I'm pissing off and why do they bother so much about conflicts on socialist state's foreign policy and internal party conduct?
I feel like the distinction doesn't matter much in absence of socialist party
The struggle between Marxism Leninism and Trotskyism is not merely a struggle over the foreign policy of the former USSR, or any other aspect of its policy. While plenty of online "communists" like to debate it in this style, when we actually engage in real organizing work, the question of Marxism-Leninism (today Marxism-Leninism-Maoism) vs. Trotskyism takes an acute importance.
The issue of Trotsky's personal record as a centrist who repeatedly betrayed socialism, from trying to sabotage the Brest peace accords to trying to install a fascist style regime in the USSR is important, but for our purposes it is less important than what Trotskyism is today, which is a middle class movement which appears socialist but is actually in alliance with the state. This is because Trotskyism is based on the middle classes, the Labor Aristocrats, the well off professionals and bureaucrats and sometimes the students. These classes would theoretically benefit from Socialist revolution but (save for the students) tend to not be willing to actually put in the work to make it happen.
Theoretically this manifests in two main ways. The first is the idea of "permanent revolution", which argues that Socialism cannot be built in one country, and therefore one cannot sabotage its construction. Trotskyists use this to excuse their past betrayals, but also their current betrayals. "We cannot make socialism only in one country, so revolution now is pointless" they cry, "we will have to simply wait for a later date when the rest of the world is ready." In practice this means putting off revolution forever.
The second main negative theory of Trotskyism is the concept of "transitional programs." Unlike revolutionary Mass Organizations which put forward the short term demands of the masses (such as higher wages, the firing of a sexually abusive manager, the ending of police chases in a neighborhood, repairs made to apartments, etc.) and connect these demands to the long-term revolutionary goal of socialist revolution by building working class Power and training the masses for revolution through struggle, Trotskyist parties put forward demands which are neither actually revolutionary, nor possible under capitalism. Trotsky gave the example of universal employment under capitalism, while former PSL candidate Claudia De La Cruze put forward the demand that "humanity deserves housing, a full plate of food, healthcare and recreation." These demands are made without the demand for the overthrow of the present system and are impossible under it, often even made through direct participation in the bourgeois political system, like the Claudia’s presidential run and the PSL’s endless list of senate and house candidates. Capitalism cannot guarantee housing, healthcare and a good standard of living for all. The Trotskyist belief is that through struggling for these demands (which to the Trotskyist party almost entirely consists of “educational meetings,” permitted, police escorted protests disconnected from any kind of mass campaign or direct action and voting 3rd party), the workers will realize that they are impossible under capitalism, as suddenly be radicalized. This is all nonsense. In practice this means that Trostskyist (or Crypto-Trotskyist) groups like PSL, FRSO and Socialist Alternative jump around from failed campaign to failed campaign, taking over grassroot orgs as front orgs, demoralizing activists, distracting progressive sections of the masses and wasting everyone's time.
Because Trotskyists rejects the possibility of building socialism in one country and thus puts the task off forever, they ultimately reject the prospect of participating the class struggle. They replace organizing the masses confront their class enemy with showy protests and social media posts and replace building working class Power with buying into Bourgeois Power. These organizations are not only ineffective, but actively parasitize and weaken revolutionary struggles, they themselves are part of the class enemy.
To quote A Workers Guide to Trotskyism by New Labor Press
Trotskyism is a “socialism” that rejects the possibility of actually building socialism in any one country. They are “trade unionists” who reject any trade union activity not sanctioned by the bourgeois state. They are “Marxists” who reject basic Marxist concepts and replace them with liberal ideas. In a word, they are political frauds.
Don't just take my word for it, look at how Trotskyism acts in the real world. In the US major Trotskyist groups like FRSO and the PSL (though they call themselves Marxist-Leninists, in actuality they are Trotskyists) have been frequent allies of the state. During the LA uprising in 2025 PSL organized a number of protests outside of important buildings, which while looking revolutionary, in actuality pulled the masses out of their neighborhoods and away from combating ICE and the police.
A similar role was played by FRSO in Santa Ana on Jan 9th (the same night Kaden Rummler's eye was destroyed by a DHS agent) who hosted a non-violent protest outside the federal building in order to draw people away from Dare to Struggle's protest. During the protest FRSO forbade protesters from approaching the federal building or confronting state agents, and FRSO members even assaulted protesters who didn't obey these commands. In reference to Kaden Rummler being shot, one FRSO member even said "let them get what they fucking deserve."
To quote Santa Ana, CA: Anti-ICE Protester Shot, Revisionists Cheer by The Partisan
Revisionist organizations like FRSO are long known for collaborating with the State. Despite all the revolutionary posturing, the revisionists reject and condemn class struggle with every opportunity. In its stead, the revisionists direct the masses towards “legal” and “peaceful” means set up by the very US imperialism that exploits and oppresses them.
With every popular protest movement, the revisionists rush to tail behind them with the same tired call of “join an organization,” never mind the quality and conduct of such organizations. While the police and federal law enforcement agencies openly suppress the masses, revisionists like FRSO do so in a hidden manner, acting as a fifth column in the midst of the people.
In another instance, PSL hijacked a march in Providence in solidarity with the LA uprisings and in response to the assault of Sebastian Yidana by Pawtucket Police. According to Rhode Island: Pawtucket Police Shooting, and PSL Political Opportunism by The Partisan;
Less than 24 hours after the shooting, a flyer was spread among local activists, calling for a protest to be held in Providence proper in solidarity with the LA uprisings. Around 500 people showed up in downtown Providence, ready for struggle. What became apparent, was that the protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) who had circulated the flyer without their logo or authorship, likely because of their bad reputation among many Providence activists. What followed was a march led by the PSL, escorted by the Providence PD, with plainclothes officers circling the crowd like vultures.
What should have been a rebellious and combative event, one that would shake the city, turned out to be yet another underwhelming parade through Providence’s downtown commercial center, separated from the actual working-class immigrant neighborhoods that surround the affluent areas of Providence like a belt. This display ended with slogans of “abolish ICE” in front of ICE’s administrative offices, long after the building had closed for the day. PSL’s tactics in the organizing of the protest, their collaboration with pigs and the Imperialist State, and the tired conduct of the protest itself, all demonstrate in action the damaging effect opportunist leadership has on the mass movement, particularly during periods of mass resistance and rebellion.
The Trotskyist betrayal of the working class is most egregious in the labor movement, where the Trotskyists have been for decades the second largest faction. Here many Trotskyist groups have spent the last few decades tailing liberal, state backed candidates and pushing sellout contracts, only to turn around and condemn these people and contracts using their so called "left" factions of the union, such as what happened with The Independent Socialist Group (which is not independent, but an affiliate of The Committee for a Workers’ International) during the "leadup" to the UPS "strike" in 2023. The ISG held a panel for UPSers about the upcoming Rail Workers strike which featured zero UPSers. During the panel an ISG speaker told workers to support the known state affiliated reactionary labor misleader O'Brian just six months after he helped the Biden regime impose a contract on rail workers which they had overwhelmingly rejected. The ISG said that it didn't matter if he betrayed workers and put forward the demand of a $21/hour wage (which was below UPS' market adjusted pay at that time) and then later came out saying that $21/hour was a sellout wage, long after it was to late.
During the same period another Trotskyist org, Socialist Alternative lied to workers on many levels after the contract was forced upon them. Claiming that;
"It was rank-and-file Teamsters – drivers, inside workers, and part-timers all working to prepare for the strongest possible strike – who created the pressure from outside of the bargaining table to improve the TA.”
In reality the International Brotherhood of Teamsters never prepared for a strike at all, the only real strike prep came from spontaneous worker action, as well as ardent mobilization from New Day at UPS, which Socialist Alternate strongly opposed. This statement from Socialist Alternative also helped cover up that Teamster's sellout leadership had accepted the very first offer made by UPS, and only pretendent to continue negotiating to trick its own rank and file. This attempt to mislead UPS workers about the anti-worker schemes of their own union leadership is par for the course for Trotskyists in the labor movement.
In 2026 the ISG and Workers Liberty Organization (who are even more open with their Trotskyism than ISG or Socialist Alternative) reared their ugly head again to, along with other red painted stooge organizations like Labor Notes, The Jacobine and The Worker, as well as liberal bourgieisie orginzations like Cornell's Labor Studies Program and regualr media like ABC News, MSMBC and co, in an attempt to fool workers and legitimize the Minnesota "General Strike" farce.
To quote First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: The Minneapolis General Stike by New Labor Press
The Trotskyist Independent Socialist Group was even more transparent. In an article titled “The Independent Socialist Group Stands With the Call for a General Strike and Day of Action in Minneapolis”, the ISG demands, “Minneapolis labor unions to make the day of action a real strike!” So even though they admit it was a fake strike, they nonetheless “stand with” the fraudulent general strike call in Minneapolis. This is an echo of what Dunne pointed out above about the “counterfeit coin”. The Workers’ Liberty organization went so far as to publish an article titled, “One-day general strike in Minnesota” which has as its source an AFL-CIO statement that never even uses the word strike.
These organizations knew full well that there was no general strike going on in Minnesota but lied to workers anyway to create an illusion of "resistance" to US fascism.
Instead of building up working class led unions in order to directly confront the bosses and build up working class Power, the Trotskyists tether themselves to Bourgeois controlled State Unions. They tie themselves to the power of the Capitalist class through their “democratic” or “rank and file” caucuses like Teamsters for a Democratic Union which sit around fighting electoral battles and backing fascist anti worker candidates like O’brian and attacking real Working Class organizations like the New Labor Organizing Committee.
Again, and Again Trotskyists flock to defend the state and betray the workers. Like Trotsky himself did, Trotskyist Organizations time and time again show that, though they raise the red banner, they do so only to tear down the red banner.
Trotskyist organizations like FRSO, PSL, Socialist Alterative, ISG and more are extremely pervasive and serve as a direct threat to the working class and our movement. We cannot wait for the arrival of the Socialist Vanguard Party to confront Trotskyism, because without boldly confronting and struggling against these anti-people vultures, without isolating them from the masses who’s blood and struggling spirit they intend to suck up, there will never be a Socialist Vanguard Party. The work to build up a Socialist Party capable of combating the fascist state begins now. Its beguines by struggling for short term demands and to build working class Power through revolutionary Mass Organizations like the New Labor Organizing Committee, People's Defense Committees and Revolutionary Student Union and it demands a line built on strong Marxist principles, not the illusions of Trotskyism which time and time drag us into to muck.
A Workers’ Guide to Trotskyism
First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: the Minneapolis General Strike
Rhode Island: Pawtucket Police Shooting, and PSL Political Opportunism – The Partisan
Santa Ana, CA: Anti-ICE Protester Shot, Revisionists Cheer – The Partisan
Trotskyism: Counter-Revolution in Disguise
Theory and Practice of TDU Part I: Origins and Aims – New Labor Organizing Committee
Theory and Practice of TDU Part II: Rise and Split – New Labor Organizing Committee
