by Ryan S
Is the government shutdown that we have been experiencing a complete failure of both the Republicans and Democrats, or is it an inevitable conclusion of two capitalist powers vying for power? The government will open again, one party will bend the knee, and then the next crisis will happen; this we know. But what we also know is that this is the nature of capitalist governments.
The Republicans’ main objective for decades has been the destruction of all social welfare programs.These hard-won concessions from the capitalist powers were won by the working class. Of course, the capitalist class also wants to be an American aristocracy, hence the rise of the No Kings movement.
Republicans, like an evil Pokémon, have evolved from Reagan/Bush war hawks to MAGA and now to their final form as Tech Bro Christofascists, while Democrats continue to appease them in a desperate bid to maintain the capitalist status quo.
While in power, Democrats chose not to further the cause for universal healthcare and failed to stop the return to power of the fascist MAGA movement. The Democrats were left desperately trying to preserve the stop-gap of subsidizing insurance, a situation that could have been avoided if the Democrats had succeeded in enshrining true universal access to healthcare. Instead they sat on their hands, they failed to truly help the working class, and, aided by a blatantly political and corrupt Supreme Court, they failed to prosecute the obvious crimes of the former Trump admin in a manner that would prevent their return to power. A failing that feels more jarring as Brazil successfully condemns their former dictator, Jair Bolsonaro, to prison.
So, what can we do?
What is different about this moment is that millions of people across the country are becoming sympathetic to socialist ideas; they are pissed and are seeking an alternative from the current system.
Disgust with both parties is now at a fever pitch on both sides, but the Democratic Party refuses to change, and the Republican Party has made fascism its rallying cry, both refusing to give up their exploitative capitalist nature.
With the No Kings’ protests happening across the country, we have a historically unique role that we absolutely must not overlook right now as socialists and progressives!
The contradictions of the capitalist system are on full display; the nation’s leaders gut the country for profit, they gleefully take away the most basic rights, they kidnap people from their homes, and continue to destroy the environment. We must stand up and say, enough!
To quote Lenin, “Unity must be won, and only the workers, the class-conscious workers themselves can win it – by stubborn and persistent effort.”
When we organize together, we come together. When we start sharing ideas, we can begin to change things and demand real change! Join the DSA, get involved, talk to your neighbors, and remember, We can’t go backwards to what was; we must fight for a better world for all, not for a few!