We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, January 25, 2016

Nationalism and Its Discontents: The Meaning of Trump

Click here to access article by Justin Raimondo from AntiWar.

This is an excellent bifurcation of acceptable political thinking in the US as portrayed in mainstream media and permeates much of the political discussion widely prevalent across the political spectrum which does not exclude so-called leftists. Anti-war critics such as this author are often featured in alternative media and often confused with real leftists and people who are beginning to understand political realities and limits their understanding of critical issues. Critics like Raimondo ultimately serve to defuse real criticism of capitalist rule.

However in this piece Raimondo provides a clear demarcation of capitalist ideology with his analysis of Trump's politics versus his adversaries. (Please ignore his standard capitalist view of American isolationism in 1940--in reality it was heavily infiltrated by pro-Nazis. See this and this.) There is an important political tug-of-war going on in current mainstream US political debate in both parties which I have recently made reference to (see this, and this). I am referring to two capitalist political camps that are forming rather sharp divisions within the ruling class, in conventional political thinking among ordinary people, and particularly coming to the fore in the current Republican party political contests: nation-based capitalist ideology supported by traditional conservatives (Pat Buchanan, Paul Craig Roberts, and Ron Paul) and internationally based capitalist ideology known broadly as neoliberals which are openly supported by neoconservatives.

His analysis by attributing so much influence and power to the new anti-war "isolationists" also is a gross distortion of political realities in the US--they are a vanishing political breed. The neoliberals are clearly playing a dominant role within the ruling class. Their recent attacks on Trump illustrate their power and influence and their interest in pursuing neoliberal policies. There really is no similar bifurcation in the Democratic party which has continued vigorously pursuing neoliberal policies while spouting words like "democracy" and "human rights". Bernie Sanders with his social democratic proposals serves only to return disaffected liberals into the fold of the Democratic party and ultimately to vote for Hillary when she wins the nomination.