> On Dec 22, 2024, at 10:27 AM, Michael Meeropol via groups.io
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> So far, too many Democrats seem unwilling to join that fight --- but check
> out the Governors of California, Illinois (and Massachusetts?) --- maybe they
> will show the way.
Mike, I doubt that the Democrats will "join that fight" before the US people
start the fight and the Democrats have something to coopt. Right now, their
money base is accommodating the new MAGA order. The Democratic Party value is
to bring working people, identity-focused progressives, oppressed Black, Latine
masses, and others into a coalition with war manufacturers, financiers, and the
rest of their billionaire base. Do we want them to join and inevitably take
over "the fight?" The domestic winner in the Democrats' war on western Asia is
the US munitions industry. It's not obvious, moreover, that Trump will worsen
global heating more than the Biden administration, which topped records for
fossil-fuel extraction and consumption: It's the Republicans "Drill Baby
Drill!" versus the Democrats program to accelerate the production of new
commodities to replace the stock of US cars with electric vehicles and a new
grid, all built by burning coal, oil, and gas. Pick your poison. The
surveillance state grew mightely under the Democratic Party, leaving people
more vulnerable to the Trump administration. Our path to fight MAGA, IMO, does
not go through the Democratic party but over it.
My daydream is that we somehow channel the Trump reaction and resistance into
an electoral united front. One that would have "socialist" in the name but not
"revolutionary" or "communist" or "ML," etc. Those folks can join along with
others who agree to a minimal program including bring the troops home; stop
arming Israel; raise taxes to 1960's levels; de-commodify energy, education,
and healthcare; workers organization of US workplaces, and workers control of
labor unions.
In a Socialist electoral united front, candidates would be beholden to the
front for funding and platform with no self-dealing; opportunists who violate
the platform and discipline will be kicked out of the front and challenged in
the next election. The finances, including contributions, wages and
expenditures of all party functionaries and candidates will be published to the
membership, which includes not only the tiny US left but larger organizations
of workers, notably labor unions. But here we have a problem because union
finances are not transparent, members do not control unions, and the
self-perpetuating leaderships earn multiples of what union members earn. Those
leaders might see such a political party as just a larger arena for their
career aspirations and reproduce the rot of US business unionism. That's if
they would ever consider such as undertaking as a socialist electoral united
front. They will wait for Democrats join that fight.
Mark
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