Tuesday, July 23, 2024

CURRENT SITUATION: NOTES ON THE GLOBAL CRISIS (20. On the so-called “political polarization” in the United States.- Update)

 

The reactionary elections in the US:
Fight for control of the bureaucratic apparatus between the mafias of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party and “political polarization” in the United States
 

Today, we are going to discuss a topic related to the reactionary elections in the US, to move forward on this topic and later we will also address the latest NATO meeting, the decomposition of Chinese social-imperialism and other points more related to these topics.

 

The topic is about "political polarization" and the attack on the genocidal D. Trump, we begin with the notes taken from the article, The Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump and the Threat to Democracy by Ahmed Charai, from the Atlantic Council of July 15, 2024. Which has as a subtitle, Congress and President Biden must move quickly to stop narratives of complaints and conspiracy theories in their tracks.

 

This matter of the attack is important to try to clarify what has been talked about, with increasing insistence and greater importance, about the political division in the US, now the so-called “political polarization” and to see: what is really in dispute between the two factions of Yankee imperialism, that is, the two mafias, that of the Democratic Party, headed by the genocidal Biden and that of the Republican Party, headed by the other genocidal, Trump.

 

Today, we are already aware that the PD mafia has lost its head and is looking for a new head, it seems that it will very possibly be Kamala Harris, the current vice president.

 

The reference article offers us some important points, focusing the article precisely on political polarization:

 

“The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, whatever its target or origin, undoubtedly had its beginnings in the shadowy sources and underground leaps of our ever more polarized politics. (...) The issue at hand now is the emotional barometric pressure pushing the population at large.”

 

The article then says: “Trump supporters already see the shooting in the context of coordinated opposition to their candidate.” And it lists the following facts:

 

- Women’s march against Trump before his 2017 inauguration

- Baseless investigations of “collusion with Russia” dominating the first two years of his presidency.

- Two failed impeachment attempts in his last two years in the White House.

- A line of violent attacks against his team

 

“All this and much more authorizes Trump supporters to speak of a history of denunciation and struggle. Such sentiments are always explosive fuel in politics, with no safe uses.”

 

As you can see, in what we have just quoted in summary, it is a list of the attacks received by the Trump and Republicans side, from Biden and the Democrats. But, that alone, says nothing about what is in dispute. Therefore, let us look at what follows, where there is part of what is in dispute between both factions, which as you will see, are not great differences of principles or programs that are at stake in these elections, as it was not in the previous ones.

 

Continuing, the article says: “On the other hand, (Biden’s) followers feel that they are losing institutions that they have controlled for decades.” And it lists:

 

- Biden's catastrophic debate performance with Trump and polls in key states suggesting an epic defeat for the president.

 

- Loss of control of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has given them historic victories since at least 1937.

 

- In 2022, the Dobbs decision on abortion overrides the states, ending the permissive standard set jointly by Roe v. Wade.

 

- Last year's Harvard case ended affirmative action admissions policies.

 

- Just weeks earlier, the court narrowed the power of the bureaucracy, another liberal bulwark.

 

- Another rule struck down "Chevron deference," which forced judges deciding over government agencies' oversight to interpretations under their own statutes. Now, judges will independently decide whether oversight is reasonable.

 

“Taken together, the three issues that the liberal left wants—abortion, affirmative action, and the environment—are now lost.”

 

So, from what is set out in the article on the development of this contradiction between the two factions of Yankee imperialism, we can say that, starting in 2016, the Republicans led by Trump have given a new impetus to their fight not only for the presidency of the United States, but for control of the state bureaucratic apparatus in the hands of the Democrats.

 

BUT THE SPOILS OF THE DISPUTE ARE IN THE ECONOMY

THE BILLION DOLLAR SUMS OF SUBSIDIES AND PROTECTIONISM THAT BOTH FACTIONS PROMOTE

 

But, it is in the issue of the economy where we find the basis of this struggle for Power between the representatives of the factions and groups of the North American financial oligarchy, which run the imperialist bourgeois State. For this, for now, we resort to citing the article from El Economista, of July 20, 2024, When Biden leaves, so will 'Bidenomics'.

 

The article summarizes the issue as follows:

 

“ * His policy has been an experiment in industrial subsidies and protectionism.

 

• Biden's economic plan was promoted by a small group of radicals around the president.”

 

“ (His departure) It may happen this month, or perhaps next. It may even have happened by the time it is published today, Saturday, July 20. But it now seems inevitable that the increasingly ill President Biden will resign very soon. Even if he doesn't, after a failed assassination attempt, he will lose the November election to Donald Trump. Either way, one thing is clear. Joe Biden will be a one-term president. And when he goes, he will take with him 'Bidenomics', as the very expensive experiment in industrial subsidies and protectionism is known.

 

(…)

There have been some successes. Solar power generation, for example, has grown by 75% in the past four years and has increased eightfold in the past decade, even though it accounts for only 4% of energy generated in the United States, compared with 60% from fossil fuels and 18% from nuclear. And companies such as Intel and Taiwan’s TSMC have built new semiconductor plants.

(…)

The problem is that this has come at an enormous cost. Credit Suisse estimated earlier this year that the total cost of the programs would amount to $800 billion, and since most of the subsidies are given in the form of open-ended tax credits, the final bill may be much higher. It's one of the main reasons why debt has soared to 123% of GDP and the public deficit has remained so high, at 5.3% of GDP, even though the economy has been growing strongly and debt should be coming down at this stage of the cycle.

 

In reality, much of the money has been squandered. The scale of the waste is coming to light and it's mind-boggling. For example, it included a $7.5 billion plan to install new electric vehicle chargers so that all those subsidized vehicles could be on the road. But after three years, only seven chargers had been installed, which is just over $1 billion for what is basically a plug socket with a long cord. There was a rural broadband plan to connect remote homes to the Internet, costing $42 billion, but after three years not a single home has been connected. Chip factories are slowly coming online, but they are suffering from planning delays and shortages of skilled labor. Meanwhile, there is little evidence that the massive spending has improved competitiveness, raised wages or created lasting new industries. Electric vehicles increasingly look like the wrong technology, the battery industry is collapsing, and the chip market is awash with excess capacity. The United States has grown, but largely thanks to deficit spending and, paradoxically, record shale oil and gas production, which has made the country the world’s largest producer of fossil fuels.

 

In reality, Biden’s economic plan was pushed by a small group of radicals around the president. In fact, one of the reasons they have been so desperate to keep their man in office, despite his clear inability, is so they can maintain control of the agenda. But Biden’s days in office are clearly coming to an end. His radical economic program had very little support and there is growing evidence that tens, and perhaps hundreds, of billions of dollars have been squandered on industrial white elephants. When Biden goes, Bidenomics will go with him, and given its dismal results, they will not come before their time.”

 

Now one can understand why there is a struggle for control of the bureaucratic apparatus and political polarization in the United States and what is at stake for factions to confront each other using peaceful and violent methods. The forms of struggle may vary but the class content, the character of the struggle is what is important, said Lenin.

 

ABOUT THE ATTACK:

- “(the) call to save democracy”

- “(the) demonization of individuals who can, in the minds of certainly a minority of Americans, incite violence.”

 

And regarding the attack, in the already cited article, The Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump and the Threat to Democracy by Ahmed Charai, it says:

 

Some immediate steps could lower the temperature. Currently, President Biden decides which of his political opponents receive Secret Service protection and to what extent. Whatever the president decides will be interpreted in the worst light by his political enemies. It would be better if force protections were decided by an independent body, with members appointed by the House speaker, the chief justice, and the president. This takes politics away from the critical issue of candidate protection. Clearly, former President Trump needs increased security, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (especially given his family’s tragic history) can no longer be denied protection. Judges need increased protection, too. A cycle of violence cannot be allowed to begin.

Next, Congress should quickly convene public hearings on the failures of Secret Service efforts in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Conspiracy theories must be squashed before they flourish. Accountability and transparency will restore trust.

Finally, the tone of American politics needs adjusting. Biden must repudiate his words from a week ago about putting “Trump in the crosshairs” and tell his supporters to stop comparing Trump to Hitler or calling the opposition candidate an “existential threat” to democracy. In the meantime, Trump must urge his supporters to keep the peace and use votes, not bullets. He must also make clear that he will not use law enforcement to go after his political rivals. (The attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the threat to democracy) Congress and President Biden must act quickly to nip grievance narratives and conspiracy theories in the bud.”

 

It is thus clear, at least to us, how attacks on the opponent are facilitated, in this case by those who control the secret services. And, most importantly, that both sides call on the “executors of divine will” to save the country by eliminating the opponent; which the article suggests with these words: “the tone of American politics needs adjustment....)

Another article in Foreign Policy magazine, which deals with inciting the elimination of the opponent, writes: "We seem to be seeing that murders are increasing now," said Jacob Ware, a terrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations and co-author of God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America, although I have noted that it was based on anecdotal evidence.

 

"Politicians and political figures are finding themselves in the crosshairs, and people are determining that the ballot box and elections are no longer the best way to exercise their political claims," ​​Ware said.

 

... "The distrust and distrust of government is so great that it leads almost to the dehumanization of political figures," said Bruce Hoffman, a counterterrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations and another co-author of God, Guns, and Sedition : Far-Right Terrorism in America. "That has also contributed to this demonization of individuals who can, in the minds of certainly a minority of Americans, incite violence."

 

“Two recent examples are the incidents involving former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who were targets of failed kidnapping and assassination plots, respectively; (...) “It certainly feels like we're in a different era. I think there’s a lack of civility that permeates our political discourse, and it’s often peppered with references to violence and extreme violence,” said Colin P. Clarke, research director at the Soufan Group. That includes Trump himself, Clarke said, who “has been a big purveyor of this.” “That may not be a uniquely American phenomenon.” (Are Assassination Attempts Rising? The Attempt on Donald Trump’s Life May Be Part of a Broader Global Pattern. By Christina Lu JULY 15, 2024 FP)

 

In his memoirs, Henry Kyssinger, The Whitehouse Years, London 1979, which would be his first volume, from 1968 to 1973, we quote the following:

 

“The qualities required to seize the nomination for the presidency of such a transitory body may have little in common with the qualities needed to govern; indeed, as the demands of the nomination process become more intensive with each election the two may grow increasingly incompatible. The nomination procedure puts a premium on a candidate skilled in organization, who can make his political expression to the need of the moment, a master of ambiguity and consensus, rather than subordinating programs to the winning requirement of amassing a broad coalition. A man who understands the complex essence of the nomination process as Nixon so superiorly did, inevitably defeats a candidate who seeks the goal by highlighting substance.”

 

The politics of manipulation may be even more the essence of the modern form of government of the American presidency.” That is “the essence of the politics of the US presidency is manipulation.” According to the same author, whoever wins the nomination and then the election of president, is the one who has the “obsessive manic will to win.” Whoever has the best “electoral machine” is not a question of programs but of the person.

 

Up to this point, we have offered something to approach the subject of the character of “polarization” in the US, Yankee imperialism, the only hegemonic superpower and main enemy of the peoples of the world. The political polarization between candidates and parties representing the two factions of Yankee imperialism, the two mafias, the PD and the PR, and we will continue with the differences between the two and what can change and for whom.