Blog

The current Revolutionary movement has taken the form of strikes, in a great many industrialized countries of the world. This is most encouraging, an indication that the World Socialist Revolution is on the horizon. 

Yet for the purposes of this article, I have chosen to focus on the country of France. There is a reason for this. It was Engels who stated, in his introduction to the third edition of the book by Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire, that: 

‘’France is the land where, more than anywhere else, the historical class struggles were each time fought out to a decision, and where, consequently, the changing political forms within which they occur and in which their results are summarized have likewise been stamped with the sharpest outlines. The centre of feudalism in the Middle Ages, the model country of centralized monarchy resting on estates since the Renaissance, France has demolished feudalism in the Great Revolution and established the unalloyed rule of the bourgeoisie in a classical purity unequalled by any other European land. And the struggle of the upward striving proletariat against the ruling bourgeoisie also appeared here in an acute form unknown elsewhere’’.

Writing years later, in 1917, Lenin was of the opinion that: ‘’The last sentence is out of date, inasmuch as a lull has occurred in the revolutionary struggle of the French proletariat since 1871; although, long as this lull may be, it does not preclude the possibility that, in the coming proletarian revolution, France may once again reveal itself as the classical land of the class struggle to a conclusion’’.

Now that the ‘’lull’’ is over, it is very likely that France will ‘’once again reveal itself as the classical land of the class struggle to a conclusion’’. The current class struggle is between the monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie, and the common people, mainly the proletariat, although there are a considerable number of farmers, referred to as les paisans, as well as a sizeable middle class, la petite bourgeoisie. These ‘’lower classes’’ are quite well united against the plan of the current French government to raise the retirement age by two years, from sixty two to sixty four. 

The government of Macron says that the plan to raise the retirement age is ‘’non negotiable’’. Yet the French working people are not negotiating. They are taking action.

The trade unions are leading the struggle against the capitalists, with a series of strikes. On January 19, the press reports that all the unions went on strike, so that ‘’all local and national transport across the country was severely disrupted’’. The journalists estimate that more than one million people took part in demonstrations, on that day alone. 

The crowds were especially large in Paris, with a combination of young and old, complete with ‘’singing and dancing, a festive atmosphere, defiant, high morale, some people from far away, all determined to enact change’’.

Other protests take the form of ‘’Robin Hood operations’’, in that workers give away free petrol and electricity to schools, universities and low income households. Even some police are reported to be on strike!

The French bakers, those who are mainly la petite bourgeoisie, small business owners, are also on strike. They are being strangled by the high prices of electricity, as well as the prices of flour, sugar, butter and other ingredients.

The CGT Union, Confederation Generale du Travail, which represents transport workers, has called for refinery workers and other staff on the petrol sector to strike for 48 hours, from February 6. Similar strikes in 2022 saw petrol stations run dry and drivers waiting hours to fill up their tanks. As well, mass strikes are being encouraged by French unions on Tuesday, February 7, and Saturday, February 11. The worst ‘’disruption’’ is anticipated to be on February 7, and could ‘’spill over’’ into February 8.

The press is also reporting that the SNCF, Societe National des Chemins de Fer Francais, plan strikes on February 7, 8, and 11. The journalists quite helpfully point out that we can expect ‘’train circulation in France to be very disrupted’’. That is the general idea!

There is a reason that Marxists, true Communists, consider these strikes to be of the utmost importance. In the early stages of capitalism, they start out as the natural result of large scale factory production, in that workers are forced to fight for better wages and working conditions. But as the class struggle approaches the point of Revolution, the strikes assume a political character.

This requires a little explanation.

Capitalism is the name of the social system under which we all live, at least for now. This is to say that society is split up into classes. The monopoly capitalists, or billionaires, technically referred to as the bourgeoisie, own almost all the factories, mines, mills, railroads, airlines, banks and communication networks. In fact, they own or control almost everything of any great value. Although few in number, because of their wealth, they have great power. 

The rest of the population have very little, some with next to nothing. Those who have nothing are referred to as workers, or proletarians. They are reduced to selling themselves, by the hour, to the capitalists. Of course, these workers always try to secure the highest possible wages.

By contrast, the capitalists are focused on paying their workers as little as possible, in order to achieve the highest possible profit.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the result is that of conflict, in that the workers are constantly trying to secure higher wages and working conditions, and the capitalists are constantly trying to reduce wages. This is referred to as ‘’class struggle’’, at least by the social scientists. Most working people simply refer to this as a normal situation: War!

At first, a more advanced worker generally notices that there is strength in numbers. This worker then usually becomes a leader, bringing together as many workers as possible, in order to make demands upon the capitalist. A revolt takes place. The result is then a work stoppage, a strike. Workers then lash out in anger and frustration, as they are not aware of that which they are trying to achieve. They simply smash the machines and destroy the factories. 

At that stage, as Lenin phrased it, ‘’They merely want to display their wrath to the factory owners; they are trying out their joint strength in order to get out of an unbearable situation, without yet understanding why their position is so hopeless and what they should strive for’’.

Yet at some point, cooler heads prevail. They realize that destroying machines and factories may be gratifying, but fails to put money in their pocket. Instead, occupying the factories as a group, or union, and demanding better wages, before returning to work, is the answer. In this way the working class advances.

As Lenin stated, ‘’The slaves begin to put forward the demand to become masters, not to work and live as the landlords and capitalists want them to, but as the working people themselves want to. Strikes, therefore, always install fear into the capitalists, because they begin to undermine their supremacy…The wheel of this machine is set in motion by the worker…When the workers refuse to work, the entire machine threatens to stop. Every strike reminds the capitalists that it is the workers and not they who are the real masters…Every strike reminds the workers that their position is not hopeless, that they are not alone.’’ (italics by Lenin)

Even though strikes mean great hardships for the workers, those who take part in the strikes receive great respect from the workers of neighbouring factories. They too are inspired, receive renewed courage. Such strikes tend to spread to neighbouring factories.

More importantly, according to Lenin, ‘’Every strike brings thoughts of socialism very forcibly to the worker’s mind, thoughts of the struggle of the entire working class for emancipation from the oppression of capital.’’

Remarkably enough, even the capitalists are aware of this! It is with good reason that a certain German minister proclaimed, ‘’Behind every strike lurks the hydra (monster) of revolution’’! The capitalists have every reason to be afraid of strikes! We have every reason to use strikes to raise the level of awareness of the working class!

It is up to Marxists, Communists, to get in touch with the people who are protesting, in France. Without doubt, they are discussing socialism. They must be encouraged to become aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. Now that we have the Internet, this is not at all difficult. It just requires people to send them emails, in the French language, of course. 

Feel free to remind them of their proud revolutionary history, and not only the Revolution of 1789. Also the Paris Commune of 1871, which established the first Workers Republic. It is very likely that the French government would like to forget about that, especially as the Commune was crushed, by the capitalists, with the utmost brutality. Yet it was the Paris Commune that provided Marx with the information he needed. It displayed the structure of the first socialist republic in the world. The heroism and sacrifice of the Communards will never be forgotten! We can only hope that the current French protesters will be inspired by the example of their glorious ancestors! Feel free to honour their memory by following in their footsteps! Establish another Commune, but this time not only in Paris! 

Further, the manner in which the Commune was crushed, by the capitalists, should dispel all doubts concerning the attitude of the current French capitalists! They too are butchers! They must be overthrown, their state apparatus must be smashed, and then they must in turn be crushed, by the Dictatorship of the Proletariat! Do not make the mistake of the Paris Communards! Do not be merciful to the capitalists! The Communards made that mistake, and paid for it with their lives! Take the advice of Marx! Learn from the mistakes of the Communards!

We can only hope that the French strikers and protesters will download revolutionary literature from the Internet, such as the Communist Manifesto. I also recommend essential works of Lenin, such as What Is To Be Done?, State and Revolution, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, and Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. Such works may have to be ordered online. Rest assured, they are well worth the money.

Bear in mind that the Paris Commune was crushed, for a number of reasons. The Communards made a few mistakes. Not the least of these mistakes was in not following the advice of Marx!

The world is watching. Feel free to honour the memory of your ancestors by following the advice of Marx and Lenin. Walk in the footsteps of your heroic ancestors, and take a step beyond the Paris Commune:

 Create a France Commune!

The country has officially reached the ‘’debt ceiling’’, according to the Treasury Secretary. So now she is resorting to ‘’extraordinary measures’’ to ‘’stay under the debt limit’’. Even so, she anticipates the country will ‘’default on the national debt by early June’’, unless the ‘’debt ceiling is raised’’. 

The federal government is now ‘’on the horns of a dilemma’’, as two branches of that government, the executive and the legislative, are ‘’at each others throats’’.

The executive branch, led by President Biden, a Democrat, is determined to raise the debt ceiling, without cutting social spending. The legislative branch, which is to say the Senate and the House of Representatives, has other ideas. The fact of the matter is that the House controls the money! It is further a fact that the House is now controlled by Republicans!

The journalists are now reporting that a sizeable minority of Republican Members of Congress, possibly ‘’forty or so’’, are ‘’in control’’. They have formed something they refer to as a ‘’Freedom Caucus’’, within the Republican Party, the GOP. The journalists refer to this Caucus as ‘’Ultra Conservative’’, or ‘’Extreme Right Wing’’. 

It is further the opinion of the journalists, that the House Speaker is now a mere ‘’figure head’’, a ‘’puppet’’, that he ‘’dances to their tune’’, that of the Freedom Caucus. They have a point!

The Republicans have a ‘’razor thin’’ majority in the House, that of a mere four or five votes. This gives the members of the Freedom Caucus considerable power, which they are only too anxious to use! In fact, the only way McCarthy could secure enough votes to be elected as Speaker, was to make numerous concessions to the Freedom Caucus. He has been accused of ‘’giving away the House’’. 

One of those concessions is that of allowing any Member, at any time, to demand a vote for a new Speaker. Such a demand will automatically shut down the House, until after a successful vote, in which a Speaker is elected. During the time of the vote, the government is effectively paralyzed. The last time that happened, it required fifteen votes, over a period of several days. That is not something they want to repeat!

The Members of the Freedom Caucus are determined to not raise the debt ceiling, or at the very least, agree to raise the debt ceiling, but only if it is tied to significant cuts in social spending.

Yet Biden is determined to raise the debt ceiling, without cutting social spending, if only because he is focused on serving a second term. So now he is considering ‘’new and creative’’ ways to do so, perhaps ‘’bypassing’’ the Congress. This may also involve Violating the Constitution! 

The closest advisers of Biden are suggesting that he should merely raise the debt ceiling, without the approval of Congress. They maintain that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution gives him the right to declare the debt ceiling to be Unconstitutional!

They have in mind the clause which states ‘’no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the Unites States’’. 

Such details, as declaring a law to be Unconstitutional, are generally considered to be under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. So say the experts on Constitutional law!

Yet the advisors to President Biden are of a different opinion! They are encouraging him to ‘’take unilateral action’’, to raise the debt ceiling, without the approval of Congress! They assure him that as President, he has the authority to make that ‘’executive decision’’. They also assure him that should the Supreme Court object, and rule that such an action is Unconstitutional, then he, as President, could respond by declaring the Supreme Court decision to be ‘’inconsistent with the Constitutional duties of the President’’, and ignore the ruling of the Supreme Court! 

Incredible! Even more incredible, it is not without precedent!

This has happened before, during the Civil War. At that time, President Lincoln suspended the rights of citizens to a ‘’writ of habeas corpus’’. This is to say that the right of ‘’unlawful and indefinite imprisonment’’ was suspended, by President Lincoln. He ordered the arrest and imprisonment of countless people, for any reason, or for no reason, and for as long as he saw fit! He maintained that he had the right to do so, under the authority of the ‘’War Act’’. Further, he did this without Congressional approval!

These actions were brought to the attention of the Supreme Court. It ruled that President Lincoln did not have the right to arrest people and hold them indefinitely! 

President Lincoln in turn defied this ruling, of the Supreme Court! As he phrased it, ‘’Are all the laws but one to go unexecuted, and the government itself to go to pieces, lest that one be violated?’’

This in no way alters the fact that President Lincoln took an oath to ‘’preserve, protect and defend the Constitution’’, and then broke that very oath! 

The advisers to President Biden are telling him to also break his oath! To violate the Constitution! This could well be considered to be nothing less than an Act of High Treason!

As for those who think that this could not possibly happen, as the United States is a democratic republic, may I suggest that you face the facts. The fact is that the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are members of a class of people who are technically referred to as imperialists. Further, as Lenin stated, quite clearly, ‘’imperialism is reaction, right down the line’’!

It is entirely possible that President Biden will stoop to the depth of violating the Constitution. It is even possible that he will use the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, as justification for that violation! That and the fact that President Lincoln has already set the precedent!

The American people are not about to take that lying down! We can expect widespread opposition!

In such a case, we will no doubt be faced with a very strange alliance! We can expect the ‘’Ultra Right’’, including the ‘’Freedom Caucus’’, as well as the ’’MAGA People’’, to come together with the ‘’Leftist People’’, including those who are thought to be ‘’Ultra Left’’, the ‘’Communists’’, in opposition to President Biden! Impeach Biden! Remove him from office! This despite the fact that Kamala Harris would automatically become President! Truly, ‘’politics makes for strange bedfellows’’!

I should mention that another option, which Biden and his councillors are seriously considering, is to ‘’Mint a Trillion Dollar Coin’’! For that matter, they could mint a score of them, and declare the country to be debt free! They could even have a surplus! (Joking!)

Those are the options, which both Speaker of the House McCarthy, and President Biden, are considering. If McCarthy ‘’gives in’’ to Biden, then he will be ‘’voted out’’ as Speaker. On the other hand, if Biden ‘’gives in’’ to McCarthy, he will be ‘’voted out’’, at the next election. This is commonly referred to as ‘’being caught between a rock and a hard place’’! A government default appears to be ever more likely! 

In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels let us know what to expect. This ‘’gong show’’, within Washington, is nothing other than part of the ‘’process of dissolution’’, within the old society, during the time in which the ‘’class struggle nears the decisive hour’’.

As a result of this, we can now expect a ‘’small section of the ruling class to cut itself adrift, and join the Revolutionary class, the class that holds the future in its hands’’.

In our case, that Revolutionary class is the Proletariat, as it is the Proletariat that ‘’hold the future in its hands’’.

It also means that Revolution can break out at any time, as it is clear that we are approaching the ‘’decisive hour’’. We had best be prepared!

This is to stress the importance of preparing the working class for Revolution, and the subsequent Dictatorship of the Proletariat.  After the Revolution, many workers will be placed in positions of authority! Any training they receive now, will prove to be most valuable! That is much preferable to no training!

At the very minimum, it is up to conscious people, Communists, to make workers aware of themselves as the members of a working class, of Proletarians. It is the duty of workers to overthrow the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, and crush them, under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. As I have covered this in previous articles, there is no need to repeat it here. Allow me to merely stress the importance of performing this quickly. That which the capitalists refer to as ‘’X Day’’, the day on which the government ‘’defaults on the national debt’’ is fast approaching. That could well trigger a Revolution.

January 19, 2023.  D Day! On that day, according to the Treasury Secretary, the United States will reach the debt ceiling limit. Thirty one point four Trillion dollars! That is as far as they can go! By law, the country cannot go any deeper into debt. Unless, of course, the debt ceiling is raised, as President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has in mind. This is generally a mere formality, as it has been raised numerous times in the past. Yet this year is different.

The problem is that the debt ceiling can only be raised by the House of Representatives, which is commonly referred to as the Congress. The Democrats have just lost control of the House, to the Republican Party, also known as the GOP, the Grand Old Party. 

The GOP may be divided on a great many issues, but they are united in their opposition to an increase in the debt ceiling. 

The Speaker of the House is now Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, who managed to secure that position, but only on the fifteenth ballot! The Congress has not been this deeply divided since the days of the Civil War! Not a coincidence!

In order to secure sufficient votes to become Speaker, McCarthy had to make certain concessions, ‘’behind closed doors’’, to ‘’Right Wing’’ members of his Party, according to the journalists. Even the other Republican Members of Congress are not aware of these ‘’secret agreements’’!

The journalists are reporting that the ‘’rank and file’’ GOP Members are furious! They are convinced that McCarthy has agreed to ‘’multiple backroom concessions’’ in order to secure the Office of Speaker of the House. 

Their bitterness is understandable! The Members who were the most loyal, devoted and reliable, those who have consistently voted along Party lines, have received no reward! The ‘’vocal minority’’, those who were labelled as ‘’trouble makers’’, have won! They are in their glory! They have been promised ‘’Lord knows what’’! McCarthy is not saying! Truly, the ‘’squeaky wheel gets the grease’’! 

The rank and file GOP Members are venting their frustrations to the journalists. They are referring to this as a ‘’conspiracy of silence’’. They are claiming that McCarthy just ‘’destroyed the Republican Party, as well as the House’’. In order to secure his position as Speaker, he ‘’systematically destroyed the norms and institutions of democracy’’. They are referring to this as an ‘’Insurrection by other means’’. 

Without doubt, such wild talk has never been heard before, in the House! At least not in recent memory! McCarthy is even being accused of ‘’institutionalizing the chaos’’, of ‘’attacking the functioning of government’’!

As a result of this, the journalists are speculating that a ‘’government shutdown’’, and even a ‘’default on the national debt’’, is ‘’more likely, if not probable’’. They are blaming this on McCarthy, for ‘’sacrificing the Congress’’. As they put it, the ‘’saboteurs have won’’. 

This is not to say that the government will shut down on January 19. Indeed not! The plan, of the Treasury Secretary, is to ‘’resort to extraordinary measures’’. Apparently this is a reference to ‘’creative bookkeeping’’, otherwise known as ‘’robbing Peter to pay Paul’’.

In a ‘’worst case scenario’’, she expects the government to default on the national debt by early June. Yet she still has a clear set of priorities. In such a case, she maintains that it is essential to first ‘’make the interest payments on the national debt’’. After that, the remaining tax revenue can go towards the ‘’military, Social Security, Medicare and Veterans Benefits’’.

First and foremost, the interest payments! Make sure that those who own the banks, get paid first! The owners of these banks are composed of a class of people, referred to as the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, technically referred to as the bourgeoisie! 

The Treasury Secretary is a loyal and devoted servant of the capitalists! Let the hungry stay hungry! Let the homeless stay homeless! The gang violence is not her concern! Drug overdoses are not her concern! Let the infrastructure of the country fall apart! The banks must be paid!

The point of all this is to drive home the point that the ‘’class struggle’’’ has assumed a ‘’violent, glaring character’’, so that we are close to the ‘’decisive hour’’. In other words, Socialist Revolution, and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, is ‘’right around the corner’’!

Yet this will not happen by itself! At the time of the Great Russian October Revolution of 1917, there existed in Russia a proper Communist Party, one which called for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. That base was covered! It was the Communist Party which provided the proper leadership. Yet that was not enough.

As Lenin stated, in reference to the Great Russian October Revolution of 1917, that ‘’success depended entirely upon the existence of available organizational forms of a movement embracing millions’’.

Those ‘’organizational forms’’, appeared in the form of Soviets, or Councils, in English. At the time of the October Socialist Revolution, the existing state apparatus, of the capitalists, was promptly destroyed, and replaced by the Soviets.

Incidentally, as I have no way of knowing which word will become common place, I have chosen to use the word Soviet, at least for the purposes of this article.

This is to drive home the point that the Soviets are critically important. After the Revolution, they will be placed in key positions of authority. They will be part of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.The current leaders of the existing Soviets are well advised to bear that in mind. To such people, I have a bit of advice: Be Prepared!

The Revolution will happen, when it happens! No one knows the spark that will set the country ablaze! We just know that the country is a ‘’powder keg’’! We also know that the Revolution is raging around the world! It is urgent that the leaders of these Soviets prepare for the Revolution! Train your people to take part in the Insurrection! Raise their level of awareness! Transform them into class conscious Communists! Encourage them to read the Revolutionary works of Marx and Lenin! Stress the importance of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat! Use the events in Washington to drive home, to all working people, the necessity of Revolution! 

At the same time, get in touch with the leaders of other Soviets. Coordinate your actions! Create a true Communist Party, Dictatorship of the Proletariat! The need for this is urgent! Working people need leaders!

Also, get in touch with Soviets in other countries. Use the Internet! Remain anonymous, but vocal! Expect the capitalists to make every effort to crush the Revolution! Watch your back! Arresting the leaders is a time honoured tradition! Do not make it easy for the capitalists!

Bear in mind that not all Revolutions give rise to Soviets, in all countries. Certain countries may give birth to a new type of power, ‘’proletarian power’’, according to Lenin. Whatever works! The important thing is that these ‘’organizational forms’’, are to be used in the forthcoming Revolution, and the subsequent Dictatorship of the Proletariat. As the Socialist Revolution is raging around the world, it will soon give rise to that which Lenin foresaw:

A World Socialist Republic!

Day 2 of the struggle, in the House of Representatives, to elect a Speaker of the House. Until the House elects a Speaker, the House, and almost all of the federal government, is completely paralyzed!

On day one, the Members of the House managed to take three votes, in order to elect a new Speaker. All three votes failed, almost identically. So of course on day 2, they took another three votes, also with an identical result. We cannot help but wonder what they expected!

The journalists are doing a fine job of reporting the fact that the House is ‘’completely paralyzed’’, that it is ‘’dysfunctional’’, that this display of incompetence ‘’erodes confidence’’ in the government, that there is ‘’chaos among the House GOP’’. All of this is very true!

As a result of this, those same journalists are agreed that the House is facing a ‘’messy two years ahead’’. 

I mention this as an example of the strengths, and weaknesses, of bourgeois journalism. On the one hand, they do a fine job of stating the facts. On the other hand, their analysis, including their ‘’predictions’’, are frequently in direct contradiction of the facts!

The journalists even go so far as to say that this is ‘’democracy in action’’. That is true, as far as it goes! They neglect to add that it is bourgeois democracy! It is democracy for the capitalists! Democracy for the billionaires! For the working people, it is a dictatorship! 

The point must be driven home, to the working class, that democracy is a method of class rule! It most certainly is not majority rule! As we live under the rule of the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, technically referred to as the bourgeoisie, it is the rule of the bourgeoisie. 

The  monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, must be overthrown. That can happen only through Revolution! At that point, the existing state apparatus must be smashed, and a new working class state apparatus must be established. That is referred to as the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

Without doubt, we live in a time of Revolution. The suffering of the working people has reached horrendous proportions. Hunger is wide spread. Homelessness is common place, and increasing. Gang violence and multiple homicides are now daily events. Drug overdoses and suicides are routine. Now galloping inflation is merely intensifying the suffering. People can no longer continue to live this way!

Yet that is not enough! For a Revolution to ‘’triumph’’, it is also ‘’essential that the exploiters should not be able to live and rule in the old way’’, as explained by Lenin.

In our case, the ‘’exploiters’’ are represented by the politicians in the House. That same House is in a state of ‘’gridlock’’. The Republican Party is now at war with itself. The finest of the  bourgeois minds, see ‘’no way forward’’. In short, the capitalists are now unable to ‘’live and rule in the old way’’, which is one of the conditions for a successful Revolution.

Lenin goes on to say that such a governmental crisis ‘’draws even the most backward masses into politics…weakens the government, and makes it possible for the Revolutionaries to rapidly overthrow it’’.

The significance of the paralysis, within the government, lies in the fact that countless working people have been ‘’drawn into action’’. The government is now ‘’weakened’’. Now it is possible to ‘’rapidly overthrow it’’!

The working people are listening closely, as the journalists explain that the important decisions are being made ‘’behind closed doors’’. The cameras show the politicians huddled in groups, plotting and scheming. The working class is receiving an education!

Now it is up to Marxists, true Communists, to raise their level of awareness even higher. The working class must be made aware of itself as a class, with its own class interests. These interests are diametrically opposed to the interests of the capitalists, the billionaires. We must use the events in the House, the ‘’government gridlock’’, to drive home the correctness of the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin.

Incidentally, the fact is that Trump is asking all Republican Members of the House to vote for McCarthy, as Speaker. This means that Trump must consider McCarthy to be ‘’in his pocket’’. Yet no less that twenty Republican Members of the House are defying Trump! So Trump must be losing his control over the Republican Party!

It is also a fact that, as Lenin stated, a ‘’Great Revolution’’, and especially a ‘’Socialist Revolution’’, gives rise to ‘’chaos …among all the elements of disintegration of the old society’’. 

This explains the ‘’chaos’’, which is currently taking place in the House! It is merely one of the ‘’elements of disintegration of the old society’’! As the capitalist society is ‘’disintegrating’’, it is giving rise to ‘’chaos’’!

Strangely enough, even though the bourgeois journalists bear witness to this, they either can not, or perhaps will not, face the fact that the ‘’old society’’ is in a state of ‘’disintegration’’. A world without capitalism, a world of socialism, is ‘’on the horizon’’. 

That in no way changes the fact that we can use the facts which the journalists present, to drive home to the working class the necessity for Revolution. At the same time, we must stress the necessity of smashing the existing state apparatus, and replacing it with the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. That is the ‘’way forward’’! 

January 3, 2023. The day the new 118 Congress is to be sworn in. Or not! The first order of business is to elect a new Speaker of the House, strictly a formality. As there are only two mainstream political parties in the country, Democrats and Republicans, it is customary for the Party with the majority of seats in the House, to elect their leader as Speaker. Further, as the Republicans, or the GOP, Grand Old Party, as they refer to themselves, have a majority, then it should be ”cut and dried”. Not this time!

The GOP is every bit as divided as the Democrats! They need 218 votes to elect a Speaker, but have a ”razor thin” majority of only four Members! So if even four of their Members vote against their favoured candidate, which is Kevin McCarthy, then he will not be elected as Speaker. Yet on the first ballot, nineteen GOP Members voted against McCarthy! That automatically gave rise to a second ballot, which gave rise to a similar outcome.

This is considered to be serious, as the House cannot vote on any piece of legislation, until they first elect a Speaker! It is only the Speaker of the House who can swear in the next Congress!

Incidentally, the Senate does not have that problem, as it is the duty of the President of the Senate to swear in the next Senate. As the President of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States, that ”base has been covered”.

The journalists expected some conflict, within the House, as just before the House took a break, on December 23, there was some friction. Yet no one expected anything like this! ”Chaos and confusion”! Some Members of the House are referring to this as a ”Gong Show”, without exactly using the word ”Gong”. The journalists are referring to it as ”going down a black hole”! They suspect that ”their opponents smell blood”! At the same time, the journalists are careful not to mention the names of the ”opponents”, although they suspect that Donald Trump is behind this!

They report that over the Christmas break, and possibly for some considerable time before that, a ”core group” of ”right flank Republicans”, led by conservative members of the ”Freedom Caucus”, met frequently ”behind closed doors”, and promised to change the ”House Rules”.

No wonder they suspect that Trump is behind this! Perhaps now people are taking seriously the statements he made! In particular, Trump said that if he was charged, then people would see ”problems …the likes of which perhaps we’ve never seen”. He was not joking!

Yet this is not terribly surprising, at least not to Marxists. It is safe to say that capitalism is in a state of crisis, or more accurately, in a state of numerous crises! I would go so far as to say that capitalism is in its ”death throes”! Marx let everyone know what to expect, in the Communist Manifesto:

”Finally, in times when the class struggle nears the decisive hour, the process of dissolution going on within the ruling class, in fact within the whole range of old society, assumes such a violent, glaring character, that a small section of the ruling class cuts itself adrift, and joins the Revolutionary class, the class that holds the future in its hands”.

That which is taking place now, in the ”Hallowed Halls of the House”, is simply part of the ”process of dissolution”, which is going on ”within the ruling class”. The politicians are merely the loyal and devoted servants of the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. And these, their most devoted servants, are squabbling among themselves!

Now we can expect a ”small section of the ruling class” to ”cut itself adrift”, and to ”join the Revolutionary class”, which is to say the working class, the Proletariat. After all, it is the Proletariat that ”holds the future in its hands”.

We can also expect this ”small section” to be supremely class conscious, and to bring this awareness of classes to the working class, the Proletariat. After all, only the most intelligent, among the ruling class, are able to see the ”writing on the wall”, are prepared to ”cut themselves adrift”, to ”abandon the sinking ship”. Make no mistake, capitalism has ”had its day”! The days of capitalism are ”numbered”! The vast majority of capitalists will not accept this! They will no doubt ”go down with the ship”! Fools! Their choice!

To the former capitalists who choose to join the Revolutionary forces, I have something to say: Welcome! Brothers and Sisters! Comrades! Join us in building a better world! The World Revolution is now raging! It will very soon set down in North America! You have a key role to play!

No doubt you have a University education, and are aware of the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. Feel free to share this knowledge with the working people, the Proletarians. Stress the fact that at the time of the Revolution, the existing state apparatus must be smashed. Otherwise the leaders of the Revolution will merely take over that state apparatus, and set themselves up as the new rulers. A new state apparatus must be set up, in order to crush the capitalists, as they try to restore their ”paradise lost”. This is known as the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

Feel free to take part in Councils. Now is not the time for false humility! The fact that you have joined the progressive Revolutionary forces, proves that you are a leader! We need leaders! Get in touch with the leaders of other Councils, and work towards forming a true Communist Party, Dictatorship of the Proletariat! Bear in mind that Marx and Lenin were also middle class intellectuals!

As I write this, the Members of the House have voted no less than three times. Each time, a ”hard core group” of possibly twenty Republicans have consistently voted against McCarthy. Now the leaders are ”meeting behind closed doors”, in secret, hidden from the public, the very people they are supposed to be representing!

The journalists are reporting that the last time this happened was in 1923. At that time, no less than nine ballots took place, before a Speaker was elected. Even so, that was far faster than the previous time the House was deadlocked, in the ”eighteen fifties” At that time the country was deeply divided, on the verge of Civil War! For that reason, it took 133 votes, over a two month period, before a Speaker was elected! The country is just as divided now, as it was in the eighteen fifties!

The House has just agreed to shut down until tomorrow. The journalists are reporting the ”GOP In Open Revolt”, that ”All Business Is On Hold”. They are even reporting that ”some GOP moderates are laying the groundwork to team up with Democrats”!

Truly, this is an indication that we are ”near the decisive hour”, as ”the process of dissolution within the ruling class”, has truly assumed a ”violent, glaring character”. May the protesters now sing the Internationale! May the banners and posters now proclaim:

Revolution!

Scientific Socialism!

Workers of the World, Unite!

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!