Author: Gerald Mcisaac

Of late, the ”personal lawyer” of Donald Trump has performed a great service to all working people. He, the former mayor of New York City, along with several other lawyers, recently had a rather lengthy press conference, one which lasted an hour and a half. These people refer to themselves as an ”Elite Strike Force Team”, working on behalf of President Trump.

The value of this press conference lies in the fact that these lawyers, those who are staunch supporters of the bourgeois democratic system, chose to document the various ways in which the democratic system is being subverted. They claim the system is ”corrupt in major cities”, all across the country. They also claim that the corruption has spread to the judicial system, in that the judges, those who are supposed to be impartial, are really in the service of the bosses of the political parties, either Democrats or Republicans.

To say that these are serious accusations is an understatement. At best, these lawyers, or attorneys, as that is their technical title, could face disbarment, unable to practice law. At worst, they could face very serious charges, which could result in lengthy prison sentences.

With that in mind, they were careful to produce numerous ”affidavits” from various citizens, those who worked at the polling stations. For the benefit of those who are not ”legal eagles”, I should mention that an affidavit is a legal term for a declaration that is voluntarily given, under oath, with a possible penalty of perjury, in case the statement is proven to be a lie.

The people who signed those affidavits had no reason to lie, and every reason to tell the truth. To come forward with these statements required a great deal of courage. No doubt they consider the democratic system to be of great importance. It is not by chance that they have chosen to come forward now. It is an indication of the strength of the revolutionary motion. These people deserve a great deal of credit.

Those workers say that while they were serving at the polling stations, they were told to not ask for voter identification, as is required by law. They can testify to the fact that various individuals were told for whom to vote, and then those same individuals voted for that particular candidate, on numerous occasions. Many people cast ballots by mail, and then voted in person. Some of those voters were illegal immigrants. Mail in ballots were especially fraudulent, with the post marks on the envelopes largely ignored. Workers were told to ignore or even change the date of the postmark, if necessary. Boxes and trash cans filled with ballots were brought into the polling stations, to be counted in turn.

In addition, in certain districts, the voter turn out was two or even three time greater than the number of registered voters within the district! To have more votes than there are voters is blatantly ridiculous.

The lawyers also documented the fact that certain districts used voting machines. These machines are easily programmed, even by remote control. (One of the marvels of modern technology!) That is certainly a fact, although it is a stretch to blame voter fraud on foreign countries. There is no shortage of home grown electrical engineers who are quite capable of programming these machines to spit out fraudulent results.

In all fairness, these lawyers are in the service of their client, Donald Trump, and their goal is to ensure that he is sworn in for a second, four year term. No one can fault those people for performing their duty. With that in mind, they have mounted numerous court challenges, questioning the validity of the vote in various states. All of these cases have been thrown out of court. The presiding judges have chosen to ignore all evidence of election fraud. In response to this bias shown on behalf of the judicial system, the lawyers are now appealing directly to the people, the American citizens.

We can learn something from the Elite Strike Force Team! It is absolutely correct to use the existing state apparatus, including the courts, to further our goals. It is also correct to appeal to the public, when appropriate. Now is the appropriate time.

No doubt a great many people are focused on the federal election, with good reason. Equally without doubt, they are deeply divided. Some are passionately against Trump, while others are equally passionate in their support of Trump. Very few people find the subject to be a matter of indifference.

From a Marxist perspective, the important thing is that this has the attention of people, so that it can be used to raise the level of consciousness of the working class. The fact is that the courts, which are supposed to be impartial, have refused to examine the evidence of voter fraud, as presented by the Elite Strike Force Team!

This can be explained by the fact that the courts are part of the state apparatus, and for that reason, cannot possibly be impartial.

That calls for a little explanation, as the subject of the state has been confused, sometimes deliberately, by representatives of bourgeois science. They would have us believe that it is a sacred institution, almost a commandment, one which should have been carved in stone. Such is hardly the case, but as it affects the interests of the ruling class so intimately, their passion is understandable.

In fact, the state apparatus did not always exist. In primitive society, at a time which is commonly referred to as the stone age, there were no classes, and consequently no state apparatus. Each and every member of that society had to ”pull their own weight”, as they lived constantly on the edge of starvation. All food had to be either gathered or killed. There was never a surplus. The survival of the group required all to do their part.

That situation changed dramatically at the onset of civilization. The cultivation of crops created a surplus, so that people had some free time on their hands. Some of these fortunate individuals used this free time to separate their neighbours from their property and even their freedom. This gave rise to the first classes, that of slaves and slave owners.

It is perhaps not too surprising that the slave owners were faced with a little problem, in that the slaves were reluctant to accept their lot in life. In fact, they had a rather annoying habit of rebelling. It is for this reason that the class of people, whom we refer to as slave owners, came up with a new invention. It is called a state apparatus, a method of keeping the class of slaves in check. At first, it was rather simple, perhaps men on horse back with whips and chains, to be used against ”ungrateful” slaves.

Over the years, this state apparatus has evolved, as classes have evolved. In fact, Engels has done a fine job of explaining this in his book, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. The state apparatus is now more elaborate, but it still exists in order to keep the ”lower classes” subjugated. In modern times, this means the working class must be suppressed. All working people should be encouraged to read this book.

The current state apparatus includes the police, military, jails and prisons, as well as the courts. As the current system is one of capitalism, it is the duty of the state to serve and protect the ruling class, in this case the bourgeoisie, from the lower classes, in this case the working class, the proletariat. As the courts are part of the state, it is simply not reasonable to expect the courts to be impartial!

This is not to imply that the federal election was fraudulent and the results should be thrown out. Both Trump and Biden serve the same class. Our one and only goal is to raise the level of awareness of the working class, and we can do this by using the federal election as an example.

In fact, the election was fraudulent, which the Elite Strike Force Team has documented, and such fraud is common place. This has been going on for many years, in possibly all federal elections. The ruling class, the bourgeoisie, determines the individual to be placed in power, and the popular vote is a mere formality.

There is a striking contrast between the working people who came forward, to testify in the matter of this election fraud, and the lawyers, those who work for Trump. On the one hand, the working people spoke up, in the interests of democracy, while the lawyers are merely working in the best interests of their client.

Remarkably enough, the situation can be compared to the situation, many years ago, in which the mafia found themselves. At that time, one of their own, a ”made man”, by the name of Joe Valachi, ”turned rat”, as is the common expression, and became an informer for the government. He revealed the inner workings of the ”mob”, including the induction ceremony. All of his former buddies were shocked and horrified, as Valachi broke the cardinal rule, the rule of silence.

It is safe to say that the current members of the bourgeoisie, the class of people to whom Trump belongs, the billionaires, now know precisely how those mobsters felt. One of their own has betrayed them. They decided that it was time for Trump to go, but instead of bowing out gracefully, as is customary, he has decided to tear down the state apparatus, as it now exists. The current democratic republic, in the form of the two party system, is about to be destroyed.

This brings us to the democratic republic, which is the ideal political shell for capitalism. It is indeed democratic, in that working people have certain democratic rights. As Lenin phrased it, ”truncated, twisted, distorted democratic rights”. That in no way changes the fact that it remains a state apparatus, a method of rule, a means by which one class, in this case the bourgeoisie, crushes another class, in this case the working class, the proletariat. It is not, and cannot be, ”majority rule”, still less can it be ”pure democracy”, as it is a method of rule, and there is nothing ”pure” in one class ruling it over another class.

This is the point which must be driven home to the working class. We live in a class society, so that it is class rule. Either the capitalists are in charge, in which case we live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, or the working class seizes power, demolishes the existing state apparatus, and sets up a new state apparatus, in order to crush the resistance of the capitalists, in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. There is no third possibility.

We can perhaps stress that the admissions of the Elite Strike Force Team are most valuable, as they cannot be accused of being ”leftist”. On the contrary, they are among the most devoted followers of the bourgeoisie, loyal servants, one and all. It would never occur to them to offer assistance to the working class, in their struggle against the capitalists. They are merely working in the best interests of their client.

It is up to Marxists to take advantage of these valuable admissions, possibly even going so far as to support the lawyers in their struggle to prove that the election was fraudulent. It must be stressed that such a show of support in no way indicates our support for Trump. It can only indicate our support of the democratic process, as a means of raising the level of consciousness of the working class.

This is not to say that we can ever become ”buddies” with these lawyers, as we serve different classes. It just means that for a certain time, for entirely different reasons, we may have a common goal.

As I write this, the current death toll in America, due to the Corona Virus, is approaching 250,000, a quarter million! The press is reporting that in the previous week, an additional one million Americans were infected with the virus. The medical professionals anticipate the death toll to sky rocket, as soon as the flu season arrives and people are infected with the virus as well as the flu. It is further anticipated that most hospitals in the country, which are currently working at near capacity, will be overwhelmed at that time.

In response to this humanitarian disaster, the Trump administration has remained almost entirely silent. The suffering and death of so many Americans is a subject upon which they are completely indifferent. They clearly have other priorities, such as preparing the American public for a second four year term of Trump as president.

By contrast, the press is mainly concerned with the presidential election. They are determined that Trump ”lost the election”, and that he refuses to admit defeat. They refer to Biden as the President Elect, and are counting down the days until he will be sworn in as president. It is a subject upon which various journalists are deeply passionate. Perhaps someone should break it to these people that passion does not elect a president. The Electors elect the president.

In all fairness to the journalists, it is clear that they are aware of the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution. On occasion, they refer to it, almost in whispers, so to speak. No doubt they are as yet, not prepared to face the fact that the Twelfth makes no mention of the popular vote. They desperately want to believe that the states have the authority to force the majority of Electors to vote for Biden.

All states have laws which require the Electors from any particular state to vote for either the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate. None of these state laws has ever been challenged in court, at least not before now. Very soon, that will change. The lawyers who work for Trump will see to that. They have already prepared the arguments for the Supreme Court, to the effect that the states do not have the authority to interfere in a federal election. In the mean time, they are advising the Electors that they have the legal authority to vote for any qualified American, for the office of president, as they see fit.

The idea is not so much to ensure that Trump will win 270 Electoral Votes, but to make sure that Biden does not win that same amount of Votes. If no candidate wins the majority of votes, then the presidential election goes to the House of Representatives, in which case, each state has one vote. Trump is sure he can get twenty six states to vote for him, thus ensuring another four years in office. That remains to be seen.

In the mean time, the people who work for Trump are busy, creating as much trouble and confusion as possible. They are disputing the popular vote count in various states, and in each case the courts are ruling against them. They are also organizing demonstrations, particularly in the capital of Washington, D.C. The slogan they are using is ”Stop the Steal”, and a great many Trump supporters are taking part in these marches.

Without doubt, someone very clever is behind this, a ”Propaganda Minister”, so to speak, a modern day Joseph Goebbels. The plan is to create confusion, get people worked up, persuade them they have been cheated and to use the courts for this purpose. That ”clever someone” rules out Trump, as he has the attention span of a hyper active two year old. That also narrows it down, to possibly his ”personal lawyer” or even his ”close associate”, individuals who are very bright and equally devoid of principle.

The press is also focused on a few key dates. They assure us that all court challenges, at least concerning the election, have to be settled by December 8. Try telling that to the Supreme Court! They also say that the Electors have to vote on December 14, and that the ballots have to be in Washington by December 23. Then on January 6, the full Senate and House of Representatives, otherwise known as ”both Houses of Congress”, will meet. On that day, the President of the Senate, who is also the Vice President, Mike Pence, will open each and every sealed ballot, in their presence, and announce the candidates for office of President and Vice President. The press is hoping and praying that Biden, whom they rather optimistically refer to as the President Elect, will receive 270 Electoral Votes. We will see.

As the ballots are sealed, it is very likely that we will not know the election results until January 6. By that time, the ”propaganda minister” for Trump may have his supporters worked up into a proper frenzy.

It is perhaps worth mentioning that the one date they are not mentioning is December 11, the day the federal government runs out of money, unless the national debt is raised, once again. Then again, concerning the manner in which the politicians are squabbling, it may be difficult to get them to agree on this. Another government shut down can only add to the tension.

It is clear that the reactionaries are aware of the strength of the working class movement and are determined to divert it. Their goal is to divide working people, to create a pro Trump faction and a pro Biden faction. Ideally, they would love to see the two factions involved in ”physical altercations”, which is to say, to fight each other. As the Trump supporters are now demonstrating, there is a distinct possibility that they may collide with Biden supporters. It is up to Marxists to make sure that does not happen.

It is necessary to organize demonstrations to further the socialist cause, to raise the level of awareness of the working class, complete with banners to that effect. As well, such banners should read ”Neither Trump Nor Biden”. This is to let the rank and file, among the Trump supporters, know that we do not regard them as the enemy. We have a common enemy, the monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie, and we want them to join with us, against our enemy.

It may help to consider the pro Trump supporters, or at least the rank and file members, as less advanced members of the working class. Many of them are quite passionate in their beliefs, just as many Biden supporters are equally passionate in their beliefs. The Biden supporters may perhaps be a little more advanced, but the supporters for both camps are mistaken. Both Trump and Biden serve the same class.

With that in mind, it bears repeating the words of Engels: ”Without a revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary motion!” As well, it was Lenin who stated, quite clearly, that ”the role of vanguard can be fulfilled only by a party that is guided by an advanced theory!”

As yet there is no true American Communist Party, one which calls for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, but no doubt it will soon be created. As the crises in capitalism continues to intensify, ever more members of the middle class are becoming financially ruined, forced into the ranks of the proletariat. Many of these freshly minted proletarians are intellectuals, aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. It is up to them, in fact it is their duty, their moral obligation, to take part in the creation of a Communist Party.

To such people, I can only say that I have complete confidence in you. Your past will not be held against you. March proudly in the footsteps of previous great revolutionaries, most of whom were middle class intellectuals. That includes Marx and Lenin. If they can do it, you can do it!

Bear in mind that ”the stakes are high”, to use a popular expression. American imperialism is among the most powerful in the world. It has to be destroyed. The American proletariat is now among the vanguard of the international revolutionary proletariat. Further, it is being led by women, for possibly the first time in history. I have no doubt you ladies will rise to the occasion and lead the American revolution to a successful conclusion, to the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

It has been pointed out to me that in my book, Occupy Movement and the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, I was mistaken in saying that ”the peasants are not the enemy”. While this is largely true, it is not quite that simple.

As I pointed out in the book, the peasants are divided into three categories, the poor, rich and middle peasants. The poor peasants are the natural and desirable ally of the working class, the proletariat, under all circumstances. The middle peasants are also natural allies, although they tend to vacillate. Our attitude towards the middle peasant must be one of patience. The rich peasant can be an ally, although he can just as easily be the enemy. It all depends upon the situation.

Perhaps a well known historical example will help to clarify matters.

Consider the country of Russia in 1917. At the time of the February revolution, in which the Czar was overthrown, all of the peasants, without exception, were in an alliance with the proletariat, against the monarchy. That alliance remained in place for the following few months, until the ”October Revolution”, in which the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, as well as the landlords, were overthrown and crushed under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. This took place on October 25, old style calendar, or November 7, new style calendar. Immediately after the revolution, in fact the next day, the situation changed dramatically. On that day, not all the peasants were united behind the proletariat. In fact, the rich peasants, the kulaks, or ”tight fists”, became the enemy of the proletariat and poor peasants.

By way of explanation, all of the peasants were united in their hatred of the landlords, the human blood suckers who exploited all peasants, without exception. The October Revolution overthrew the capitalists, as well as the landlords. In fact, one of the first decrees of the new socialist government was that the land now belonged to the tiller. Under this ”new reality”, the rich peasants, the kulaks, were then able to focus entirely upon getting rich. As the landlords were no longer a concern, it was just a simple matter of hoarding their surplus grain, so that the starving of the working people and poor peasants forced up the price of grain, allowing the kulaks to sell their grain at a huge profit. Literally overnight, the kulaks went form being allies of the proletariat and poor peasants, to being the enemy. The kulaks became the new ”rural bourgeoisie”.

The lesson here is that in a revolutionary situation, alliances can change immediately and dramatically. The friends of today can become the enemies of tomorrow, and the enemies of today can become the friends of tomorrow. It all depends upon the conditions then prevailing.

As mentioned in the book, this particular situation is not one which the people of North America can be expected to face. The bourgeoisie have ”graciously” simplified the class struggle, so that the peasants have been all but wiped out. For that matter, the middle class, the petty bourgeois, has been severely depleted. The remainder are ”living on borrowed time”, to use a popular expression. That is a fact, just as it is a fact that the working class movement is international in scope. This clarification may prove to be helpful to working people in less developed countries, where there may be a significant percentage of peasants.

If nothing else, it may serve as a fine example of the fact that class alliances can change immediately. It is best to be prepared for these changes, because they happen as the situation changes.

The current situation is explosive. Any spark could set off a revolution. Very soon, the working people will rise up and overthrow the capitalists. It is best to be prepared for all possibilities.

Several years ago, Trump surprised himself by winning the presidency. Now that he is president, he has found that he loves the power and has no intention of relinquishing it. Perhaps he was even more surprised by the fact that the key to remaining in power lies in abiding by the law. As someone who came to power by breaking every law which he found to be inconvenient, the idea of using the law probably never occurred to him. But then, there is a reason for the existence of lawyers. As Trump is not entirely stupid, he hired a small army of lawyers to work for him, at tax payer expense, of course.

His lawyers have advised him that the current method of rule, that of the two party system, is something other than legal. Even though it is simple and convenient, and has served the bourgeoisie well, since the days of the civil war, it is strictly unconstitutional. Not that Trump or any other members of his class are terribly concerned with such little details, unless it serves their purpose. Now it serves the purpose of Trump, and he is paying strict attention. In order to stay in power, the only thing he has to do is destroy the two party system. His team has been working on this for the last few months.

As countless people are closely watching the presidential election, it is the duty of Conscious people, Marxists, Communists, to use the election as an opportunity to raise the level of awareness of the working class.

With that in mind, we can explain to working people that under the current ”democratic” system, the people do not have the right to elect the President, or the Vice President. Those two are elected by the chosen few, the Electors, the members of the Electoral College.

The capitalists refer to this as the ”Electoral College” system. Each Elector is appointed by a state legislature, and there are very few of them, a grand total of only 538. A simple majority of two hundred seventy is sufficient to determine both the President and the Vice President. This is spelled out in the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution, and we can expect to hear a great deal more, concerning this Amendment, very soon, immediately after the ”election”, the popular vote of November 3.

Without doubt, many millions of people will be ”glued to the tube” on that evening, as after the polls close, the votes cast in each state will be counted, starting with the East Coast states. The political pundits for the major television networks will be reporting the vote count for each state, and the percentage of votes for each candidate, and at some point the offscreen network executives will announce the candidate who ”won” each state, along with the Electoral Votes for that state. At some point, the Electoral Votes for one candidate, either Trump or Biden, will reach the magic number of 270, and the networks will report a winner.

If Trump is reported to be the winner, and Biden concedes, that will be the end of it. But if Biden is reported to be the winner, then Trump can be expected to challenge the election results in the Supreme Court. It is very likely that the Supreme Court will agree with Trump that the popular election is meaningless, effectively abolishing the two party system.

This requires a little explanation. Under the current system, each state has a certain number of ”Electoral Votes”, as that is the technical term, which is to say the number of people who can be appointed as Electors. The more people in the state, the more Electors, the more Electoral Votes. The state of California, with perhaps forty million people, has the most Electoral Votes at 55, while the states with the fewest people have a mere 3 Electoral Votes, each. All states require their respective Electors, those who are appointed by the state legislatures, to vote for the candidates of either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. Almost all states have a ”winner take all” policy, in that the candidate who wins a majority of votes in the state, receives all of the Electoral Votes of that particular state. The lawyers who work for Trump are convinced that all of these state laws have one thing in common: they are unconstitutional.

In previous federal elections, numerous Electors have violated state laws and chosen to vote for a candidate of their choice, not the candidate chosen by the state they represent. None of these Electors has ever been charged, probably because the state prosecutors are aware that the law cannot be enforced.

The lawyers for Trump have been busy, earning their pay. For the last several months, they have been approaching the various state legislatures, encouraging them to appoint Electors who will vote for Trump, or at least vote for someone other than Biden! If Trump cannot secure 270 Electoral Votes, then he is at least determined to stop Biden from securing that many votes. If no candidate receives a majority of Electoral Votes, then the next step in the process, as spelled out in the Constitution, is to send the election to the House of Representatives, in which case each state has but one vote.

As so many people are focused on the election, it is important to let people know what is happening. With that in mind, I have decided to include the Twelfth Amendment:

”The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice President; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice President, one of whom at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted; the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President when ever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice President shall act as President.”

There are numerous experts on Constitutional law, and there are as many opinions on the meaning of this Amendment as there are experts. There are also other parts of the Constitution which deal with the federal election. The only opinion which really matters is that of the Supreme Court, and we can expect to hear from them soon.

If the vote of November 3, ”election day”, goes in the favour of Trump, then he will have no reason to challenge the results in court. It is only if Biden declares victory that we can expect Trump to ”stand on principle” (Ha!) and challenge the election in court.

As concerns the democratic right of the citizens to vote, it is significant that the Amendment makes no mention of the popular vote! It is entirely possible that the Supreme court will soon rule that the popular vote is a mere formality.

The point to be driven home to the working class is that the ruling class, the capitalists, the bourgeois, have established two mainstream political parties, Democrats and Republicans, and that these two parties have ”hijacked” the presidential election process. The Supreme Court will very likely rule, and soon, that the states have no right to interfere in such elections, that the Electors have the right to vote for the qualified candidate of their choice, for the offices of both President and Vice President.

Under the current bourgeois democratic method of rule, each of the two mainstream political parties selects a candidate for the office of President. This candidate in turn selects a ”running mate”, a Vice President. Voters are then allowed to choose between the two pairs, in a ”general election”. The candidates which receive the majority of ”popular votes” in such an election, in each state, usually receives all, or at least most, of the Electoral Votes for that state. That is almost certainly about to change, as that is not spelled out in the Constitution.

That anticipated change will no doubt lead to a state of mass confusion, generally referred to as ”throwing a monkey wrench”, in the middle of a revolutionary uprising. In that case, it is up to Marxists to explain to the working class that democracy is not majority rule! It is a method of class rule! It is a state apparatus, an organization for the systematic use of violence by one class, against another class. In this case, under capitalism, it is the capitalists, the tiny minority, the bourgeoisie, who use the state apparatus to crush the working class, the vast majority, the proletariat.

After the revolution, after the proletariat seizes political power, the ”shoe will be on the other foot”. Then the proletariat, the vast majority of people, will be in power. Yet the tiny minority of capitalists, the bourgeois, will not resign themselves to their fate. In fact, they will fight ”tooth and nail” to recover their ”paradise lost”. They will stoop to any level, resort to any subterfuge, as their hatred and fury rise to a red hot frenzy. We can expect them to send their agents into the Communist Party and try to subvert it from within.

For the benefit of the Marxists, it should be mentioned that we can expect the distortion of Marxism to be ever more subtle. As an example, there are ”Marxists” who refer to our democratic rights under capitalism, under the bourgeois democratic republic, as ”bourgeois democratic rights”, rights which are ”granted by the bourgeoisie”.

This is incorrect, as our democratic rights are not bourgeois, just as they are not proletarian. They are democratic, pure and simple. Under capitalism, our democratic rights are ”restricted, cramped, curtailed, mutilated by all the conditions of wage slavery”, as Lenin phrased it. Further, they most certainly are not ”granted” by the bourgeoisie, as the monopoly capitalists, the imperialists, are completely reactionary. To suggest that they ”grant” the proletariat some democratic rights, is to imply that there is something progressive about the imperialists, the bourgeoisie. Such is hardly the case.

It is such subtle distortions of revolutionary Marxist theories, which we can expect. This is nothing other than revisionist, an attempt to subvert Marxism. It is up to Marxists to oppose these revisionist theories, especially within the Communist Party.

Without doubt, after the revolution, the bourgeois class will have to be crushed, and that will require a state apparatus, but a different sort of state apparatus, one set up to deal with their desperate and determined resistance. That state apparatus will be in the form of a different sort of democracy, a democracy of the vast majority, of the working class, referred to as the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

In preparation for the revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, in the interest of raising the level of awareness of the proletariat, a few slogans are perhaps appropriate. With that in mind, may I suggest signs and banners which read: Capitalism is not Democracy; Down With Democracy For the Capitalists; Democracy For the Proletariat.

No doubt many middle class people will consider such slogans to be too basic. We are concerned with raising the level of awareness of countless millions of working class people, and we have to start somewhere. The less advanced workers (I prefer to avoid the word ”backward” as it may be considered derogatory) must not be neglected, just as I try to avoid the use of the word ”masses”, as it seems much too impersonal. Such terms as ”common people” or ”members of the public” are preferred, as working people refer to themselves in those terms.

The fact is that many working class people are now expressing an interest in politics, if only at the level of being determined to vote. Of course many others are active on a higher level, such as taking part in marches and demonstrations, and in opposition to violent repression, especially of minorities. This is indeed class consciousness, but only in an embryonic form! It is, as yet, not true Marxist, or Communist, consciousness, nor can it be.

The working people are doing their part, and can go no further. The conditions of life among the working class does not lead to the awareness of itself as a class. This consciousness can come only from an outside source, and that source is middle class intellectuals, members of the bourgeois intelligentsia. The ”good news” is that there is now no shortage of middle class intellectuals within the working class, through no ”fault” of their own. The current crises in capitalism has led to the decimation of the middle class. The remaining members of the middle class are ”living on borrowed time”. Their ”days are numbered”, as ever more members are becoming impoverished, forced into the ranks of the proletariat. These ”newly minted” proletarians are bringing with them the awareness of classes, as well as the awareness of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. As well, many of them are highly skilled as organizers, and that is precisely the skills which are so desperately needed at present.

It may be objected that the revolutionary motion is now very strong, with no less than three distinct republics in the process of formation. No doubt others will soon take shape. The American empire is collapsing, and the idea that it could break into a number of republics which could embrace capitalism, may sound absurd, but it could happen. Socialism will not happen by itself. It has to be created.

The fact of the matter is that it is up to Conscious people, Marxists, Communists, to imbue the proletariat with the consciousness of its position, and of its tasks. That task now is to create a socialist society, as opposed to a capitalist society. The trouble being that working people have lived all their lives under capitalism, and are saturated with the bourgeois ideology. This is referred to as the ”ideological enslavement” of the workers, to the bourgeoisie. It is up to Communists to ”break the invisible chains” of enslavement, as otherwise the revolution could merely give rise to smaller, capitalist republics. This is referred to as going ”from the frying pan, into the fire”.

As Lenin phrased it, ”The fact that the working class participates in the political struggle and even in political revolution does not in itself make its politics Social Democratic (Marxist) politics.” Without doubt, the political revolution is approaching. The only question is whether it will lead to socialism, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, or to a continuation of capitalism.

The fact of the matter is that, as a result of the revolutionary motion, tens of millions of people are now in motion, determined to enact change. From among these huge crowds, leaders will emerge, the more advanced members of the proletariat. It is up to Marxists to bring to these people the class awareness, to bring their level of consciousness to that of Marxists, at least in regards to Party business. They have to become working class intellectuals, dedicated to the revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

Such workers can be counted upon to raise the level of awareness of other workers, as such advanced workers are highly respected, and they ”speak the same language” as the less advanced workers. They are able to speak and even write articles in a manner which the less advanced can understand, concerning current events which have caught the attention of those workers, using metaphors which workers understand.

This is not to say that middle class intellectuals are incapable of communicating with such workers. It is to say that many of them are simply not up to the task, for whatever reason. No doubt they are capable of learning, given the time and motivation. Old habits are so hard to break.

As I write this, there are a mere ten days left before the ”election”. Almost everyone is agreed that the country is a ”powder keg”, in that tensions are very high, and any ”spark” could cause an explosion. The political pundits are also agreed that Biden is heavily favoured to ”win” the election. By this they mean that he is expected to win the majority of Electoral Votes, to be determined on ”election night”. That is not about to happen.

Assuming Biden ”wins” the election, then the lawyers for Trump will challenge the election in the Supreme Court. They will argue that the Electors have to vote for President and Vice President ”on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December”, as per the Constitution, that all state laws restricting the votes of the Electors are unconstitutional, and that the popular vote is a mere formality.

Do not be surprised if the Supreme Court agrees with that argument. That could be the ”spark” which sets off the uprising, the revolution.

If nothing else, it would give the Electors the right to vote for the people of their choice, so it is still possible that Senator Bernie Sanders could be elected as President. Or Senator Kamala Harris, or anyone else whom the Electors decide.

Now is not the time to ”rest on our laurels”, to ”let nature take its course”, as that course leads straight to capitalism. Now is the time to make a supreme effort, to redouble our efforts, to create a proper non revisionist Communist Party, to raise the level of awareness of the working class, to guide the approaching revolution onto a path of scientific socialism, in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

As I write this, there are as yet seventeen days to go before ”election day”, that of November 3, which is the day Americans get to ”elect their next president”. Even now, it is reported that twenty two million people have already cast their ballots. Many people are being forced to wait in line, some for as long as eleven hours, while others are showing up to the polling stations as early as four hours before the stations open, in order to ensure they are able to cast a vote. The press is reporting a ”drastic increase” in the voter turn out, over double that of the last presidential election of two years ago, at this time. This despite the fact that the government, which serves the capitalists so well, has placed various obstacles in the way of people exercising their democratic right to vote. For example, in the state of Texas, the ballot boxes are limited to one per district, so that each voter is forced to drive possibly an hour each way, during working hours, in order to cast a ballot. In the state of California, numerous phoney ballot boxes are set up, so that any ballots placed in these boxes are not counted. Other states have different methods of limiting voter turn out, especially that of minority voters.

This is taking place against a background of almost two hundred twenty thousand Americans dead due to the Corona Virus, with the infection rate ”climbing”. It is anticipated that as soon as the ”second wave” hits, along with the flu virus, the ”fatality rate” will sky rocket.

Despite this, the working class movement continues to gain strength. The city of Portland continues to be a leader in the revolutionary motion. On Columbus Day, otherwise known as Indigenous Day, the people of Portland pulled down two statues, that of President Abraham Lincoln and that of President Theodore Roosevelt. This is being referred to as a ”Day of Rage”.

Those two individuals are commonly thought of as ”heroes”, hence the statues, in their honour. In fact, it was President Lincoln who ordered the execution of 38 Dakota warriors, in 1862, as a response to the Sioux uprising. This mass hanging was carried out in Mankato, Minnesota. As well, it was President Roosevelt who ordered the removal of Indigenous people from their traditional territory, in the interests of ”conservation”. The descendants of those people have not forgotten the actions of the presidential ”heroes”. Now all people are receiving a little reminder.

The reactionaries have also been very busy. A ”right wing militia group” made a supreme effort to kidnap the governor of Michigan. Apparently they planned to place her on ”trial”, as she refuses to support Trump, an act which they consider to be nothing less than ”treason”. Their plan was unsuccessful, but at least one sheriff has expressed his support for the members of the militia. And now Trump is leading the call, in reference to the governor, to ”lock her up!”

To put this in popular terms, the ”battle lines are being drawn”. The Right Wing reactionaries, also known as the various ”militia groups”, are literally preparing for war. They are determined to preserve the ”status quo”, in support of the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, whether they know it or not. The leaders of the ”militia” are well aware of this, while the rank and file members, those who tend to be less advanced members of the working class, are merely following along. A clear distinction should be drawn between the two.

By contrast, the progressive forces, including the tens of millions of people who are determined to vote, are focused on change. Most of them quite reasonably assume that their vote means something, as indeed it does. This is not to say that their votes will change the rule of the capitalists. With or without Trump as president, the bourgeoisie are determined to continue to rule.

The importance of the record breaking number of people who have turned out to vote, lies in the fact that, as Marx stated, it is an indication of the measure of the maturity of the working class! He went on to state that under capitalism, it cannot be anything more than that! Yet that is enough.

For that reason, it is clear that the working class, the proletariat, is now quite mature. They are doing their part, and are now preparing for war. They can go no further. The conditions of life, of the proletariat, do not lead to class awareness. That awareness can come only from an outside source, and that outside source is conscious people, most of whom are middle class intellectuals. That places a largely unwelcome burden upon the shoulders of conscious people. It is what it is!

It was Lenin who stressed the fact that ”Without a revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary motion”. He went on to state that the ”role of vanguard fighter can be fulfilled only by a party that is guided by the most advanced theory”. (italics by Lenin)

It is also true that the Marxist, or Communist movement, is by its very essence an international movement. Countless people, in numerous countries of the world, are watching the American revolution unfold. It is reasonable to expect that such people will draw inspiration from the American revolution.

There can be little doubt that we are on the eve of revolution. The forces of the two classes are ”dug in”, prepared for battle. Equally without doubt, the only question is one of the duration, the length of time of the approaching civil war. The Revolutionary War, which gave birth to the country, dragged out for seven years. The Civil War raged for four years, at the expense of many thousands of American lives. It remains to be seen just how many lives will be lost during this next revolution.

This largely depends upon the leaders, the members of the American Communist Party. As a comparison, in Russia, October of 1917, (old style calendar) the Marxists, led by Lenin, mounted an insurrection which was almost bloodless. It was carefully planned and executed. Even though the revolutionaries lacked the element of surprise, it was quite successful. Sadly, two members of the Central Committee betrayed the plans for the uprising, yet the revolutionary motion was so strong, even this act of treachery was overcome.

As yet, the American Communist Party does not exist. It must be formed, and it must then plan and execute an insurrection. Otherwise, it will very likely result in another long and drawn out civil war, with countless casualties.

Now in 2020 America, the vast majority of working people are demanding change. Those who were previously apathetic, are now politically active. Most are of the opinion that Trump can be removed from office, due to a popular vote. They are about to find out that such is not the case. In this way they will learn a valuable lesson in bourgeois democracy.

It is up to conscious people, Marxists, to use such examples, with which people are familiar, to raise the level of awareness of the working class. They watch the news. They are aware that the former Chief of Staff to Trump, recently stated that ”the depths of his dishonesty is just outstanding to me”. They are also aware that a thirty five year veteran of the Department of Justice, a distinguished prosecutor, recently resigned, due to the Attorney General. This fellow openly accused the Attorney General of having ”slavish obedience” to Trump, of being his loyal ”lapdog”. He accuses Trump of trying to turn the country into an autocracy.

Neither one of these men can be accused of being ”Leftists”, as both are bourgeois, right to the core of their being. The two are merely concerned with bourgeois democracy. This stands as a testament to the confusion within the bourgeois government. That confusion is about to intensify.

These are merely a few examples of current events, those which should be used to raise the level of awareness of the working class. Another example is the nomination of a new Supreme Court Justice, one which is receiving a great deal of coverage by the press. Make no mistake, working people are closely watching these proceedings.

As most working people do not have access to higher education, by which I mean a university degree, they are unaware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. That education is largely limited to the bourgeois. It follows that it is up to the bourgeois, or more accurately the petty bourgeois, the middle class, to bring this awareness to the proletariat.

It is perhaps ironic that the ruling class, the billionaires, the monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are determined to keep the working class, the proletariat, in the dark, blissfully unaware of the existence of classes. Yet at the same time, they are helping to raise the level of awareness of the proletariat, by ruining the middle class, forcing so many members of that class, into the ranks of the proletariat! These former members of the middle class, now members of the working class, proletarians, are nothing less than Conscious people, aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin!

It is to these people that I am appealing. No doubt many of you feel bitter. In return for giving a company the ”best years of your life”, you expected a little gratitude. No chance. There is no room for sentiment in the world of ”business”, which is the polite word for capitalism. People are mere tools, whether they work in production or in the field of management. When these ”tools” are no longer useful, they are discarded. You are one of the tools which has been discarded.

This is not to say that you can no longer be useful. On the contrary, you can be more useful than ever before. You can bring the class awareness to the proletariat. You are in a unique position to do this, as you can speak from experience. For that reason, working people will listen to you. Further, you will find yourself involved with people whom you can trust. It is the bourgeois who delight in ”stabbing each other in the back”. Working people are not of that nature. You may even be surprised to find that you are having fun! As a bonus, the act of overthrowing the bourgeoisie and crushing them under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, will provide you with a certain personal satisfaction. After all, those are the same people who ruined you. One good turn deserves another!

Another point of propaganda, which can be used to raise the level of awareness of the working class, is the fact that Trump plans to destroy the bourgeois democratic system, that which is currently in place. His plan is to challenge any state laws which interferes with the votes of the members of the Electoral College, allowing each and every Elector to vote for any person of their choice, for the offices of the presidency as well as the vice presidency, not just the candidates of the Republican Party or of the Democratic Party. This means that the candidate for president does not get to choose a ”running mate”, a candidate for the vice presidency. That is the duty of the Electors.

In fact, if Trump has his way and the Supreme Court rules in his favour, each Elector will be able to vote for any American citizen who is qualified to hold the office of president!

This could happen, and very likely will happen, as it is guaranteed in the Constitution. At least, the lawyers for Trump are prepared to make that argument before the Supreme Court, and very likely the Supreme Court will agree with them. As a result of this, it is quite possible that the Electors will be unable to agree on a candidate for president, as they need to form a majority of 270 Elector votes, for one particular candidate. In other words, we can expect a state of mass confusion, as the Electors, faithful servants of the bourgeoisie, one and all, squabble among themselves. Trump no doubt considers that this will work in his favour, as the election will then go to the House of Representatives.

In that case, it will be up to the House of Representatives to decide, by a majority vote of 26 states, in which each state has one vote. That too may not happen, the House too may not be able to agree, as the country is so deeply divided. As the members of the House will by that time realize, as a result of the anticipated Supreme Court ruling, that they do not have to choose between the two presidential candidates, that of the Democratic Party or that of the Republican Party, but can choose any American who qualifies for the office, then it is very likely that they too will be dead locked.

In such a case, on January 20, 2021, a new president will be sworn in, as provided in the Constitution, and that new president will be the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, the woman whom Trump hates more than anyone else!

It is safe to say that Trump has no respect for women, just as it is equally safe to say that Trump flies into a rage when any woman dares to defy him. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, defies Trump on a regular basis. For that reason, Trump entertains a particular hatred for her. Yet he has decided upon a course of action which could result in placing her in the office of the presidency! It is very likely that Trump has not properly thought this through. As he does not engage in a great deal of thinking, this is not too surprising.

It is such details which can be used to drive home to the working class the differences between the two classes, the bourgeois versus the proletariat. The bourgeois are constantly plotting and scheming, setting traps for each other, and as a result, frequently step into their own traps. By contrast, the working class tends to adhere to principle.

Trump has concocted a very elaborate scheme to stay in power, one which could backfire badly. He is determined to overturn the current bourgeois method of rule, and will very likely succeed. In the process, he will create mass confusion. As a result of this confusion, it is entirely possible that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, will be sworn in as president. That is the last thing Trump wants, as it is also quite possible that the first thing she will do, as president, is to order the arrest of Donald Trump!

This is the state of mass confusion which we can expect to encounter, immediately after the ”presidential election” of November 3, that which is a mere formality.

As all current or former members of the middle class are well aware, but are perhaps reluctant to admit, the American Empire is on the verge of collapse. Capitalism is dying. It is in its death throes. Socialism is on the horizon. No less that three separate socialist republics have already taken shape. Others will soon appear. These facts are beyond dispute. Equally without doubt, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are not about to accept this. They are determined to fight this, ”tooth and nail”. As reactionaries, it is their nature. The only question is that of the response of the working class, the proletariat. Given proper leaders, in the form of a Communist Party, the transition will be relatively painless. Without that leadership, it could result in a long and drawn out civil war. A bloodbath.

That is where you people come in, Conscious people, Marxists. You are needed, your help will be appreciated, and it will be rewarded. Preparations must be made for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, and topping the list of those preparations is the formation of a proper Communist Party. There is great danger in this, so secrecy is required. Yet there are a great many people who have managed to communicate with each other, using the internet, for their own purposes. This proves that it can be done.

Once the Party is created, it can also use the internet to raise the level of awareness of working people. Articles must be written, using current events as examples, and sent to various email addresses. Those who are politically active can be targeted, using their membership in various organizations, and that propaganda can be written at a somewhat higher level of understanding.

Bear in mind that we want to raise the level of awareness of the vast majority of working people, so with that in mind, use the technical terms, followed by the more popular terms. We all learned the alphabet in this manner, that of repetition. Do not be condescending, and under no circumstances resort to vulgarity. Use the particular, followed by the general. Feel free to put aside your prejudice against professional sports and use sports metaphors, as most working people are avid sports fans. Also, do not concern yourself with the sentiments of middle class social centrists, as by their nature, they disapprove of references to classes, and especially revolution.

Much of this work can be thought of as ”illegal”, even though it is not. Yet the government authorities can be expected to treat it as such. In addition, marches and demonstrations must be organized. Posters and banners should be carried, complete with slogans which contain class content. The best of these marches are entertaining, as has happened in the recent past, targeting politicians and government officials in their homes, restaurants, banks and places of business. The best way to educate people is by entertaining them at the same time.

A great many women are now excited, concerning the latest Supreme Court nomination, a woman who is Catholic, and probably of strong religious beliefs. The protesters are concerned that her religious beliefs will influence her legal rulings, especially as it concerns abortion. As a result of this, the ”pro choice” people are taking a clear stand, in opposition to the ”pro life” people. This could lead to a huge mistake.

Lenin made it quite clear that it is supremely difficult to start a revolution in a ”cultured” country, but far less difficult to carry it through! Without doubt, America certainly qualifies as a cultured country, as bourgeois culture permeates society. Equally without doubt, we are going to need all the help we can get in order to overthrow the bourgeoisie. The more we fight among ourselves, the less chance the revolution has of being successful.

With that in mind, I am suggesting that all working people put aside our differences, including personality conflicts, as well as personal beliefs, pro life and pro choice. We can agree to disagree. We can place principles before personalities.

There is no point in denying personalities, as they certainly exist. There is a place for them, but only after principle. We, as members of the working class, have a common enemy, the bourgeoisie. We can stand together, against this enemy, while going our separate ways, after the battle is over.

To state this in other words, perhaps more accurately, our goal is to overthrow the bourgeoisie and crush the vermin under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Under that socialist republic, we can then hash out our differences, in a civilized manner. The key thing is to have respect for each other.

Too many people confuse personal animosity with class animosity. As an example, the social centrists are allies, not the enemy. We must learn to work with them. The social chauvinists are the allies of the bourgeoisie, and they are the enemy. The leaders of the various right wing militia groups are the enemies, while the rank and file members are merely misled. It is absolutely essential that we distinguish between the two. We must attack our enemies, while striving to at least neutralize those who are less than friendly towards us. With regards to the less advanced members of the working class, patience is required.

In the heat of battle, with passions flaring, actions can be taken which may later be considered to be regrettable. The same is true of words, and in fact those words may do even more damage than actions. It is best to be well prepared before hand.

To summarize, as briefly as possible:

Prepare For the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat