The fact that Sanders is running for president, as an Independent Socialist, is already bearing fruit. The capitalists, or at least the journalists who do their bidding, are now using the word capitalism, admitting that we live under a capitalist system. That is a first, a step in the right direction.
Those same journalists are also biasing the news, which is not too surprising, as they work for the capitalists. They do as they are told or end up looking for a job elsewhere. That being said, I suspect many of them are at least sympathetic to the cause of socialism, so it is best not to be too hard on them.
As Sanders is running for president, he did the principled thing and released his tax returns, and for this he deserves full credit. These tax returns reveal that he is a millionaire, as the book he wrote sold very well. That too is commendable, as the money he earned was as a result of his own work, and not earned from the labor of others.
Now the personal attacks have started from the capitalists. They are accusing Sanders of being a fellow capitalist who claims to be a socialist, in other words, a hypocrite. This is of course complete nonsense, as there is a big difference between having a little money in the bank, a life savings, and investing money in business, making money from the labor of others. Such investments are referred to as capitalism.
In addition, the capitalists are suggesting that Sanders should insist on paying a higher percentage of taxes, as he is in favour of raising the tax rate on the wealthy. That is still more nonsense, just another personal attack.
It is not too surprising that the capitalists have stooped to such tactics, as they are right at home in the gutter. It would never occur to them to discuss the issues, such as universal health coverage, a decent minimum wage, an equitable tax rate, food for the hungry, free tuition for students, and decent housing for the homeless. It is so much easier and satisfying to slander a good man.
The only reason they are attacking Sanders so savagely is because they see him as a threat, as indeed he is. Clearly, the man is doing something right, or the capitalists would merely leave him alone, just as they are ignoring the other Democratic presidential candidates. For that reason, if no other, Sanders deserves our support.
It is clear that these personal attacks are taking their toll, making Sanders feel quite uncomfortable. The man is only human, so that is completely understandable. Now the worst thing that can happen is for Sanders to buckle, to move to the centre, to water down his Leftist position, to make his platform more acceptable to the capitalists, to appeal to the middle class.
I say that is the worst thing that can happen because in America today, there are two classes of people that have been almost completely wiped out. The first class is the peasantry, referred to as farmers, and the second class is the middle class, the petty bourgeois, referred to as small business owners. That is not a coincidence, as every peasant is a small time capitalist. Their business is in growing crops, and selling those crops at the highest possible price. The small business owner is also focused on selling his wares at the highest possible price. Both are focused on making a profit, and both are being driven into bankruptcy by the monopoly capitalists.
On the one hand, the farmer is forced to sell his crops to the monopoly agricultural corporations, and those corporations set the buying price. The more the farmer raises, the more the corporations reduce the buying price. In addition, the huge farms owned by the corporations raise ever more crops, further reducing the price of the crops. The small farmer, mainly the owner of a family farm, cannot compete. It is just a matter of time before he goes broke, or more often becomes too old to work or dies. In any event, very few of the children are interested in following in their fathers footsteps. Who can blame them? They generally leave the farm and look for work elsewhere, becoming workers, or proletarians. The children of farmers tend to become members of the working class.
In the case of the small business owner, the petty bourgeois, the middle class, the situation is even more clear cut. The monopolies see this small business as a threat to their profit, and regardless of how small the threat, any one who is buying anything in that small store is not spending their money at the store of the monopolies. They immediately respond by driving that small business into bankruptcy.
The owner of the small business is forced to look for a job, immediately joining the ranks of the working class, the proletariat.
As a result of this, the class struggle is quite simple, at least in America. There is no middle ground, no middle class, no centre. On the one hand we have the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, or the Right. On the other hand, we have the working class, the proletariat, the Left. There is no point in urging a politician to move to the centre, to appeal to the middle class, as there is almost no middle class, no petty bourgeois, and consequently, no centre. It is now either Right wing, the bourgeoisie, or Left wing, the proletariat.
It is these simple facts of life under capitalism which are completely beyond the limited intellectual capacity of the political ”strategists”, as they refer to themselves, the people who coach the candidates for political office. They tend to be supremely well paid and equally incompetent. They either cannot or will not face the fact that the political situation has changed, and changed quite dramatically. The middle class has been effectively wiped out and the working class has spontaneously moved to the Left, is now embracing socialism. As long as Sanders continues to call for radical change under capitalism, he will almost certainly win the White House. If on the other hand, he submits to pressure from the strategists and moves to the centre, then Trump will almost certainly win another four years in office.
Now more than ever, Sanders needs our support. With that in mind, I am reminded of the millions of women who recently marched, all across the country, in protest against Trump. Now is the time to get in motion again, this time in support of Sanders. I am suggesting that the American women, those who are leading the world revolutionary movement, try a different approach. Join the two mainstream parties, Democratic and Republican, as card carrying members, and let Sanders know that he is not alone. Flood the two Parties with Leftist people, your people. You women are the leaders of the American revolution, and no doubt the men will follow suit. (Sorry guys, but you know it is true.)
As well, I am sure there are organizations or groups of women across the country. I am suggesting that you come together, as you did at the time of the inauguration, district by district and state by state. Within each district, feel free to appoint a leader and demand, as a card carrying member of both parties, that this leader be the candidate for office of the House of Representatives, the Congress, as a member of the Party. It matters not if the woman runs as a member of the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, but it would be best if she is the candidate for both Parties. Her chances of being elected increase dramatically in such a case. This is not only possible but probable, with the two Parties swamped with Leftist people. It should be a piece of cake.
Then the various districts within the state can come together and when appropriate, decide the Leftist person to run for other offices, such as Governor or Senator. Last but certainly not least, every district in the state can endorse Sanders for president.
In the mean time, Sanders should be notified that he is going to Washington, but he is not going alone. A great many people are going with him, many of them socialists, but all of them Leftist, those who are at least sympathetic to socialism.
This is our best chance of placing Sanders in the White House, and at the same time removing Trump from power. In fact it is very likely our only chance. The alternative is to campaign for Sanders, as happened in the previous presidential election, and very likely end up with the same result.
At that time, there were several candidates for the Democratic Party and a dozen candidates for the Republican Party. Each candidate raised possibly tens of millions of dollars for the campaign. Then the field was narrowed down to Trump and Clinton. It is reported that the Clinton campaign spent a billion dollars and yet she still lost to Trump.
It is simply not reasonable to ask people on the Left to donate a billion dollars or so to the Sanders election campaign, on the off chance that he may be elected. It has not worked in the past and very likely will not work in the future.
It is my belief that there is no point in repeating that which has proven to be ineffective in the past. Under such circumstances it makes far more sense to try something which may have a chance of success. My latest brain storm has the added virtue of being practical, cheap and with a reasonable chance of success. It is also completely legal. There is no law against ”occupying” the two Parties. There is no chance that the police will be called in to evict card carrying members of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party from their offices.
The Democratic Socialists of America -DSA- have a membership of fifty thousand people, and their statement mentions that they are fighting for socialism, even though many of their members think this cannot be accomplished under capitalism, that there can be no peaceful transition to socialism. Of course they are right, as the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are not about to part with their hard stolen wealth and power without a fight. That is a fact, just as it is a fact that those same capitalists have been encouraging us to change the system from within. Now is our chance to attempt to do just that.
That is of course my opinion, and no doubt there are many people on the Left who disagree with that opinion, as is their right. The internet, which has various instruments of social media, allows us to work together towards a common cause while at the same time being able to express our differences on that social media.
The rebellion within the two mainstream political parties, Democratic and Republican, has already begun. The registered members of both Parties, as well as a few of the card carrying members, are currently defying the Party bosses. The least we can do is to fan the flames of revolt.
The recent results of the latest midterm elections leave no room for any doubt in that department. A number of Leftist people were elected to Congress, and have distinguished themselves, especially those who are rather young and female. Of course I am referring to the women referred to as The Squad.
They are not terribly shy, do not bow down to the Party bosses, or the Speaker of the House or the president. At the moment, they are the exception, possibly feeling like a minority, which they are. It is up to us to change that, to place them in the majority.
This is not to say that the Leftist people we are about to send to Washington have to be young and female. This is to say that they cannot be shy. They must have the backbone to stand up to the capitalists and their belly crawling boot lickers, their henchmen, including the party bosses, the Speaker of the House and the president. They must also be made aware that we have their backs, we are behind them, we support them.
Very soon, the few lonely Leftist politicians in Washington will cease to be a minority and will become a majority. The bourgeoisie will be forced to change their method of rule. We have no way of knowing just what form this change will take, but as they are completely reactionary, we can expect that the change will be accordingly reactionary.
The members of the public, the rank and file, will then become convinced that there can be no peaceful transition to socialism, and this will very likely trigger a revolution. The support for the revolution will be deep and widespread. It will even extend to Washington, where we will have many people placed in positions of authority. This will give the revolution a far better chance of success.
For now, our banners should also read:
Occupy the Democratic Party!
Occupy the Republican Party!
Occupy Washington!
Sanders for President!
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 