Now Is Not the Time to Forgive the Democrats
Now is not the time to forgive the Democrats.
As the Trump regime continues its total assault on civil and human rights for those living in the United States, and as the forces of capital continue to tighten their tyrannical fist around the collective neck of the working class, I fear the almost inevitable will occur: the cycle of Republican victory by the skin of their teeth, the far-right assault on the country, and the flocking back into the arms of the Democrats for a brief respite before it starts all over again.
Trump’s second term is disastrous, even more so than his first, but that is not an excuse to flock back to the Democrats whatsoever. They are a party wholly beholden to capitalism, just as the Republicans are. The two parties form a duopoly. The Republicans are, yes, in many ways vastly different. They are dragging this nation ever deeper into Christian Nationalism and brutally attacking the civil and human rights of migrant workers, LGBTQ workers, teachers, students—all sections of the working class. They, the GOP, are doing all they can to drag this nation towards intensifying forms of reaction.
Why? It is a symptom of degrading capitalism. The capitalists’ divide-and-conquer tactic is no longer sufficient enough to maintain the tyranny of capitalism over the workers of this country. The forces of capitalist imperialism need to take a step further. This response is due to the increasing power of China (as they produce a large portion of the world’s cheap consumer goods) and the decreasing power and influence of the United States. The historically dominant powers of Western Europe and the US fear a looming future that threatens their position at the top of the imperialist pyramid.
Thus, they have begun to take the mask off. Elon Musk has shown us the truth that we always knew existed. Unelected, filthy-rich billionaires control this country. The dictatorship of the bourgeoisie is more open. They hold all the cards; the state and all elected officials are their lackeys. If Elon wants to destroy social security, he will do so (or at least attempt to). The capitalists feel less need for the smoke and mirrors show of “democracy” and “balance of powers.” They are losing profits to China, so they will pull all the stops out to claw their way back.
But why attack immigrants? Why go after colleges and other cultural institutions? Simply put, it is a tool to distract us from their economic policies. The culture war is one of the more powerful tools the capitalists have at their disposal to change the national conversation away from “Hey, Trump destroyed the National Labor Relations Board” to “Those damn commie college professors!”
I must stress something, however. The kidnappings (or deportations, as they call them) are worth our attention and our protest. The culture war, though ultimately meant as a clever distraction, is still destroying countless lives and killing people, too. And the Democrats know this. That is where they come in. They latch on to the renewed resistance against Trump, and the cycle continues. The Democrats aren’t MAGA, and they get re-elected because of it.
Our job as Communists is to point out this vicious cycle for what it is and offer a clear and thorough alternative, one that frees us all from the shackles of capitalism and puts these billionaires out of power for good. Have this conversation with your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors—anyone that you can talk about this with—and point out the flaws in the Democratic Party, that they, too, are complicit in the system that allowed Trump to take power in the first place. The Democrats are enablers. A person trying to quit drinking shouldn’t trust someone who hands them another bottle but says, “Now, I’m trusting you not to drink this, okay?” But more than that, point out to them—and draw them into the task of building—the only meaningful alternative: the Communist Party.