by Paul C. Bermanzohn
The deepening crisis of an illegitimate system that only serves the rich has caused a section of the ruling class to charge a sitting president — one of their own! — with the political crime of illegitimacy. The “fake news” imbroglio is phony excuse for keeping the United States on a permanent war footing.
“By attributing Trump’s electoral victory to foreign meddling, the report undermined his legitimacy.”
As Trump’s inauguration approached, we heard a growing chorus that the new president is illegitimate. Congress members and the intelligence services publicly raised matters that undermine the credibility of the incoming administration.
How can a president be legitimate when the system is itself illegitimate?
Trump was elected by the [currently accepted ] rules, which are not democratic. The rules specify that the Electoral College decides, not the popular vote. So, according to the system, Trump was elected fairly.
James Madison wrote the Constitution to protect the wealthy minority from the poor majority. He expressly intended for the federal system to prevent “insurrection.” (see Federalist Paper number 10, titled “The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection.” It’s a worthwhile read for those seeking to understand today’s system.)
The venerated Constitution was created to ensure the continuation of slavery, the basis of the world capitalist economy of the time. The founding documents do not deserve respect. The US government has always been a tool of capital. In recent years faith in this corrupt system has been waning. Critics of the system have successfully pointed out how the US is not a democracy. Now we hear the media screaming to stop “fake news.”
The venerated Constitution was created to ensure the continuation of slavery, the basis of the world capitalist economy of the time. The founding documents do not deserve respect. The US government has always been a tool of capital.
In recent years faith in this corrupt system has been waning. Critics of the system have successfully pointed out how the US is not a democracy. Now we hear the media screaming to stop “fake news.” Millions of Americans are awakening to the fact that the rich rule over us and use their rule to drain the lifeblood out of us.
“The US government has always been a tool of capital.”
US democracy is a most consoling illusion. But people have no real power. The rich use their control of the political process to strengthen their hold and to facilitate their robbery. People are willing to put up with the misery they suffer if they believe their suffering grows out of an essentially just arrangement.
As people awaken to the system’s essential unfairness, they are increasingly motivated to fight to change the prevailing arrangements.
What does this have to do with the fake news crisis? Let’s review the steps in this fast-moving saga.
1. Shortly after Trump’s surprising election victory, the Washington Post, a key defender of the capitalist order, published a Thanksgiving Day report suggesting that over 200 websites had been receiving Russian support to criticize US institutions and were “routine peddlers of Russian propaganda during the election season.” The Post called for these putative Russian agents to be targeted by US intelligence agencies, accusing the websites of spreading “fake news.”
It was a call to battle against those media outlets that have led the way in exposing the true nature of American capitalism. The official media wants to put the genie back in the bottle by discrediting those who speak the truth.
2. On Nov. 31, the Post reported that Congress was poised to pass a bill to “monitor and counter foreign propaganda and disinformation.”
3. On Dec. 5th, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube announced they were joining forces “to more quickly identify the worst terrorist propaganda and prevent it from spreading online.”
The digital companies made clear they are on board with keeping the people in line.
“The official media wants to put the genie back in the bottle by discrediting those who speak the truth.”
4. Around Christmas, Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act approving over $611 billion to the US Military for 2017. Buried in this year’s version was the Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act to set up a “Global Engagement Center,” to counter “foreign disinformation and manipulation,” which the government says, threaten the world’s “security and stability.”
The NDAA has been used before to deliver veiled attacks on civil liberties. In 2011 the NDAA authorized indefinite detention of anyone deemed a terrorism suspect.
5. January 5, the top intelligence officials briefed President Obama and President-elect Trump on the alleged Russian hacks of the US elections.
Trump had earlier reduced the frequency of his intelligence briefings, from daily reports to “as needed.” Daily summaries were unnecessary, he said. His stance was interpreted as “feuding with intelligence” (an interesting phrase) or as merely his continued posturing as an outsider.
A declassified version of the briefing was released saying that the election results had been affected by Russian hacks. This allegation was treated as established fact, in no need of proof.
Trump dismissed the briefing, saying there was nothing new. He used it as yet another opportunity to denigrate the intelligence agencies; he had no choice. By attributing Trump’s electoral victory to the foreign meddling, the report undermined his legitimacy. Trump had no alternative but to criticize it. This increased the animosity between the President-elect and his secret police.
5a. A few days later, the Washington Post and CNN reported that the intelligence agencies alleged that Russia had “compromising material” it could use to blackmail Trump. The intelligence heads who met with Trump gave him a 2-page memo that the Russians had information that might serve to “undermine Trump’s authority” should it be released. They claimed they were looking into allegations that the Russians had information that would “compromise” Trump if it were released.
In this latest piece of news the intelligence agencies try to appear as Trump’s protectors, intent on defending him against those pesky Russians. But this claim, it must be noted, also suggests that Trump is vulnerable to blackmail and hence not legitimate.
“The intelligence agencies alleged that Russia had “compromising material” it could use to blackmail Trump.”
The rulers and their intelligence services are trying to find a way to deal with the uncomfortable reality that this new president was elected largely because he insisted he will attack the corrupt system from the top. This promise is highly suspect as President-elect Trump nominated a host of billionaires to serve as his Cabinet.
But the basic problem the powers-that-be face is far more troubling and difficult than dealing with the unpredictable Trump. The American people are waking from their slumber and a revolutionary crisis may yet develop in the Homeland, the heartland of world capitalism. The rulers have much to fear from this awakening. They have a lot to lose.
How will they, and he, work out their differences to protect the collective interests of their class? Along with watching to see if Trump delivers on his vows to reduce US wars and increase US jobs, this will be a key story to watch as the Trump administration takes charge. Or will there be a deep state coup as some predict? In either case, revolutionaries will have more to do than watch TV.
Links
[1] http://blackagendareport.com/fake_news_covers_crisis
[2] http://blackagendareport.com/taxonomy/term/6940
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3 comments
I think that, to make any progress toward a meaningful revolution, we will need to unify the progressive non-politicians and the conservative non-politicians. That is, we need all the 99% to actually be chanting “we are the 99%” TOGETHER. To achieve that, we need to focus on the issues that they can agree on. Initially, that would be just “jobs,” but after a while we might be able to broaden that to a wider discussion of economics and plutocracy.
I don’t see how to develop that idea any further yet, but I think that’s the direction we should be aiming for. I would recommend trying to mention jobs in anything you write; try to relate any topic to jobs. For instance, one of the major reasons for all the wars is that they serve to distract the public from the terrible economy; that can be mentioned in any discussion of wars.
At present, the main points I would stress about plutocracy are that wealth is getting concentrated into fewer hands, and that the jobs are getting worse. Also the Gilens and Page 2014 paper showing that we are ruled by plutocracy, not democracy.
There are two other major points to be made a little later, but I would not stress them just yet:
(a) Automation is accelerating (because the organizing of information is a feedback loop). If present trends continue, soon all the jobs will be in the hands of robots owned by just a few rich people. The rest of us will have to revolt or starve. But I would not mention that until it has become more obvious. At present, many people will find it hard to believe (even though it is true), and so mentioning it would weaken arguments about economics.
(b) Plutocracy is the inevitable consequence of capitalism. But at present, many people will find that hard to believe (even though it is true). It will be easier to believe after people have done more thinking about plutocracy for a while.
Our colleague Eric Schechter is absolutely correct in his remarks. Americans have to begin recognizing they do NOT live in a democracy, but a plutocracy and learn what rules really apply. The self-flattering delusions propagated by the ruling class—and their prostituted messengers, the corporate media, schools, the pulpit and academia, not to mention the whore politicians——must be seen for what they are: obstacles to human progress, democracy, peace, and real freedom. Such falsehoods justify endless wars, ecological devastation and personal insecurity.
The fact that under this so-called “democratic” regime, we reach a point in 2017 in which 8 individuals own HALF of the wealth in the entire planet, that is 8 individuals who fit in a small room own as much money and assets as 3.8 billion human beings, is an irrefutable indictment of the capitalist system. How can a true democracy or fair economic system ever yield such monstrously deformed results?
Unemployment can never be eliminated under capitalism.
The growing unemployment produced by automation—a technology made possible by scientific advance, and designed to liberate humanity from toil while producing more abundance (a higher standard of living)—cannot be resolved under and within the laws of capitalism. It is important to note in this regard that this is not a “technical” issue, nor an economic problem for economists to “solve”. It is a matter of politics, the clash of interests and social power inherent in a capitalist society, with one group—the capitalists or big property owners who own everything worth owning—from their sumptuous homes to factories, media, pharmaceuticals, and the entire political class and government, you name it, and the working class—everyone who MUST work for a living—who own little besides their personal property. Note that professionals are also part of the working class, as long as they are forced to work to maintain their livelihoods.
Because capitalism, with its rigged political system, disempowers the workers, and pays them less and less, enormous amounts of wealth accumulate in the capitalist hands, while the mass of people encounter trouble maintaining basic consumption. This consumption flaw makes the capitalist economy inherently unstable and fragile, and eventually, when most of the money and wealth are in the hands of the plutocrats (the 0.00001%), literally impossible, like standing a pyramid on its apex and expecting it to remain in place without instantly toppling.
All the above was clearly described by Marx in the 1840s, and relates to what he describes as the social relations of production (also called “property relations”) under capitalism. In plain language, what are the rules of the game, the rules of distribution of the social “booty” produced by everyone who does the real work in a capitalist nation, with the capitalist always taking as much as s/he can, and leaving the rest doing whatever they can to stay alive. Under such conditions, what could be increasing affluence becomes unimaginable and obscene affluence for a puny minority and their immediate henchmen, while the majority faces tougher scarcities and unemployment.
As a result of these ever tightening “relations of production” applied to the “forces of production” (whatever technological levels is used in the economy) people begin to see an unresolvable clash: The advancing forces of production—say industrialism— constantly tend to increase production, while the social relations, under lopsided capitalist rules of distribution of the loot, whereby private property is king and has no caps to its power, tend to strangle the consumption of the mass of citizens.
The issue can only be resolved by a loosening and lessening of capitalist power over society (say via genuine reforms), which permits a temporary fix, or by a complete break with the inequitable relations of production (revolution), guaranteeing an egalitarian distribution of what is produced, the latter regime assuring indefinite economic stability under conditions of economic and political democracy.
In sum, both abundance and the complete elimination of economic insecurity and unemployment are only possible under socialism. Capitalism by its very inherent dynamic and property relations can never allow that.
The above is a rather clumsy explanation, I admit, but the overall picture is irrefutably correct.
—The writer is this blog’s editor in chief
Minor correction:
It’s not “8 individuals own HALF of the wealth in the entire planet.” That’s erronenous. The correct statement is “8 individuals own as much wealth as the bottom half of the PEOPLE in the entire planet.” That corrected statement is not quite as bad, but it’s still absolutely awful.
The wording is tricky in these things. Here’s another one: America (in total) gets richer, but Americans (most of them, anyway) get poorer. I think I’ve said that one correctly.