There’s debate on the left about what Trumpism does and does not have in common with classical fascism, but little debate that this is something different and extremely dangerous. since the Reagan administration, it is a turn from dog-whistles to bullhorns and an attempt to put in place a semi-apartheid authoritarian system. global hegemony and failure of the economic model that has dominated the U.S. In the context of demographic change, the decline of U.S. But if Trumpism represents a pattern in U.S. society because of deep structural factors – a country founded on the genocide of the indigenous people and the enslavement of people of African descent. Of course, Trumpism is not some fluke reactionary anti-democratic blocs anchored in white supremacy have been common in U.S. There are three inter-related reasons for this.įirst is the special danger posed by Trump and the GOP which under him has been captured by white nationalism and is permeated by the politics of racial and imperial revenge. In this just-completed election, and likely even more so in the one in 2020, the stakes are quite high. Sometimes the outcome of elections can shift things only in the tiniest of ways other times they have big consequences. They are a barometer of the relative strength of different social and political forces, and within certain constraints, they can shift power. That’s the context of our discussion tonight.Įlections are also about power.
The differences are important, but the main thing is that radical discussion is again focused on finding a path to power. I haven’t seen that on the scale of today since 1960s, when the question of a path to power was put before the left in a different way. Rather, how to take chunks of power from those who have it now and get it for the exploited and oppressed. Not just how to speak truth to power, or how to protest those in power, or pressure those in power. One of the positive things about this moment is that the question of power has moved central to discussion on the left. These notes were the basis for a presentation to the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild on November 8, 2018.
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