By Richard Mellor in California
That the US political system is in an acute crisis is an understatement. The two parties that have dominated US political life for over 100 years are coming to the end of their tenure and some 100 million Americans opted out of the last presidential election. The failure of the political system and the refusal of the heads of organized labour to provide an alternative are contributing factors in the rise of the degenerate racist and sexual predator Trump, who is now facing attempts by the more serious and balanced sections of the US capitalist class to displace him.
As Peggy Noonan, Reagan’s former speechwriter, pointed out in her Wall Street Journal column last week, “Not only does Trump not know where the line is; he has never wanted to know, so he can cross it with impunity, without consciousness of a bad act or one that might put him in danger.” It is becoming evident that the dominant sectors of the US capitalist class cannot tolerate another four years of Trump.
One has to think hard about the nature of the society in which we live when the citizenship application of a celebrity like Neil Young, who has lived in the US for half a century, is delayed by the federal government because he smokes marijuana which, even though its legal in his state, is a violation of federal law on controlled substances. It shows a lack of “good moral character”, we are told. And this when sitting in the White House is a racist, white-nationalist, serial sexual abuser.
They’re all dirty…and most Americans know it
And the only issue that compels and legally allows apparently, the members of the US body-politic that are not right wing religious nuts, outright fascists or Trump sycophants, to introduce impeachment proceedings against him, is the claim that he asked a foreign leader to dig up dirt on a US political opponent whose own integrity is suspect. The problem is that they’re all dirty and the vast majority of Americans know it.
I have commented on my blog, as have others, that the most objectionable and disconcerting aspect of Trump’s behaviour, as far as his class colleagues are concerned, is not his lying, racism or his sexual improprieties, but those aspects of his behaviour that undermine the institutions of capitalism and the structures that are necessary to maintain order in an inherently exploitative and oppressive social system.
The first shot across the bow that really unnerved the US ruling class was Trump’s suggestion in the 2016 debates that he may not abide by the election result if he lost. The whole system is rigged remember, and he was going to “drain the swamp”. A Political candidate in one of the two US capitalist parties threatening to ignore the results of an election concerns the US capitalist class as the image of democracy and capitalism being the highest phase of civilization are important in maintaining social order.
Capitalist democracy in the United States, along with its legislative bodies and legal institutions, are often enshrouded in an almost divine aura. The “integrity” of the office of the Presidency is what is important, not the person in it, and Trump is undermining this view, just as he is undermining the capitalist mass media as simply “fake news”. If Trump can trash such a sacred process why not the rest of us?
Gangster-like behaviour of Trump
The false narrative that the US government and its foreign policy is a force for good in society, that its military is a defensive force not an offensive one and that the US is constantly under threat from alien forces determined to destroy what freedoms we have, must be maintained. But Trump’s schizophrenic, gangster-like behaviour and his weaponising of tariffs, in particular his trade war with China, are increasing the likelihood of a global recession or slump. Trump is a real problem for US capitalism on many fronts, including the potential for social upheaval.
So not only are the two main parties of US capitalism discredited further by Trump’s behaviour, but so are all the institutional props of the system. This is one of the reasons impeachment is not a road the US ruling class wants to travel, in my opinion. Not only will it consume valuable time and energy that is required for electioneering, it does not help instil confidence in capitalist elections and the political system. As Business Week put it (November 14th) “Impeachment is never something to be celebrated. It risks doing grave damage to public confidence in government and worsening America’s already polarized politics.”
Another factor is that there has been some important Democratic victories of late, notably winning the governorship of the state of Kentucky by defeating a Trump ally, and gaining control of the legislature in the state of Virginia. The hope is that the Democrats can field a candidate that can win. Some of the main journals of capitalism from Business Week to the Wall Street Journal have made it clear that the best option is to have the electorate remove Trump to show how our democracy works, by getting us through rough patches.
Peggy Noonan, in her WSJ column last weekend, suggests that “Republican senators will call to let the people decide. In a divided country this is the right call. But they should take seriously the idea of censuring him for abuse of power.”
Suddenly the Imbecile Bush is Cuddly.
In the wake of the degenerate Trump there is a strong push to paint the government bureaucrats and ambassadors testifying against him as honourable, hard-working and dedicated American folk, looking after the interests of all of us. Even George W Bush, a mass murderer and war criminal, (like all US presidents in the age of the global struggle for world dominance) is portrayed as a real teddy-bear, stupid, but a nice guy.
Michelle Obama has no problem being seen with her arm around this nasty member of the US ruling elite, referring to him as her “friend” and “partner in crime”. The illegal and brutal invasion of Iraq that Bush commanded and boasted about, cost at least half a million lives and destroyed one of the most secular of the Muslim states in the Middle East. There were another half a million Iraqis who died, mostly women and children, due to the US-imposed sanctions during the 1990s. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright announced on US television that these deaths were “worth it“. Iraqi children are still being born with deformities today due to the US assault.
I regularly read Noonan’s columns in the WSJ as she is one of my favourite writers and an important political representative of the US ruling class. Over the past three years she has gone from hope to dismay and she is now heaping lavish praise on those testifying this week.
‘old-school, old-style’
Noonan is a staunch and respected Republican analyst who was Reagan’s former speechwriter. She shares her opinion of the testimonies in her WSJ column (November 14) “They seemed to have capability and integrity. They weren’t deep state; they were old school, old style, not some big dope of a political donor, as all administrations have among their ambassadors, but the people who make it work, who maintain the standards, who keep it all up and running.
“This is what I saw: the old America reasserting itself, under subpoena. They were American diplomats, with stature and command of their subject matter.
And the world was seeing it, and maybe thinking, “I remember them.” Older prime ministers and presidents in foreign capitals could be thinking, “I remember those pros, the bland Midwestern tough guys who knew their stuff. Good that they still exist. Quietly, smoothly, brick by brick, they gave their testimony and painted a picture that supports the charge that yes, Donald Trump muscled Ukraine”.
Robert Reich of NAFTA fame, added his ten cents worth: “All these men and women have distinguished records of public service. Some are highly decorated military officers. In coming forth, they have shown remarkable courage and patriotism. The contrast could not be starker. On one side are dedicated public servants seeking to protect America. On the other side are Trump and his thugs, seeking to protect Trump. But those who have devoted their lives to this country and are now risking everything by telling the truth are among America’s best. They deserve our deepest gratitude.”
Here are two mouthpieces of US capitalism from both capitalist parties finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and the possibility of “Making America Great Again”, of putting the madness of King Trump behind them.
Most powerful military in history
All these career diplomats, and retired military brass have been loyal to the empire, to US imperialism and its machinations to maintain its global position since the end of the cold war. They have been there through Vietnam, a brutal invasion of a colonial country by the most powerful military in history that cost 3 million Vietnamese lives and 67,000 American. They have been there through the invasions of Panama, Grenada. The bombing of Yugoslavia, the bombing of the factory producing needed medications in Sudan and the destruction of Somalia, the countless assassinations, murders and meddling in the governments and affairs of other, weaker nations from Chile to Honduras, El Salvador, Indonesia and Nicaragua.
All was not hunky-dory before Trump.
British colonialism had a very refined cultured facade to it: pomp and circumstance and all that. The American ruling class is considered vulgar by comparison, as far as some British snobbery sees it. But behind it all was the same old violence and slaughter that enabled this small island to govern over, “412 million people, 23% of the world population at the time…”.
US foreign policy, by fair means or foul
US Ambassadors are appointed by the president and are confirmed by the US Senate. Their task is to carry out US foreign policy by fair means or foul. This has not changed under Trump. Just because Trump is such a disgusting loathsome character we should not forget that.
Placing all our eggs in the Democratic Party basket is another serious error as all bets will be off when the recession or slump that is not so far down the road finally turns the corner.
November 26, 2019
From the US socialist website, Facts for Working People, here. For other commentaries on this subject and what the Democratic Socialists of America could be doing other than supporting the Democrats in 2020 see the DSA and Labor Notes on the website.
