Lead article
October 2000
Presidential race in shadow of new revolts against capitalism
Andy Phillips
Republican Texas Governor George W. Bush's stopover in Chicago Sept. 19 to
accept the political endorsement of Chicago's reactionary Fraternal Order
of Police, after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show, expressed in no
uncertain terms the violent contradictions at the heart of this year's
presidential race to replace Bill Clinton.
Bush's Texas death machine continues unabated to execute Black men, for
which he gains the political support of corrupt big city police forces who
daily carry out their brutal street justice in Black and Latino
communities. All the while he gets to present a chatty smiling face to
American middle-class voters willing to believe that there really is
something "compassionate" about his anti-Black, anti-labor, anti-women,
anti-gay, anti-youth political agenda.
INSULTING PARTY CONVENTIONS
The insulting hypocrisy of the Republican convention at the end of the
summer in Philadelphia, whose opening featured more Black entertainers
onstage than there were in the entire delegate body, continues. Attempting
to project a "new Republican" sensitivity to the plight of Black America,
the GOP, in addition to Black entertainment, enlisted that Black
professional corporate shill, Colin Powell, to persuade the American people
that the viciously racist GOP repented its past sins and was now embarked
on a "truly" new redeeming course of "compassionate conservatism."
The truth disclosed itself in the delegates' cool response to Powell's plea
for ethnic inclusiveness. And whereas in his acceptance speech Bush had the
gall to refer to a Black juvenile prisoner in his Texas prison who had
little to hope for in life, the rest of his message reassured those who
might have been temporarily confused that the old GOP remained firmly in
control and would go to any length to win the White House. He promised them
a laundry list of anything and everything to cure all social and economic
ills and to provide the "good life" for all.
In Los Angeles, the Democrats followed suit, and while they were not as
transparently vulgar in their hypocrisy as were the Republicans, Al Gore
likewise submitted a list of proposals to preserve current "economic
prosperity" and reform existing ills. The problems that both Gore and Bush
enumerated included Social Security, Medicare, education, health care,
income inequity, employment, tax relief, campaign finance reform, poverty,
crime, prescription drugs, abortion rights, racism, the environment,
national defense, trade and international policies.
Gore's "class struggle" rhetoric against the insurance and drug industries,
and supposedly against corporate union-busting, is designed to shore up his
left flank exposed by the challenge of consumer advocate Ralph Nader
running for the Green Party. Clinton-Gore's championing of the North
American Free Trade Act and their support for Senate passage, Sept. 19, of
permanent normal trade relations with China legislation should disabuse
anyone of Gore's so-called "class struggle" advocacy.
This is not to say there is no difference in the platforms of Gore and
Bush. However, Gore's selection of Joseph Lieberman as his running mate and
Bush's choice of Dick Cheney confirmed their allegiance to their corporate
masters. Lieberman has been the Senate errand boy for the defense,
insurance and drug industries, while Cheney parlayed his former position as
Defense Secretary under former President George Bush into a position with
the Haliburton Corporation that resulted in obtaining government contracts
that netted billions of dollars in profits for Haliburton and millions for
Cheney himself.
Lieberman's blatant injection of religion into the campaign is so offensive
that even the Jewish Anti- Defamation League pleaded with him to tone down
his Bible thumping, aware of the dangers involved, especially to Jews, in
efforts by some, especially the fundamentalist Right, to combine church and
state. And while Gore and Lieberman support abortion rights for women,
which Bush and Cheney oppose, Gore as a professed born-again Christian and
Lieberman as a strict Orthodox Jew brought up in a tradition demanding the
subservience of women do not inspire ease of mind on these matters,
including future Supreme Court nominees. Moreover, the ties that bind both
Gore and Bush to the oil industry create additional fears and concerns.
CAPITAL RULES openly
The simple fact is that today everyone knows that money rules politics. In
the past, politicians tried to hide the huge sums of money contributed to
their election campaigns because they knew it exposed their obligations to
corporations whose dictates they followed, or were replaced. The
post-Watergate campaign finance reforms have been so watered down that
today huge corporate campaign contributions are not only openly solicited,
they are worn like badges of triumph and success. Capital rules openly, and
today's rulers are so confident of their control and power that they feel
they no longer need to hide behind past subterfuges. That power, both
covert and open, is evident in every sphere of life:
* It is seen in the increasingly ominous developments in surveillance-the
FBI's "Carnivore" internet surveillance program can monitor every email
message ever sent; surveillance cameras are a pervasive intrusion, evident
in virtually every store and building, and now even appear at street
intersections; sophisticated listening devices can overhear virtually any
conversation anywhere.
* It is seen in the increasing brutality of the police against
demonstrators protesting the globalization of capital in Seattle,
Washington, D.C., Detroit, as well as those protesting both the Republican
and Democratic conventions. All of these actions of democratic dissent have
been criminalized, resulting in huge bail bonds-up to $1 million for a
demonstration leader-and preventive detention, a police state practice
protected by political and judicial leaders.
* It is seen in the criminal injustice system, which has incarcerated over
two million prisoners, the highest number of any industrial nation. The
overwhelming majority are Blacks and Latinos convicted of minor infractions
or wrongfully convicted and sentenced to long prison terms because of the
inherent racism of the system. This was highlighted recently by the report
of the Justice Department revealing that 75% of those facing death
sentences for federal crimes are minorities.
* It is seen in the increasing use of prison labor in the production of
many market commodities that both exploits the prisoners and drives down
the wages of workers who can't compete with low-wage prison labor. This
same effect was felt in the "workfare programs" adopted by many cities and
states who moved welfare recipients off their rolls, forcing them into
low-paying jobs that often competed against higher paid workers.
* It is seen in the ability of drug companies to protect their huge profits
through legislation to delay the production of less expensive generic
equivalents, while charging exorbitant prices for drugs that are increasing
at the rate of 15% a year. The elderly are then forced to choose food and
warmth over vital medication.
* It is seen in the gutting of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration by reduction of its budget, making needed inspections of
workplaces impossible. Add to this the transformation of the National Labor
Relations Board, which is packed with pro-business advocates whose rulings
have changed the Board from an agency to protect the rights of workers into
an arm of the corporations opposed to unionization and workers' grievances.
Meanwhile, some 44 million Americans have no medical insurance despite
today's so-called prosperity. Since l973, the wages of workers have
declined sharply. In the 25 years prior to that, that is, from l948 to
l973, incomes rose by 50% to 100%. In half of all families, both parents
must work to be able to make ends meet. For families mired in poverty,
twelve million children went hungry last year, the highest percentages beingamong Black and Latino children.
This shows something of the magnitude of the
problems that neither the Republicans nor Democrats are serious about
solving, which further exposes the hypocrisy of both the candidates and
their parties. What they are serious about is maintaining the world
supremacy of the U.S. Both Gore and Bush support the implementation of the
missile defense system, despite growing opposition by world leaders who
fear a new, wider nuclear arms race, as well as violation of existing
nuclear ban treaties.
FIGHTING THE POWERS THAT BE
As for presidential candidates Ralph Nader of the Green Party and Pat
Buchanan of the Reform Party, both are increasingly marginalized. Nader's
attacks against corporate power, environmental pollution, worker
exploitation, health care fraud and neglect, and political corruption
gained him considerable popular support, especially in California and
Michigan. This began to erode when he failed to aggressively support Black
aspirations, even though his causes affect Blacks more than any other
group. He has also sought coalitions with virtually any group-liberal or
reactionary-that would support his candidacy, casting doubt on his own
principles. Buchanan's rabid right-wing demagoguery laced with racism,
sexism, jingoistic nationalism and gay-bashing had to be put on hold as the
Reform Party degenerated into two brawling wings that spelled doom as each
faction jockeyed to claim the $12.6 million in federal campaign funds
earmarked for the party. As soon as the courts ruled Buchanan the winner,
he launched his campaign with a speech at Bob Jones University-the openly
racist Southern institution where Bush spoke and unleashed a storm of
national outrage that forced him to apologize for appearing there.
The massive financial power of the Democrats and Republicans does not go
unchallenged. Revolt remains a growing everyday occurrence. Some of these
are small but nevertheless exist in every grievance a worker files against
an unsafe workplace, forced overtime, job harassment, or inhuman work
speedup; in the fear, anger and frustrations of workers and their families
when plants close or when they can't get adequate health care, housing or
education for their children; in the rage at the huge differences between
the rich and the poor; in the revulsion and disgust with political
corruption and betrayals; in the opposition of minorities, especially
Blacks, who are daily victimized and brutalized by a racist society; in the
passion of women confronting this sexist, patriarchal society; in the
aspirations of youth fighting the obstacles to their self-development.
At other times, the revolt is clear, powerful and involves many people. The
Black and Latino rebellion in l992 in Los Angeles, for instance, gave new
life to the idea of transforming society. The recent strikes of janitors in
Los Angeles and Chicago, of pilots, flight attendants and mechanics at
several airlines, of the Boeing engineers and the Verizon communication
workers, the bus and transit workers' strike in Los Angeles, the unreported
struggles of Black women workers in the South seeking not only union
protection but fundamental change of the racist South, the movement by
college youth to eliminate sweatshop working conditions in Third World
countries producing goods for American markets, the strike by GM auto
workers last year that closed down the largest corporation in the world-all
constitute a mass rebellion against existing conditions and the instinctive
striving to transform society. It is a striving always thwarted by an
entrenched union bureaucracy that is also tied to the ruling political
parties. The AFL-CIO this year threw its support to Gore, betraying the
real interests of the rank-and-file workers.
Most significant of the recent rebellions is the coalition of workers,
youth, gays and environmentalists who have joined together to battle the
globalization of capital and the destruction it leaves in its wake. The
movement is international in scope, with large demonstrations staged
wherever economic conferences are held. What is new in this movement is
that capitalism is directly charged with being the enemy of human beings
everywhere. These are the human forces-workers, youth, women, Blacks and
other minorities-that have the real power to challenge and defeat the power
of capital and in the process transform society to serve the true needs of
human beings.
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