BOURGEOIS LEFT

W J ASTORE—The question is: What will Democrats do with this (very weak) majority? Or, as Greg Laxer put it here, “BUT…do the Dems have sufficient internal discipline to pass any legislation remotely progressive or to seat a SCOTUS nominee deemed controversial?” Good question.

Of course, it’s not just about “internal discipline.” Joe Biden, a mealy-mouthed corporatist, is on the record as saying that nothing will fundamentally change under his administration. I don’t see him or Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer pushing for a progressive agenda. These “leaders” are DINOs, Democrats in name only, and it will be interesting to see if Biden & Co. even come through on their promise to elevate relief checks from $600 to $2000.

CALEB MAUPIN—Many celebrate Trump’s defeat without realising they have not defeated the forces that made him possible. In fact they just voted them back into power. Caleb’s chats are the ideal tool for those who wish to acquire a solid understanding of contemporary history in an easy, accessible manner.  “This was a victory for the American establishment. Make no mistake about it.” The country and the world suffer terribly because we lack the politics of a communist party. The country is in a crisis, and the only way out of this is through the class line, through the optimistic building of a socialist society. Caleb agains sketches the class division in the US ruling class, something people should understand. With Biden, the older, more powerful wing of the establishment has regained full control. It represents the older, bigger fortunes and the new mega corporations of Silicon Valley. The “Managerial Wing” of the ruling class. Count here the Rockefellers, DuPonts, Carnegies, Jeff Bezos, the Big Tech billionaires, etc. Trump had the newer shorter-thinking capitalist mob only interested in short-term profits: The Home Dept, Hobby Lobby, Casino magnates, and so forth. Let’ call them the “entrepreneurial wing”. This clash remains unresolved. 

CHRIS MARSDEN—The Corbynites have once again responded by waving the flag of surrender. Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell tweeted, “In interests of party unity let’s find a way of undoing & resolving this.” Corbyn told Sky News, “What I will be doing is appealing to the party… to kindly think again.” He later appealed to Labour members, “Don’t go away, don’t leave the party. Stay in the party and argue the case for economic and social justice in our society.” Fundamental lessons must now be learned from this degrading spectacle by workers in Britain and internationally.

iorella Isabel is eloquent and as usual passionate and super lucid in her dissection of the fraud represented by the duopoly and the choice of neoliberal imperialist Kamala Harris for Biden’s VP, her enthronement a heartbeat from the presidency proof of the appalling corruption and hypocrisy permeating the Democratic party and their hanger-ons across the media and other key institutions. 

P. GREANVILLE—The system’s unrelenting tidal wave of shit—from the economic meltdown to the pandemic, to the incomprehensible PC cultural wars, and the endless warmongering and media lies seem to be taking a toll even on our re·doubt·a·ble Jimmy Dore! Just watch his body language: It says, what’s the use folks, I’ve seen this already a million times, and nothing changes. He looks tired, and isolated. Facial gestures of despair replace witticisms. For a comedian whose lifeblood is interactions with an audience, the lockdown has been a body blow. Of course, although amply anticipated, considering what the Democrats are made of—pure, 100%, Grade A Made in the USA Bullshit, as George Carlin would have put it—this is still disgusting.