Plan: The Center Cannot Hold
[X] [De-Emphasize] Formalize the militias: While the Red Guards have largely submitted to Butler's discipline and training, there remain holdouts within the organization thanks to its decentralized nature. In addition, there are a number of other irregular forces that have chosen to side with you, such as the Green Guards, the Union Defense Forces, the Black Brigades, the Negro Liberation Army, and more. For the sake of coordination and efficiency, it would be best if they were at least unified into the overall command structure or formally integrated. Butler is trying to accomplish this difficult task, but he is facing pushback.
[X] [De-Emphasize] Request SyndIntern aid: The SyndIntern is of course interested in your potential interest. Mexican guns and advisors have helped lead to a series of successful actions on the southern border, while the Red Guards sent south are already being returned. But American ships are blocking off New York City and Philadelphia, Boston is isolated, and Seattle is distant from their ports. Still, there must be something they can do...
[X] [De-Emphasize] Take control of state governments: While many state governments are dominated by the workers, reactionary and capitalist elements remain in various centers of authority. These powers must be broken, the loyalty of the state governments secured, and the control of the socialist movement asserted. The State Legislative Committee is leading these efforts.
[X] Establish equipment stockpiles: The Red Guards are generally equipped with some form of firearm at a minimum. Some groups have access to mortars, grenades, and machine guns, while other forces make do with clubs and knives. But there is a distinct lack of spares and stockpiles. Butler is leading an organizational effort to create stores of extra weapons and parts already, but his attention is heavily divided and he could use help.
[X] Secure transportation and communication: Industrial coordination, troop transportation, information gathering, and more are all dependent on the network of telegraph wires, radio towers, railroad tracks...a network that is incredibly delicate. Lack of maintenance, material shortages, absent personnel, and deliberate sabotage all weaken these ties which bind our forces and economy together, and maintaining their strength is of the utmost importance. The attentions of the Office for Communications and the Economic Planning Commission are both on this vital task.
[X] Prepare for winter: This winter promises to be a bitter one, as it will be a winter of bloody conflict and refugee hordes. Food, shelter, fuel, and hope will all be in short supply. Those vital substances must be stockpiled and gathered, and measures taken to keep spirits high and bodies functioning. Ben Stevens and various local party cadres are working to minimize the hardships of the coming months, although their efforts may well be a snowball against an avalanche.
[X] Secure food stockpiles: The past years have seen bad harvest after bad harvest, and this year has seen an even worse one for obvious reasons. Food has been stored up as much as possible, but it won't be enough. The stockpiles in the Red Belt won't last. But there is food outside it, in places like St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Wichita. Taking it might not be easy or clean, but Ben Little will do what he can.
[X] Naval co-option: One area that must be a special priority is to expand the infiltration of the Navy. Ships are blockading nearly every port, and armed sailors and Marines are patrolling sections of Long Island, Seattle, much of the Texas coast...which means they are vulnerable to persuasion. They must be persuaded to join our cause, lest our cities be pounded to rubble beneath their guns.
[X] Reach out to independent groups: While most of the state power has been concentrated into the hands of the working class as a whole, elements of it have managed to remain separate. These include some criminal organizations, ethnic and cultural associations, and various American Indian reservations. The State Legislative Committee is reaching out to these groups in hopes of garnering their support, or at least their neutrality.
[X] [REV] Do not yet declare a revolution but take a step towards it. Under the extraordinary circumstances in which the national government has been illegitimately overthrown by the military, a rival central government must be formed...in this case, the CAS. This will be somewhat provocative, especially since the CAS essentially disenfranchises groups like housewives, individual farmers, and the unemployed.
-[X] In addition, institute reforms to offer limited representation to groups not currently involved such as yeoman farmers, housewives, and doctors.
[X] [GRIP] While expelling everyone you dislike would be satisfying, now is not the time for division. However, some elements must be purged...
-[X] Remove the corrupt
-[X] Remove the bigoted
-[X] Remove the reformists
This one was a tough one for me to decide because there are a lot of those options that need to be done, but alas we could only emphasize up to six.
The easy ones were the de-emphasized items. We don't need to formalize the ideologically-aligned militias, let them do their own thing. SyndIntern aid will be impossible once the SACW starts, and honestly I'm down with not trying to get other state governments on our side since they'll try to de-emphasize what we're doing at best or betray us at worst. Now for the options I wanted to emphasize:
Co-opting the US Navy and Marine Corps is a no-brainer. Whoever controls the sea controls the supply lines. Also, Butler OTL was a Marine guy, if TL Butler still has that background then surely he has some connections/allies that can get some units to defect.
Lots of logistical/humanitarian options, but I chose to emphasize the coming winter crisis. So stockpiling food and seizing the transportation and communication hubs would synergize with that. Wanted to add rehoming the refugees, but stockpiling equipment in case of attack seems more important.
The last option is somewhat controversial, but not because of the option itself. As an American with Filipino and Native (Western Shoshoni) descent, it is wild that we still don't reach out to ethnic minority groups. We need them not just for helping us get supplies for our movement, but also so they can get on board that this is their fight too. We can't have a Marxist version of white man's burden tarring our movement, so reaching out and including them will help get their support. The social revolution is just as important as the political and economic revolution.
In keeping up with our "do not shoot first" policy, we don't declare the revolution, yet. Getting the yeomen, housewives, and doctors on side will help as well.
As for expelling people: bigots, reformists, and corrupt officials need to be removed. While that's good for moral/ethical reasons, it is also because these groups are likely to betray us the moment they don't get what they want.
