Reply #22: Bonjour! [View All]

[rogerashton]

Marx remarked that, in a capitalist society, the government are the executive committee of the ruling class. Gore Vidal noted that in America we really have only one party, the property party, and the Democrats and Republicans are its two branches. The real competition between them is to get the backing of the billionaire class, to become its executive committee. The differences between the two are that the Democrats propose to try to solve the problems of class domination (problems from the viewpoint of the billionaire class) while the Republicans doubt that they can be solved without reducing the class dominance of our society (they are correct) and that they are better ignored in the hope that they will go away (they are mistaken). Not that my support matters much, but I support the Democrats on the theory that it is better to solve problems than to ignore them.

(I suppose some of the loyalists on this board will flame me for this cynical view of our party, but, hey, flame on).

What seems to be happening is that a major segment of the ruling class are beginning to figure out that the Republican elite are just not competent to protect their interests. Thus the recent shift in the media toward more negative press on Bush* (although I would not call this coverage serious criticism). The orchestrated emergence of a "New Democrat" who is a credible opponent to Bush* is hardly surprising. That he is a military man is worrying, though. Could it be that the ruling class are so disappointed in the Republicans that they do not anticipate a future Republican government in their interest -- in other words, an end to the "two party system?"

Clark = American Bonaparte?

Both the billionaire class and the Republican elite seem to be a bit panicky, and panicky rulers are very dangerous. When they are panicky enough to call in a general, ugly things can happen. Four years ago, if one had told you about the events of 2000-2001, you would have dismissed it all as paramoia, wouldn't you have? Be honest, now!

All that said, if he is nominated, I will vote for him. The worst probably won't happen, and the alternative is worse still.