I’m not confident Democrats are ready to put labor front and center, at least in my home state of Virginia. Case in point: Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly are pushing for an amendment that would enshrine the state’s anti-union “right-to-work” law in the Virginia Constitution. (Virginia voters already rejected the exact same Constitutional Amendment in 2016.) However, Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, refused to criticize “right-to-work” laws when asked about the proposed Constitutional Amendment. Here’s what Spanberger told reporters: “It’s a distraction effort to try and distract from the fact that they don’t want to protect women’s lives or their rights, and they don’t want to affirm marriage equality. They don’t want to recognize … [voting rights] when a citizen has come back to their community.”
A reporter followed up with another question about right to work and Spanberger deflected again. Spanberger could’ve easily said that right-to-work laws are designed to rig the system at the expense of working families. This isn’t an unpopular position. Beyond frustrating.
Important point: this is not capitalism - it is market feudalism!! Adam Smith's capitalism is "free, flat and fair" - it REQUIRES actual competition, which REQUIRES actual competitors, not huge market fiefdoms demanding their rent!
I usually say "American capitalism" to denote the way that capitalism is practiced here, as distinct from a textbook. You can also say "gangster capitalism."
well said -- I love the beaver analogy! And of course, the current oligarchs are not just satisfied with secondary damage -- like a flood in your home -- that want to do direct damage now!
In a voting system that does not recognize proportionality, and where your proportional vote counts for nothing, to have any voting impact, you must vote for one of the main parties. Yes, the Democrats are awful in many ways, but overall, at this time, in the absence of a real power alternative, they are way better than the Republicans. Given the voting structure - with no proportionality counting - we must vote Democrat and strive, by working within it, to make it a party of the working class. Not voting for them is effectively a vote for the Republicans. You can be proud you weren't tainted by supporting the party that sanctioned the brutality in Gaza, and did other awful things, but also take some responsibility for enabling the Republicans to actually take power.
Neither socialism nor capitalism economies work for the benefit of the people, but rather for the benefit of those in control. We the people of the United States need to demand that our economy exists for the benefit of society, with all of the people of society being treated fairly. Freeing corporate management from the control of the shareholders and establishing corporate goals and management incentives that balance the interests of all participants (employees, customers, communities, and shareholders) would accomplish that goal. An SEC-type entity for the middle class would require corporate reporting to employees that would expose current corporate goals and management incentives and their shortcomings relative to real free market requirements, leading to change. See www.informedcitizens.com for more information.
The Democrats are not a potential solution to the problem. They are a big systemic part of the problem. Expecting a party that has wholeheartedly supported a genocide to suddenly do the right thing is a waste of dwindling hope. The Democrats have proven with every slaughtered child in Gaza that they have no heart. There is no soul to be found among them. Democrats don't have the capability of caring about us; about the people of this nation. Hearing "Genocide" Joe warn of oligarchy is a joke ... he IS the oligarchy. One of its most murderous goons. May he shuffle off to a well-deserved deep, fiery crevice of hell and have to listen to the screams off his victims for all eternity.
Truly, "FJB".
I will not vote for any Democrat who happily pocketed AIPAC cash and voted to shred legs off Gazan toddlers. I didn't vote for Biden or Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November. I will never vote for Baldwin again. Never. Why? Because if she is willing to kill other peoples' children for pocket cash she will do the same to my family.
No, both parties are rotted, sociopathic cesspools beyond redemption. It's the system, not the parties. It's the system, not the next smarmy fast-talking huckster politician. We need mass revolt. Strikes. Boycotts. Mutual aid. Bring the system to a halt.
The good news is that Trump will do to the populist right what Obama did to the populist left. It will be the final betrayal that breaks the trance and perhaps people can come to see that the only issue that counts and can unite us all is class. We're all getting screwed. All of our kids are targeted for the next war for corporate looting.
The Rs&Ds are just checker pieces on the board.
Hamilton, if you haven't seen it, check out Aaron Good's new book, "American Exception". The first video interview in the link below with Jeff Sachs gives a good overview and the second one gets into some specifics. ... "AMERICAN EXCEPTION" -- Explanation Of Purpose & Collapse Of The American Corporate Empire ... https://mark192.substack.com/p/american-exception-understanding
'Organized Labor' alone won't do it. First, U.S. workers are multi-colored and multi-national, multi-aged, multi-gendered, and of two sexes. We need it to be that way on the top as well as the bottom. Winning those battles are needed to get labor stronger and less easily divided. Second, organized labor is too small to win alone. First, we need more union members, over 50% of all workers or more. Second, a rainbow of workers needs key allies, especially the wider multiclass movements of all the oppressed--women, Blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, LBTQ and so on. Now 'organized labor' can be unbeatable. Unite the many, defeat the few.
I’ve been writing about these same trends and parallels to previous eras, so this was a validating read. The metaphor was great. It’s amazing how difficult it is to shift someone’s perspective, even for a moment.
Hard not to scoff when the nation’s more likely than not been an oligarchy for at least a couple of decades and the DNC has been serving them (to our detriment) for said period.
Since the coming oligarchy will be intent upon destroying organized labor, or any group claiming to represent same; maybe we should find another, more universal basis for organized countermeasures against the oligarchy.
Beaver can't build dams if it's got no wood, after all.
Our current situation reminds me of a British TV show I saw in the late '80s, "A Very British Coup" (adapted from a book of the same name). Voters were finally fed up with the elitist, militaristic, oligarchic Tories and their equally craven, just as subservient to business centrist Labour Party counterparts. They elected a true Socialist who followed through on his campaign promises (one of which was arranging his own bailout deal with, irony of ironies, the Soviets, instead of meekly accepting the usurious terms offered by the IMF). This and other slaps to the faces of the elites resulted in their attempt to blackmail him out of office, his exposure of their plot on national TV and calling for an immediate general election to re-affirm his government with the voters. The show ended the morning of election day with the shadow of tanks on a polling place and a military helicopter rising off the ground, accompanied by audio announcing that Buckingham Palace would soon "clarify the constitutional situation", i.e., the very British Coup had begin. Socialism showed signs of actually winning, and the kleptocrats were using their military to prevent it and preserve their power. "Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth." -- Lucy Parsons
The Democrats will never help us—NEVER.
It’s up to us to start playing Luigi’s mansion.
The best we ordinary peasants can do is glorify the gamers who make the sacrifice on our behalf.
That’s it. There is no other option.
This is how we got the New Deal. And this is how we will get universal healthcare, raised minimum wage, and so on.
When they won’t give us justice, it’s up to us to take it.
Solidarity Forever ✊🏻
I’m not confident Democrats are ready to put labor front and center, at least in my home state of Virginia. Case in point: Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly are pushing for an amendment that would enshrine the state’s anti-union “right-to-work” law in the Virginia Constitution. (Virginia voters already rejected the exact same Constitutional Amendment in 2016.) However, Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, refused to criticize “right-to-work” laws when asked about the proposed Constitutional Amendment. Here’s what Spanberger told reporters: “It’s a distraction effort to try and distract from the fact that they don’t want to protect women’s lives or their rights, and they don’t want to affirm marriage equality. They don’t want to recognize … [voting rights] when a citizen has come back to their community.”
A reporter followed up with another question about right to work and Spanberger deflected again. Spanberger could’ve easily said that right-to-work laws are designed to rig the system at the expense of working families. This isn’t an unpopular position. Beyond frustrating.
Thanks once again for a thoughtful and intelligent and inspiring way to lean into the current disaster.
Important point: this is not capitalism - it is market feudalism!! Adam Smith's capitalism is "free, flat and fair" - it REQUIRES actual competition, which REQUIRES actual competitors, not huge market fiefdoms demanding their rent!
I usually say "American capitalism" to denote the way that capitalism is practiced here, as distinct from a textbook. You can also say "gangster capitalism."
well said -- I love the beaver analogy! And of course, the current oligarchs are not just satisfied with secondary damage -- like a flood in your home -- that want to do direct damage now!
People need to wake up and understand they and their families are in the targeting scopes of the oligarchs. Time to tear 'em down.
In a voting system that does not recognize proportionality, and where your proportional vote counts for nothing, to have any voting impact, you must vote for one of the main parties. Yes, the Democrats are awful in many ways, but overall, at this time, in the absence of a real power alternative, they are way better than the Republicans. Given the voting structure - with no proportionality counting - we must vote Democrat and strive, by working within it, to make it a party of the working class. Not voting for them is effectively a vote for the Republicans. You can be proud you weren't tainted by supporting the party that sanctioned the brutality in Gaza, and did other awful things, but also take some responsibility for enabling the Republicans to actually take power.
Neither socialism nor capitalism economies work for the benefit of the people, but rather for the benefit of those in control. We the people of the United States need to demand that our economy exists for the benefit of society, with all of the people of society being treated fairly. Freeing corporate management from the control of the shareholders and establishing corporate goals and management incentives that balance the interests of all participants (employees, customers, communities, and shareholders) would accomplish that goal. An SEC-type entity for the middle class would require corporate reporting to employees that would expose current corporate goals and management incentives and their shortcomings relative to real free market requirements, leading to change. See www.informedcitizens.com for more information.
The Democrats are not a potential solution to the problem. They are a big systemic part of the problem. Expecting a party that has wholeheartedly supported a genocide to suddenly do the right thing is a waste of dwindling hope. The Democrats have proven with every slaughtered child in Gaza that they have no heart. There is no soul to be found among them. Democrats don't have the capability of caring about us; about the people of this nation. Hearing "Genocide" Joe warn of oligarchy is a joke ... he IS the oligarchy. One of its most murderous goons. May he shuffle off to a well-deserved deep, fiery crevice of hell and have to listen to the screams off his victims for all eternity.
Truly, "FJB".
I will not vote for any Democrat who happily pocketed AIPAC cash and voted to shred legs off Gazan toddlers. I didn't vote for Biden or Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November. I will never vote for Baldwin again. Never. Why? Because if she is willing to kill other peoples' children for pocket cash she will do the same to my family.
No, both parties are rotted, sociopathic cesspools beyond redemption. It's the system, not the parties. It's the system, not the next smarmy fast-talking huckster politician. We need mass revolt. Strikes. Boycotts. Mutual aid. Bring the system to a halt.
The good news is that Trump will do to the populist right what Obama did to the populist left. It will be the final betrayal that breaks the trance and perhaps people can come to see that the only issue that counts and can unite us all is class. We're all getting screwed. All of our kids are targeted for the next war for corporate looting.
The Rs&Ds are just checker pieces on the board.
Hamilton, if you haven't seen it, check out Aaron Good's new book, "American Exception". The first video interview in the link below with Jeff Sachs gives a good overview and the second one gets into some specifics. ... "AMERICAN EXCEPTION" -- Explanation Of Purpose & Collapse Of The American Corporate Empire ... https://mark192.substack.com/p/american-exception-understanding
Hi Hamilton, didn’t the middle class come out of the end of WW2?
'Organized Labor' alone won't do it. First, U.S. workers are multi-colored and multi-national, multi-aged, multi-gendered, and of two sexes. We need it to be that way on the top as well as the bottom. Winning those battles are needed to get labor stronger and less easily divided. Second, organized labor is too small to win alone. First, we need more union members, over 50% of all workers or more. Second, a rainbow of workers needs key allies, especially the wider multiclass movements of all the oppressed--women, Blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, LBTQ and so on. Now 'organized labor' can be unbeatable. Unite the many, defeat the few.
I’ve been writing about these same trends and parallels to previous eras, so this was a validating read. The metaphor was great. It’s amazing how difficult it is to shift someone’s perspective, even for a moment.
I couldn't read the rest of your article after "funding a genocide." I'm sure it was very interesting.
Hard not to scoff when the nation’s more likely than not been an oligarchy for at least a couple of decades and the DNC has been serving them (to our detriment) for said period.
Sorry. This election is when my eyes got opened…
Since the coming oligarchy will be intent upon destroying organized labor, or any group claiming to represent same; maybe we should find another, more universal basis for organized countermeasures against the oligarchy.
Beaver can't build dams if it's got no wood, after all.
Our current situation reminds me of a British TV show I saw in the late '80s, "A Very British Coup" (adapted from a book of the same name). Voters were finally fed up with the elitist, militaristic, oligarchic Tories and their equally craven, just as subservient to business centrist Labour Party counterparts. They elected a true Socialist who followed through on his campaign promises (one of which was arranging his own bailout deal with, irony of ironies, the Soviets, instead of meekly accepting the usurious terms offered by the IMF). This and other slaps to the faces of the elites resulted in their attempt to blackmail him out of office, his exposure of their plot on national TV and calling for an immediate general election to re-affirm his government with the voters. The show ended the morning of election day with the shadow of tanks on a polling place and a military helicopter rising off the ground, accompanied by audio announcing that Buckingham Palace would soon "clarify the constitutional situation", i.e., the very British Coup had begin. Socialism showed signs of actually winning, and the kleptocrats were using their military to prevent it and preserve their power. "Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth." -- Lucy Parsons
More billionaires or so people call them “oligarchs” supported Biden than Trump.