By Richard Mellor in California
We carry here a link showing a speech by newly-elected Congress member, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, showing how much she intends to be a thorn in the side of establishment politicians, and a commentary on this speech from Richard Mellor in California.
It is a pleasure to see this speech and Sen Ocasio-Cortez will be respected and liked by millions of Americans for this. After all, what’s not to like about it? It is refreshing and connects to how people feel and think about the rotten US political system, she is saying what is on people’s minds. It makes her appear more human, but by raising this question of legality it inevitably undermines the propaganda that it is personal character flaws and corruption that is the problem with the body-politic, as opposed to the system itself, even though she doesn’t really verbalize that or map out a plan for change.
It will make overconfident sections of the US capitalist class that have not been able to gauge the mood in society and whose arrogance contributes to this overconfidence, attack her even more virulently, exposing them further. It also places pressure on the power in her own party.
It is important that she is doing this. We pointed out in earlier posts on Facts for Working People that while this blog does not support the Democratic Party, the positive aspect of her electoral victory would be that it would increase tensions between the left and the right wing in the Democratic Party. What she is doing is helping facilitate a split in the Democratic Party, with all the possibilities that could result, including the formation of a new left party in the US.
I must mention here the importance of social media in the struggle for the consciousness of the working class. It cannot replace mass gatherings and face-to-face connections, but it is impossible today for information to be kept totally hidden. There are constant leaks of state information, encouraged by the presence of the Internet; whistle blowers are everywhere.
While it is good to see this, I think that more people than we think are aware of what she reveals here. Americans know how rotten their social system is; they are victims of it. What they do not know is what can be done about it. So even more important than Sen Ocasio-Cortez’ exposure, helping make the con-game a social fact, is the answers to her own questions, solutions to the problems she raises here.
Dictatorship of Capital
What can be done to stop what is a dictatorship of capital over US political and economic life? What is the alternative? This is what will have to be laid on the table.
The Democratic Party, as the dominant party of capitalism, will not overcome crises that it has created itself. So far we have had Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, make it clear that the Democratic Party is capitalist as its policies are and will be, and this has not been taken up in a major way by the candidates of the Democratic Socialists of America.
From what I’ve seen, the Green New Deal that Sen Cortez is campaigning for does not confront capital or go anywhere near far enough in reversing what is a looming environmental global catastrophe. Will she reach that wall ahead, will she lead a split as she learns along the way?
Here and here are earlier posts about this issue and how Facts For Working People argues how important it is to break from this party and also build a powerful direct action mass movement out of which a truly independent working class political party can arise. Meanwhile, it might be refreshing to watch this, but feeling good is not enough.
February 11, 2019
From the American socialist website, Facts for Working People, at:
https://www.weknowwhatsup.blogspot/
