The revolutionary motion that is sweeping North America is very powerful. In fact, it has spread to the industrialize countries of the world. The capitalists are clearly ”feeling the heat”, are unable to rule in the old way, so that they are being forced to change their method of rule. Their latest brain storm is to ”preach the gospel” of a ”strengthened democracy”, which is that of a ”new and improved”, ”Inclusive Capitalism”.
This program is being spearheaded by the Obama Foundation. The mission of that Foundation is to ”inspire, empower and connect people to change their world”. Clearly, the wording of that mission statement was carefully chosen, as it does not specify just how it plans to inspire, which people with whom to connect, and just how to change the world. This is to say that it is devoid of class content. Yet it very likely attracts some very well meaning people, mainly young ones, especially those who are determined to ”make a difference”.
The Foundation has a Leaders Program, which has the goal ”to inspire, empower and connect regional cohorts of change makers to accelerate positive and lasting change in their communities and throughout the world.” This too is carefully worded, also devoid of class content.
The Foundation has other Programs, including a Girls Opportunity Unity Alliance, a Voyager Scholarship, a Fellowship Program and a Scholars Program. No doubt a great many dedicated young people are drawn to this Foundation. In this article, I will focus on their latest program, the Democracy Forum.
About a week ago, Michelle Obama launched the Democracy Forum. Her speech is on the Internet, lasts around a minute, and her delivery was impeccable. The people who coached her, referred to as her ”handlers”, did a fine job! Every detail was carefully orchestrated! The clothes were selected, as was her hair style. Her tone of voice was one of concern, as was her facial expression, not to mention her body language. That in no way changes the fact that her speech was pure Hog Wash!
Yet this speech is vitally important, as it is a clear cut example of the change in the method of rule, adopted by the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. For that reason, I have chosen to give the full speech:
”Democracy: It’s more than a system of government. It’s a set of values. Freedom. Justice. Equality. Openness. Truth. It’s not about blood or pedigree or wealth. It’s about making sure everyone has a voice and a fair shot. And it’s up to all of us, as individuals, to not only hope for a better future, but work together to build one. So we have got to push each other, and lean on one another, and recognize the power each one of us has, to ensure that this moment is not a twilight, but a dawning of the next great chapter of democracy around the world. And that is exactly what we are here to do.”
Dear lady, you are so right, when you say that ”Democracy” is ”more than a system of government”. Democracy is a method of class rule! It involves a state apparatus! It is the police, prisons, courts, bureaucracy and standing army, which is used to suppress the working class! It is a method, by which one class of people, in our case the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, use to crush and exploit the members of another class, in our case the working class, the wage labourers, the proletariat.
It has nothing to do with a ”set of values”. It has everything to do with ”power and wealth”! The billionaires are concerned with one thing, and one thing only, their profit, their bottom line! The billionaires are focused! The billionaires are determined! They are focused and determined to become Trillionaires! That has nothing to do with ”voice” and ”fair shot” of ”everyone”, which is to say the working class!
You are also correct when you say that ”it’s up to all of us”, to ”work together” to ”build a better future”. At least, it is correct if you are referring to the members of the working class! That can only happen under socialism!
The only ”better future”, is a future without capitalism! A future of socialism. A future in which people will be working together, for the common good. A future that is possible only under socialism!
Under capitalism, we have ”democracy”, but democracy for the capitalists! For the proletariat, we live under a dictatorship! The dictatorship of the bourgeoisie!
Lenin explains, quite clearly, in State and Revolution, that your ”democracy” consists of a ”state apparatus”, a ”special repressive force” for the ”suppression of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie, for the suppression of the millions of toilers by the handful of rich”, which is to say the capitalists, the billionaires. He goes on to say that this state apparatus must be smashed, at the time of the Revolution, and replaced by a ”special repressive force” for the suppression of the capitalists, the billionaires, by the working class. This is referred to as the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
Yet the Obama Foundation has set up a Forum, one with ambitious goals. The spokesman for that Forum is the former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. As such, he is, without doubt, a dedicated supporter of capitalism. He also has a two minute speech on the Internet, titled Obama Foundation Democracy Forum. This too, I found to be most interesting. It may help to think of this as their ”new and improved” proposed method of rule:
”If you want to strengthen democracy, you also have to think about the economy. And what does that mean? I would highlight three things:
”The first is, from an economic perspective, there is a serious question of whether growth is more sustainable and stable when everyone benefits, versus when only a very few benefit. You see around the world and in the United States, special interests, changing the tax code, changing regulations, to benefit a small group of people that undermines and accentuates the ordinary people that they cannot get ahead, and they can’t win.
”The second thing is that we have seen over recent decades that as there are big increases in economic inequality, there are also big increases in social polarization and in the efforts of the few and the special interests to make sure they get theirs, and that our politics gets biased towards those with money. That leads to number three.
”The rise of distrust in our institutions, the rise of cynicism among voters and citizens. They no longer trust that the government is looking out for them. That is why it is so important for democracy that we make sure that it is an inclusive capitalism and inclusive growth.
”At the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, we are bringing in leaders that are proposing approaches and solutions that are responsive to citizens and create inclusive and equitable economic realities for everyone.”
It is quite surprising to find that this man has stated the facts, quite accurately, while at the same time, carefully avoiding class terms. His reference to the ”few”, the ”very few”, ”small group of people”, and ”those with money”, is a reference to the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. His reference to ”everyone”, ”ordinary people”, to ”voters and citizens”, is a reference to the common people, the working class, the members of the public, the proletariat.
He starts out by making the point that ”growth is more sustainable and stable when everyone benefits”, as opposed to our current situation, ”when only a few benefit”. This is a result of ”changing the tax code” and ”changing regulations”, so that the capitalists, the billionaires pay little taxes, if any at all. It is the working class, the ”ordinary people”, that pays all the taxes! Those same ”ordinary people” are well aware of this, aware that we ”cannot get ahead”, that we ”cannot win”! But only because we live under capitalism!
In his second ”highlight”, he points to the ”economic inequality”, which has led to ”social polarization”, as the capitalists make sure they ”get theirs”, as the government policies are ”biased towards those with money”. This is a convoluted way of saying that which everyone knows, the ”rich are getting richer”, while the ”poor are getting poorer”! The poor, the working people, are also well aware of the fact that the government makes sure that the rich get ever more rich!
His third ”highlight” also says that working people are now cynical! Not at all! Workers merely see now that the government is ”looking out for” the capitalists! Of course they no longer trust the government! That is not cynical! That is merely facing the facts!
He deserves credit for stating certain facts, even though in a convoluted manner, while carefully avoiding any mention of the existence of classes. He even went so far as to acknowledge the fact that the working class no longer trusts the government. His proposed solution to this problem is to make capitalism inclusive!
This cannot be done! Capitalism is anything but inclusive! Perhaps someone should explain to this simple soul- the former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors!- the ”nuts and bolts” of capitalism!
The capitalists own the ”means of production”, which is to say the factories, mills, mines, the land and buildings, as well as everything else that is used to produce goods. They also own all of the ”means of transportation”, which is to say railroads, airlines, shipping lines and trucking companies, for example. They also own all communications networks, such as the Internet, radio and television stations, newspapers and so forth. In fact, they own anything and everything of any considerable value. They regard this property as ”capital”, as indeed it is. Their one and only income is from their ”invested capital”. That is the reason they are referred to as ”capitalists”. They do no useful work. They merely collect interest on that invested capital. They contribute nothing to society! They are leaches! Human parasites!
These capitalists, those who are commonly referred to as billionaires, are part of a separate class, technically referred to as the bourgeoisie. They are small in number, but very powerful, because of their great wealth.
As opposed to the class of capitalists, we have the working class, technically referred to as the proletariat. As we have no ”capital”, we are forced to sell our labour power. We work for the capitalists, if only because we have no choice in the matter. We sell ourselves by the hour, so that we are ”wage slaves”.
It is in the interests of the workers, the proletarians, to sell ourselves at the highest possible price, while it is in the interests of the capitalists, the bourgeois, to pay us as little as possible. It does not take a ”rocket scientist” to figure out that our interests are ”diametrically opposed”! That which is in the best interests of the workers, is in the worst interests of the capitalists!
We are class enemies! There is a constant state of war going on between workers and capitalists, proletarians and bourgeoisie! Usually this war is hidden, but occasionally it breaks out into the open. When this happens, it is referred to as Revolution! We are close to open Revolution, as capitalism has reached the point of crisis, and the capitalists are forced to change their method of rule. Hence the nonsense of ”inclusive capitalism”!
It was Lenin who gave a very clear definition of democracy, in State and Revolution. In referring to the democratic republic, under capitalism: ”Democracy for an insignificant minority, democracy for the rich – that is the democracy of capitalist society.” This is to drive home the fact that democracy, under capitalism, cannot be inclusive! It is strictly for the ”insignificant minority”!
Yet we cannot help but feeling grateful to the Obama Foundation, and especially to the Democracy Forum, for drawing the attention of so many members of the working class, to the issue of democracy. We can only hope that they will continue to point out the hypocrisy of democracy under capitalism, bourgeois democracy.
This will no doubt inspire working people to read State and Revolution. In this way, we will all be more prepared for the forth coming Revolution. I can think of no better way to close this article than with my usual slogans. I can only hope that these will soon become common place expressions:
Workers of the World, Unite!
Soviet Power!
Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
World Socialist Republic!
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 