Almost a full year ago I wrote a blog, pundit-redux, to explain why there had been a significant break in my writing blogs. Fast forward a whole other year in which my voice was mostly silent and much the same opening paragraph could simply be reposted. I am particularly struck by the words of Theodore Lowi yet again but I hope I now have the resolve to act upon them. “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”¹
It seems clear to me that the clarion call of (neo) fascism, American-style, is upon us all. Out in the open, plain for all to see and hear, boisterous and unabashedly unapologetic, it roils over American norms and values that until now, defined the great aspirational American democratic republic. Echoes from the past grow more ominous as the rhetoric of nationalism gathers strength at home and spreads more rapidly around the globe undermining the 70-odd year post WW11 internationalist world order, fostered and legitimized by the USA and held together by its leadership. Abandoning that leadership role, which is evidently what the Trump administration seeks to do, in favour of a (re)newed ‘Make America Great Again’ nationalism seems intuitively counterproductive in a world of intersecting connectivity particularly in terms of the global capitalist economy. It has always struck me that there is a fine line between patriotic pride in one’s country, culture and history, and promoting a jingoistic image of ‘inherent’ superiority. Furthermore, chastising Allied leaders, as Trump has done towards Trudeau, Merkel and May, while at the same time undermining the stability and continuation of long-standing institutional frameworks like NATO or the World Bank or the ICC hastens the disintegration of the existing world order and actually emboldens those autocratic leaders for whom nationalism can be used to increase their dictatorial hold on power.
Meanwhile on the home front, Trump and his sycophantic enablers, especially the Republican leadership in Congress, stoke the base of their party with fear and loathing – fear of everything and loathing, nay hatred, of their political opponents and critics. Democrats are deemed to all be radical socialists, a ‘mob’ of violence, while the mainstream establishment press [NYT, WAPO,CNN, MSNBC, etc.] are characterized as “enemies of the people”. Through a constant barrage of tweets and rallies, Trump heaps vitriol on his opponents while demanding an unquestioning loyalty from his followers. What we are witnessing daily in America is what Chris Hedges so eloquently claims is the Cult of Trump. I believe it is a forlorn task to wrestle the cultist from the enthral of the cult leader. Too much effort for too little gain. Better instead to marginalize the whole cult within the larger body politic.
It is now day 652 of the Trump administration! We are a mere 4 days away from the mid-term elections! Already early advanced voting numbers have greatly exceeded the 2014 levels at this same time out from Election Day. Despite various Republican efforts at deliberate voter suppression, like North Dakota and Georgia, and blatantly false and evocative ad campaigns, like the recent one from the White House, there continues to be a heightened level of enthusiasm amongst Democrats that they can and will, at a minimum, win the House of Representatives on Tuesday of next week. Should we see this enthusiasm as unbridled – a big “blue wave” or is there a case to be made for a more tempered expectation of success? A big “blue wave’ of Democratic victories portends for many an opportunity to restrict, restrain, and even possibly remove Donald Trump from office. The prospect is genuinely tantalizing to many who oppose his administration.
On the other hand, tempered expectations tend toward a “blue ripple”. Let us not overlook the reality that with very few exceptions [notables like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez], the Democratic Party continues to promote candidates who espouse a centrist or even centrist-right [‘red’ Democrats] policy perspective, thereby effectively offering NO HOPE of significantly changing the underlying causes that foster the conditions of life for the vast majority of Americans. The stranglehold of corporate capitalism over every facet of modern life continues to intensify, not just in America, but worldwide, and solidifies itself into a new totalitarian reality. Claiming the mantle of ‘resistance fighters’ [ to all things Trumpian], the Democratic Party promotes itself as the necessary shield [of protection] against the ‘anti-everything’ forces of the right personified in President Donald Trump.
Let me be perfectly clear here – since its very inception, the American democratic experiment has been constrained by its structural institutional framework. The genius of the founding fathers in establishing a federal form of government with clearly defined separation of powers between the three branches, combined with Madison’s ‘checks and balances’ to restrict excessive abuses of power, presupposed the proper exercise of their official duties and responsibilities. Additionally, Hamilton’s advocacy of the Electoral College with its “faithless electors” was as a means of protecting the republic from the tyranny of the majority[masses] as well as from the prospect “that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications”. Trump’s ascendancy to the Presidency was successful not because he won the popular vote, but rather by the failure of those “faithless electors” of the Electoral College to do their job!
Lost in the present moment of rabid political partisanship, the new tribalism as it were, is any room for investigation, let alone analysis, of the underlying structural conditions of 21st century capitalism, and more importantly, how we got to this point. Where are the advocates for universal health care, free post-secondary education, more private sector unionization, rising wage demands, infrastructure building, etc. All of these policy efforts would be positive measures to enrich the lives of the countless, currently overlooked or forgotten, workers of America.
Democracy is a fragile political enterprise that requires vigilance to maintain and demands an informed citizenry to enact and nurture its continuation. The mid-term elections on Tuesday have taken on a greater than usual significance because, without sounding too alarmist and melodramatic, Trump’s presidency is being judged and the strength of Americans commitment to democracy is at stake.
I know where I will be on Tuesday November 6 – glued to my TV until the final results are tabulated.
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- Elie Wiesel
Hi Paul. Great post. Way to make a comeback. Tuesday will be most interesting. I’ve seen some pundits argue that the Republicans will increase their seats in Congress and that the surge in voting will benefit the Republicans and not the Democrats. Maybe. Probably wishful thinking, but we’ll see on Tuesday.
More important though is your observation on the stranglehold that corporate capital has on every aspect of our lives. Neo-liberalism and the globalization of capital will not be denied even in the face of Trump’s cynical ‘nationalism’ and will not abate even if the Democrats take control of the House.
Thanks Roger. There is a good piece in the NYT today, which speaks to the very issue of just how little needs to swing in either direction for there to be very different results.
I am currently working on a post which reviews/addresses the tightening death grip of global corporate capitalism. Stay tuned!