Author: Samuel McCullar
Over the last year, tensions have increased as a result of the 2024 presidential election. During this time many people are facing the reality of the next four years as well as becoming disillusioned with the repetitive lies from both parties.
This week (December 14th 2024), the democratic party of Arkansas held its regular state committee. After hearing much self congratulating as well as a few choice comments such as “they get what they vote for” (in reference to those Arkansans who voted for Trump) and “we are the rebels fighting against the empire” (I suppose they forgot Star Wars was actually about them), there was a considerable lack of real conversation or interest in regard to working class issues.
Democrats attempt to persuade the working class that they alone are the only viable option for the working class, however upon further observation it can be seen that whilst some concessions may be gained via liberal reformism, a solution is impossible via the democratic party. In the United States, the two party system is setup deliberately in order to crush any real opposition to the capitalist system. These two parties exist in an ebb and flow with one another, appearing at all times to have the aim of defeating the other but both having a vested interest in keeping their opposition in order to promote, support, and defend the real interests they both represent.
These interests can be best understood by taking a look at class interests, power, and dynamics in the united states.
In this country, we exist in a bourgeois democracy1, that is, those who have the means (or the capital) have all of the substantive power. While the official rules may not reflect this, reality is not quite as ideal. Those who have the means to manipulate the media, set the narrative, and lobby (bribe) others have a dictatorship of REAL political power in this country. Those with this level of power and privilege understand their class interests quite well.
It naturally follows that if one can accumulate wealth via the labor of others, use their wealth to accumulate more wealth, and then use that accumulation of wealth to support the system that allows them to continue accumulating more and more wealth then those in such a position will certainly and logically maintain a dictatorship of political power. This natural outcome of capitalism can be understood as “tendency towards monopoly”
The republican party exists primarily to promote these specific interests. However, the democratic party has much more of a fox-like characteristic. This is as such: the democratic party presents itself as the friend of the working class. It preaches labor aesthetics2 and values whilst in the background working to maintain the system the creates these issues in the first place.
The conclusion of this setup is as follows: the republican party pushes the country and economy further right, whilst promoting “free market” economics and outright support for the wealthy. And the democratic party takes in the opposition to this party and funnels this into a struggle aimed at the incorrect cause. This is done in order to create a manufactured consent of the people3 and give them two scapegoats to fight amongst themselves instead of attacking the real issue and threatening the actual power dynamics in this country.
The liberal media will endlessly talk about the “rise of fascism” and how the most pressing issue is to “protect our democracy”. They seem to forget whose democracy they are talking about. They will not once address directly and thoroughly the awful conditions that so many of the working class deal with every day.
This is where the real issues of the liberal ideology comes from. It exists to serve and protect capitalism and its masters, to protect it from the working class questioning the system and its existence. This is already evident with the instant attempt to moralize and humanize parasites like Brian Thompson, with notable quotes from Senator John Fetterman such as: “Hes going to die in prison” and “Congratulations if you want to celebrate that”
This can also been seen with the recent election. Kamala Harris, like every politician before her received massive amounts of funds “donated” by many different political organizations such as AIPAC, corporate board members, etc. Her interests lies in securing the support of these corporations in order to secure the capital needed to push media, ideas, and everything else needed in order to win the vote and then support her corporate masters. Her interest is rooted in capital and capital alone, and why would it be any other way in our capitalist system? If one supported the interests of the working class (higher wages, lower rent, etc), then it is not in the interests of these corporations (who control all of the capital and therefore the means to win an election) to support such a candidate.
This can also be seen much more obviously within the republican party and right wing as a whole. For instance, Elon Musk understands that with the victory of Trump he will secure a much larger amount of profit to be made and will continue a movement that serves to put the blame of working class oppression on minorities, foreign powers, and communists instead of the parasitic owning class that performs none of the production whilst reaping all of the rewards from their wage slaves.
These both demonstrate that it is capital and its interests that decide the outcome of an election far before the votes are cast.
This is even further proven with Kamala losing an election that could have been won if she had only abandoned the pandering to moderates instead of abandoning the thousands who would have voted for her if she supported real progressive ideals and took a concrete stance on genocide.
Liberal ideology today exists for the same reason conservative ideology does: to distract the working class with an endless loop of fighting against the establishment whilst supporting the foundations of this same establishment. Still, the oppression of the working class continues during this spectacle. The two parties want you to believe the owning class state (bourgeois state) is the only thing that can save us from whatever crisis they have drafted up with their propaganda.
Why do they want this?
They want this to protect their interests, their unjust wealth, their privileges, their ability to lord over us, all things they would have to give up if we were to live in a truly just society where everyone’s needs are met and the working class receive the real value of their own labor.
“Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.
Karl Marx
[Workers] of all countries unite!”
Footnotes:
- Bourgeois democracy is a means of setting up a capitalist economy in such a way that democratic institutions are composed of, accountable to and beneficial for the bourgeoisie. They tend to settle disputes between the bourgeois without disrupting the overall power structure of the government. These governments tend to call themself democratic despite the fact that the control a citizen of these nations has over their government is minimal unless they are of the owning class. Bourgeois democracy does not benefit the majority of people and excludes the proletariat from power ↩︎
- Labor aesthetics or Redwashing is a practice of adopting pro labor, left wing rhetoric in order to present oneself as progressive and concerned with economic & social justice. ↩︎
- the acceptance of government policies by people on the basis of the partial picture of issues offered by the mass media, denying them access to alternative views which would lead them to oppose such policies.
An example of this could include:
General Electric also owns media companies, so you can expect those media companies will promote the interests of GE and its shareholders ↩︎
Committee of Labor for Arkansas Workers Party 