It is now clear that the revolutionary motion, currently sweeping the country, has even reached into the ‘’highest reaches’’ of the middle class, the petty bourgeois.
That which has been referred to as the ‘’Cult of Trump’’, is causing ever more concern, among the ‘’upper middle class’’. Even those who consider themselves to be very ‘’Right Wing’’, on the political spectrum, are deeply worried about this ‘’political polarization’’, as they refer to it.
No doubt, all readers are familiar with the term ‘’cult’’, although many may not be aware of the exact meaning. According to the internet, it is a rather derogatory term for a group of people, who are ‘’led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who excessively controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices’’.
The fact is that Trump is certainly ‘’charismatic’’. At least superficially, he appears to be quite charming. But beneath the surface, is a different story. It is also a fact that he exercises great control over his followers, those who are referred to as, ‘’MAGA’’ people, in that MAGA stands for Make America Great Again. Further, Trump demands -and expects!- unquestioning loyalty and obedience!
The middle class intellectuals have a point, when they refer to the ‘’MAGA’’ people, as being part of a ‘’cult’’. And not just any cult! A supremely dangerous cult! A threat to American democracy!
It is clear that Trump is also a demagogue. For those who are not familiar with the term, a demagogue is defined as ‘’a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.’’
Not only is Trump a cult leader and a demagogue, he is a highly successful one!
Truly, as Lenin stated, ‘’Demagogues are the worst enemies of the working class’’!
One bourgeois journalist maintains that his ‘’followers do not care that he has been accused of ninety one felonies’’. He went on to say that most of his followers believe that ‘’Trump tells the truth, rather than their minister, or even their family. He has a loyal following’’.
In an opinion essay, published in one of the most highly respected newspapers in the country, a conservative intellectual sounded truly pessimistic, writing in despair, that a ‘’Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable! The more criminal charges he faces, the more popular he becomes!’’
To this, I can only respond that such a dictatorship is certainly not ‘’increasingly inevitable’’! Such a threat calls for a proper response, on the part of progressive people, in order to forestall that threat!
I have documented in a previous article, the best way to combat the ‘’Cult ofTrump’’, is to raise the level of awareness of his followers, most of whom are common people. There is no need to repeat it here.
Another journalist, speaking from the depths of bitterness and frustration, bemoaned the fact that, as he stated, ‘’People no longer respect the rule of law, or the Constitution. They have walked away from those thing, they do not trust any of the government entities. We are in a really scary place as far as our democracy is concerned. When people stop trusting in the rule of law, when people don’t believe anybody but Donald Trump! What he tells them is the truth no matter what it is, even when they can see with their own eyes, that it is not true! Believe what I tell you, Trump controls the GOP base. Everyone is concerned with not antagonizing Trump’’.
My dear bitter fellow, if by ‘’people’’, you are referring to the working people, common people, as ‘’no longer respecting the rule of law, or the Constitution’’, you are so right! There is a reason for this! Common people are not entirely stupid! They are well aware that the ‘’rule of law’’ and the ‘’Constitution’’, apply only to working people! Not to the billionaires! The billionaires can break the law and violate the Constitution, as they see fit, and get away with it! The law does not apply to the billionaires!
Trump is currently facing 91 felony charges! Yet he is a free man! If any member of the working class was facing even a fraction of those charges, that individual would be locked up! Never again to see the light of day! And all common people are well aware of this! So what did you expect?
As well, a former GOP Member of Congress wrote a book, in which she expressed herself in more entertaining terms: ‘’He’s told us what he will do. It’s very easy to see the steps he will take. People who say, well, if he’s elected, it’s not that dangerous because we have all these checks and balances. They don’t fully understand the extent into which the Republicans in Congress today have been co-opted. One of the things we see happening today is the sort of sleepwalking into dictatorship in the United States.’’
I must say, I am impressed! Someone certainly has a ‘’way with words’’! To refer to the MAGA movement as ‘’sleepwalking into dictatorship’’ is one way of putting it! Either she is a talented writer, or possibly she hired a professional. I believe they are referred to as ‘’ghost writers’’.
A more ominous warning comes from a journalist, writing in one of the most respected, ‘’conservative’’ newspapers, in the country: ‘’As perilous as it is for Republicans to say a negative word about Trump today, it will be impossible once he has sewn up the nomination. The Party will be in full general election mode, subordinating all to the presidential campaign. There will be no more infighting, only outfighting; in short, a tsunami of Trump support from all directions.’’
A former GOP governor spoke from a sense of deep bitterness, but accurately: ‘’There is no Republican Party, there is a cult around Donald Trump. They did not adopt a platform in 2020, which means they did not set out what they stood for. It’s what ever Trump tells us what we stand for today, that is what we shall stand for. So it is not a Party as we have known it. And believe what he says, he says what he is going to do. Believe him. He will tear down the very guard rails of our democracy. The rule of law, the respect for the Constitution, he means what he says. No one should question that.’’
Another bourgeois journalist supplied his own analysis: ‘’There are still people who believe in his ability to ’drain the swamp’. This is ‘slow walking’ us to dictatorship. On the democratic side, we have Biden, who is old school. Young voters do not buy into this. The bigger problem is that there is an overall challenge to our capitalist society. A lot of people are not getting that American dream.’’
Finally! A journalist who blurted out the truth! The truth is that ‘’there is an overall challenge to our capitalist society’’! Especially among the ‘’young voters’’! But what is the ‘’American dream’’?
According to the internet, it is the ‘’ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed.’’
There may have been a basis for such optimism, many years ago, but not now! Those days are long gone!
The key word here is ‘’classes’’! The members of the working class have no ‘’possibility of upward mobility, freedom and equality’’, if for no other reason than that there are no jobs, upon which to ‘’work hard’’! Make no mistake, the ‘’young voters’’ are supremely well aware of this!
The preceding was a mere sample of middle class intellectuals, who have identified the threat posed by Trump, and chose to do nothing more than whine about that threat!
By contrast, in response to this ‘’Cult of Trump’’, this ‘’threat to democracy’’, there are numerous middle class intellectuals, who have decided to take action. They tend to refer to themselves as proud ‘’Ultra Right Wing’’ conservatives. Many of them, but by no means all, are members of the Republican Party. They took part in setting up various conservative organizations, in order to oppose the ‘’Cult of Trump’’. They think that a new political party will solve the problem. The results of their efforts are most instructive.
The first to take shape was the ‘’Serve American Movement’’, (SAM), a political organization founded in 2017. Their stated goal is to ‘’pass the elections vote limit or use petition gain access in other states, in order to contest future elections’’.
Although the meaning of that goal, as stated on the internet, is not clear, the fact that they made the effort, is significant. It is a step in the right direction.
Then in 2021, the ‘’Renew America Movement’’, (RAM), was founded, reportedly by ‘’former staffers from the Republican Party administrations’’, with the intention of working to ‘’reduce political polarization’’ in the United States. Their stated goals were to unite Democrats, Republicans, and independent voters “… who have the courage to stand up against political extremists across the country”.
Outstanding! Now that is certainly a worthy goal! To unite people, voters ‘’who have the courage to stand up against political extremism’’, has our complete support!
As for ‘’reducing political polarization’’, that is the very goal of every socialist! This ‘’political polarization’’ is merely the result of class struggle! As long as classes exist, we will have class struggle, or ‘’political polarization’’, as she phrases it! It is the goal of all Scientific Socialists, true Marxists, Communists, to ‘’reduce’’ this class conflict! This reduction can only happen after the Revolution, after the billionaires are overthrown and crushed, under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat! At that time, under Scientific Socialism, classes will continue to exist, so that the class conflicts will continue to exist! Yet they will be ‘’reduced’’, as classes are gradually eliminated! Then, in the absence of classes, class struggle, or ‘’political polarization’’, will also cease to exist!
That was not the only organization to take shape, in response to the MAGA movement, within America.
In 2021, The Forward Party, also known as Forward, (FWD), was created. It is a self described ‘’centrist political party in the United States’’. The party, describes its goals as the ‘’reduction of partisan polarization’’, and implementing ‘’electoral reforms’’. As well, it has the goal of providing an alternative to the two major American political parties. It also states that, for the time being, candidates affiliated with the organization will remain members of the two major American political parties and America’s third parties, as well as independent candidates.
As for the readers who may find that to be a bit confusing, bear in mind that it was copied from their website, on the internet.
Then in 2022, both the SAM and RAM merged with the Forward Party, using the Forward Party name. Now the stated goal of the Party is also to ‘’break through a dysfunctional two party system that catered to the ideological fringes’’.
To describe the ‘’two party system’’ as ‘’dysfunctional’’, is completely accurate. It is absolutely dysfunctional! But to say that those two Parties ‘’catered to the ideological fringes’’, makes no sense whatsoever! Unless the ‘’ideological fringes’’ is a reference to the billionaires! That is the class of people to whom they ‘’cater’’!
Under the new alliance, Forward announced that there would be no traditional platform. Within each state, individual Forward Parties would determine their own priorities. Individual candidates, for that Party, would then develop their own priorities, as well as their own policies, based on those priorities.
One middle class journalist is of the opinion that The Forward Party is making a ‘’dangerous miscalculation. It is betting that what a party opposes is more important that what it stands for’’. The idea is that ‘’political beliefs no longer matter in a Party’’, so long as everyone is committed to moving, “Not Left. Not Right. Forward.”
As such a policy can lead only to mass confusion, that journalist is no doubt correct! It is a step back from the stated goals of RAM!
In particular, the former Governor of New Jersey, and Forward Party Co-Chair, has been very vocal. Strangely enough, even though she is the ‘’Co-Chair’’ of a new political party, she is still a member of the Republican Party.
In response to an inquiry, by a journalist, the former Governor of New Jersey stated,
‘’During the Trump era, I broke away from the GOP as it devolved into a cult of personality threatening democracy and our institutions; I served as the national spokesperson for the Republican organization, Renew America Movement, which worked to reduce political polarization.
‘’But Renew America was swept into the Forward Party inJuly 2022, one ina series of mergers and acquisitions of collapsing Republican reform groups that splintered off from the GOP in the wake of the Trump presidency. As they united under the new party’s banner, the groups delivered their membership lists, resources and even their political professionals like me — despite having no ideological commonality.’’
This absence of ‘’ideological commonality’’, among the ‘’collapsing Republican reform groups’’, is a recipe for further collapse! It simply means that they have merged, without having any common goal! Her further experience confirmed this: ‘’We had been promised our reform efforts would continue. Instead, I found an organization convinced it could maintain and grow its disparate coalition by not taking any positions at all. Its very existence was premised on the idea that, in the future, political parties will succeed by not having a philosophy of government, a shared vision or even a platform to unite behind. That’s not what I signed up for.’’
I have deliberately gone into considerable detail, concerning the well meaning efforts, of middle class bourgeois intellectuals, to form an alternative political party. These are examples of how not to form such a Party!
This also shows how completely muddled these people have become! Bear in mind that some of them, or at least the former Governor of New Jersey, are among the most intelligent of the bourgeois intellectuals!
But as Lenin pointed out, in reference to a statement made by the British Prime Minister, one which made no sense: ‘’This argument shows in particular how muddled even the most intelligent members of the bourgeoisie have become and how they cannot help committing irreparable errors. That, in fact, is what will bring about the downfall of the bourgeoisie.’’
May I suggest, to progressive middle class intellectuals, that we should first face the fact that we live in a class society. Capitalists and workers, bourgeois and proletarians. Any political Party we create, can serve one of those two classes, or the other, it cannot serve both!
The two mainstream political Parties we now have, Democrat and Republican, serve the same class! The capitalists! The billionaires! The bourgeoisie! There is no one Party serves all!
As that is the case, there is only one Party that can serve the working class, the proletariat. That is the Party which embraces Scientific Socialism, the Party of true Marxism, the Party which calls for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, the touchstone of a true Marxist, according to Lenin.
Such a true Communist Party can be created only by middle class intellectuals, although the most advanced workers can no doubt be of assistance.
The Communist Manifesto provides for this: ‘’entire sections of the ruling class are, by the advance of industry, precipitated into the proletariat, or at least threatened in their conditions of existence. These also supply the proletariat with fresh elements of enlightenment and progress.’’
It is safe to say that the plan of the billionaires, to set up Trump as the head of a fascist dictatorship, qualifies as ‘’threatening the conditions of existence’’, of the middle class. As well, all banks but eight, and all businesses but five, are ‘’Too Small To Succeed’’! They are destined for bankruptcy! As these businesses dissolve, the middle class will also cease to exist.
In a previous article, I have given practical suggestions, concerning the procedure to be followed, in setting up a true Communist Party. Suffice it to say that it is primarily up to middle class intellectuals, those familiar with the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, to create such a Party. Be discrete, use the internet.
I can only add, that the need for a true Communist Party, one that calls for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, is becoming ever more urgent.
Such a Party must, of necessity, be limited to a rather small number of dedicated, disciplined, professional revolutionaries. It must be highly centralized, with a well established Party platform, so that everyone knows the policy of the Party. The key lies in ‘’democratic centralism’’, an organizational principle, in which decisions are taken after discussions, among all Party Members. Once the general Party lines are established, no further discussion is permitted. Factions are not allowed. No member or institution is allowed to disagree on a policy, after it has been agreed upon by the governing body of the Party. The penalty for doing so is expulsion from the Party.
Bear in mind, that the billionaires plan to set up a fascist dictatorship, with Trump as the figurehead leader. The only way to stop them, is through a Scientific Socialist Revolution, which will result in the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
For that reason, the level of awareness of the working class must be raised. The proletariat, or at least the most advanced workers within the proletariat, must be raised to the level of scientific socialists. This can only be accomplished, through the efforts of a true Communist Party.
The formation of that true Communist Party, Dictatorship of the Proletariat, is now in the hands of class conscious, middle class intellectuals. I wish you well.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 