[Edited Message Follows] [Reason: corrected typo] MIke--I see your point, but I think you're overestimating the adaptability and intelligence of Biden, Harris, Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers, and the Democratic National Committee. as well as Wall Street trolls like Gov Cuomo. Give Biden a majority in both houses of Congress, and IMO, we may see austerity brought back from the grave like Milton's "late espoused saint."
The fact that the deeply secretive Biden is still apparently clinging to these (mostly) has-beens should be a clue as to what to expect. Biden has already spoken of America's shining need for the very best military, etc., etc.--which means any cut, let alone a drastic cut, to the military budget is off the table. In an interview with Cindy McCain of The View recently, Rahm Emanuel hemmed and hawed and delicately suggested that federal assistance to local "law enforcement"--this in the context of BORTAC and Portland--would be of course a good thing, though needing to be handled differently. He broadly suggested that more "assistance" rather than less might be required in future. Governor Cuomo of New York has gone on record as declaring that he cannot increase taxes on the one percent--so that's off the table in New York. Given Cuomo's status as a DP icon, that certainly suggests a likely conclusion by the DP hacks once in power. They're already ginning up a mighty fuss (along with Trump) over "cancel culture." This could easily become another Red Scare if the "progressive" opposition within the party dares to break with the reactionary centralism already brewing in the the furtive recesses of the Biden camp. As Bernie Sanders said during the campaign, Biden has been running against Social Security and Medicare for forty years. He'll do a quick take and state that, gosh, he had no idea how bad things had gotten and shucks, we have no choice but to gut social programs, arts funding, and every other goddamn thing that directly benefits the 99%. I think "Police reform" will consist of creating federalized elite paramilitary police at the local level--with a different brand ID from the BORTAC jump-out squads--which will allow the administration to cut off the current funding for local SWAT teams and militarization of local police in general. They will be able to claim they slashed the budget for those things while doubling down on them via the back door under the rubric of police reform. This of course will require more budget cuts to social programs in general. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#335): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/335 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/76124461/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES<br />#1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.<br />#2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived.<br />#3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
