The American Midterm Elections

Capitalist politics is the art of maintaining class rule, the rule of the capitalist class over the working class. One answer is presented by the Democrats to the problem of maintaining that rule is given by reformists. Far from undermining the social order, they leave it intact,  understanding that there are circumstances in which the social interests of the ruling class demand “sacrifices” from it in the form of concessions of one degree or another to the working class. More often than not, indeed, as a rule, these concessions are made as an anticipatory blunting of sharper demands or else as a partial, legal sanctioning of gains already achieved. Irksome and irritating though these concessions may be to the ruling class, it prefers to make the gesture of granting them rather than to have an angry mobilized, battling working class.

The other answer to the problem is given by the Republicans: Concessions? What the rabble needs are a good dose of a police-state! And what we need is a strong government, a strongman in charge, determined enough to deal summarily with subversive forces;  to reduce the social services to a minimum, to relieve the wealthy of the burden of taxation; and run the political machine of the state without interfering in matters of wages and hours and markets and management. If malcontents try to stir up trouble, let them be dealt with by force.

Capitalist politics are either variation of one of these two courses.

 There are millions of voters who do not see the Democrats and Republicans as representing the same corporate rulers but view the Democrats’ rhetorical support for the common people as sincere, and supporting these Democrats as practical and realistic, though far from perfect.  The winner-take-all system determines that every vote not cast for the Democrats is one less vote for the Democrats and thus the equivalent of one more vote for the Republicans. The content of the “lesser of two evils” line is exactly what the name implies – choosing the lesser evil within the existing social system. Objectively, this is a line of unity with the employing owning class, in support of their state. This line says that since the problem is urgent, the immediate alternative is between the lesser of two evils. There are two types of people who pursue this line. There are people who don’t understand the real alternative to capitalism is socialism. For them to pick the lesser evil is progressive,   to the extent that they think it is anti-racist, and pro-working class. For so-called socialists to follow this strategy is, however, totally incorrect. By not pointing out the true alternative to capitalism, they betray their duty to the working class.

 However, the goal of economic justice cannot be reconciled with the ever-growing polarisation of income and wealth under capitalism. The goal of an ecological steady-state between society and nature cannot be reconciled with capitalism. The goal of peace cannot be reconciled with capitalism’s competitive struggle for markets, resources, and cheap labor. As long as the radical progressives hold to their goals they will confront capitalism’s structural barriers to their realization. That self-styled realists in the Democrat Party downplay or oppose anti-capitalist demands should not be surprising. Working people must reject the “lesser evil” argument  – there is no such thing when the choice is between mumps and measles. The “lesser evil” fallacy serves only to underestimate the danger of the poison you pick and keeps the masses chained to the political system of two parties.
 The WSPUS strategy is based on the fundamental idea of working class self-emancipation. This means that working people can generate the power they need to change the world only through collective self-mobilization and class self-organization. It implies that the only way they can develop the consciousness required is by acting collectively to confront the power of capital and the State. From this, socialists draw the conclusion that the goal of must be to contribute to the building of mass movements of workers since such movements offer the only viable way to transform consciousness and, it is hoped, to make a socialist revolution. 

A political commitment to self-emancipation means opposition to working inside and attempting to use the Democratic Party in order to secure progressive change, for the practical reason that attempting to do so is incompatible with building a socialist movement. Political action, if it is to promote socialist consciousness and organization, must be based on the principle of the needs of the class struggle. It must include a program of struggle expressing the everyday needs of the workers but more than that, it must pose the issue of class against class and the socialist solution. That kind of political action can never be achieved by entering or supporting any capitalist party. To support the Democratic Party as a “lesser evil” is to deceive the people and to sow confusion, demoralization, and defeatism among workers. The Democratic Party is not a lesser evil, despite its occasional liberal rhetoric  “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Anyone who doesn’t tell these truths about the Democratic Party, along with similar truths about the Republicans, doesn’t deserve the name of socialist. The Democrats and Republicans are hopelessly sold to the Big Busines interests and cannot be reformed. The working class should not support any of the mid-term candidates, as none offer any program which would substantially benefit the working people of the United States. The choice between the Democrats and the Republicans is described as one between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Both are stout champions of capitalism. Both are friends of industrialists and financiers.

The Democratic Party systematically oppose class struggle because it threatens the profits and property of the capitalist class. The  Democratic Party has moved ever further to the right under the hammer blows of capital. Employers have carried on an ever more vicious offensive against labor to restore profitability. Meanwhile, extremist pro-capitalist forces have increasingly dominated the Republican Party. Furthermore, electing a "progressive" Democrat in the mid-term elections can in no way be counted on to cut short the continuing drift to the right. Just the opposite. As long as the balance of political discourse continues to shift toward capital and the right, the Democrats will follow. Shifting the balance of class forces to a more favorable direction can only be accomplished by building militant mass movements and reviving the working-class movement. Every socialist is now thinking and asking: How can the socialist forces be unified and strengthened? Not voting in elections is not a matter of principle. The working class can utilize the electoral arena as part of its struggle for socialism.  Voting when none of the candidates offer any alternative for the masses would only strengthen the two-party system and hold back the process of forging a political trend independent of the ruling class. By not voting for any candidate in the mid-term election, working people will register their rejection of the big business candidates. The Democrats are just as driven to cut back the gains of the working class as the Republicans; they just use a somewhat different approach. And they get away with their attacks more easily than the Republicans because the liberal and the intellectual misleaders are in bed with them who work overtime to minimize protest against a Democrat government. An economic crisis is about to erupt with devastating fury upon the U.S. working class. History shows that Black and Latino workers will be hit the hardest. But white workers will be hit hard and also be looking for a way out. Inevitably, the ruling class will attempt to divide the working class through an even more naked racist anti-immigrant offensive.

 Our fellow-workers have been blindly and self-defeatingly following the policy of the “lesser evil,” considering that it is “smart” practical politics to choose between the two capitalist politicians periodically presented by the Democrats and Republicans, plumping for the one that was “least worst” and then congratulating themselves on defeating the “main danger” only to discover another “main danger” on their hands.

The WSPUS seeks to eradicate poverty and racism root and branch; we believe that for this to happen capitalism must be overthrown. Socialist revolution is the only way to end the inequalities and inequities. There is an increasing contempt for politicians, bureaucrats and the like throughout the working class. What is missing is an alternative. Liberation is only possible through socialist revolution. This means that united action must be lead not by the elite but by the only class capable of making such a revolution, the working class. Present society is rotten ripe for revolution and we should chart an independent course and unwaveringly travel on it. This is the only way that workers can gain the initiative in the struggle instead of tailing after the rapidly changing events and dance to the tune of the enemy.

Support for the small revolutionary party, then, like the WSPUS which has no candidates? Yes, yes. A vote of confidence in it and of confidence in the revolutionary tomorrow. A vote in the form of closer solidarity with it. A vote in the form of adherence to its ranks, so that the dozens and hundreds of today may be the thousands and hundreds of thousands they must number tomorrow.