“Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other. ” - Oscar Ameringer
For the workers there is nothing to choose between Trump or Biden. They both stand for capitalism. It has been shown that many capitalists support both, and evidence has been offered in the press that both parties draw finances from the same sources. The capitalists who finance both at the same time wish to be doubly certain that whichever party gets political power, their particular interests will be looked after.
The ruling class know that to obtain political power they must have the aid of the working class, as this class is numerically the strongest. These conventions, with all of their publicity, are part of the means to stir up in the working class a certain interest in political activity. So the capitalist politicians bring up at such conventions the different issues—some of importance to workers — and then with the aid of their professional spell-binders and writers, attempt to sidetrack and enlist the sympathy of the workers — and get their votes.
The conditions of the working class arise out of the social relationships in modern society. This class is forced by necessity to enter into a certain definite relationship with the capitalist class. As the latter class own the means of production — the means of life — the working class is compelled to sell its energies to the owners in order to gain access to the means of life. In exchange for their energies the workers get wages. It due to this condition that poverty and misery exist among the workers.
The control of the machinery of government, including the armed forces, is essential to the capitalist or property owning class to enable them to deal with the problems that confront them.
There is, for example, the need for the capitalist class of the United States to protect themselves from the encroachments of capitalists of other countries who may attempt to "muscle in" on the preserves of our masters' country. Again, new markets are sought in which to sell the surplus products that the limited purchasing power of the American workers will not enable them to buy. This struggle for markets is keen among the various capitalist national groups throughout the world. Who shall get the markets often resolves itself into which group can muster the strongest force, and when the trickery of diplomacy fails, the force of armaments decides.
Then, again, there is the struggle between the workers and the capitalists over the division of the wealth produced by the workers. The more the capitalist system develops, the clearer become the contrasts between the two classes, and with it the likelihood of periodical outbursts of industrial strife.
As the workers' understanding grows, the difficulty of stifling their discontent, correspondingly increases. To deal with this there are, apart from the regular army and navy and air force, also such organizations as the National Guard. Besides these they have the police departments, and private security agencies, all of which are used to suppress any of the smaller uprisings of workers, and which are also used as spies and stool-pigeons to weed out and fire those workers who desire to organize against their oppressive conditions.
Still another capitalist problem is the existence of the “criminal" elements which this social system breeds so freely. The uncertain conditions of the working class, and even of some of the smaller fry of capitalists, demoralizes many into trying to live by means that are contrary to capitalist property laws.
What has been written above shows that the capitalists, in order to run their system, must needs have a government to enable them to enforce their kind of order, so that the conditions essential to the exploitation of the slave class can be continued. Thus it is that they are prepared to spend large sums of money running into many millions of dollars for the purpose of winning elections. Yet we know that no matter which capitalist party obtains the powers of government, their supreme interests as a class will be served. Individual and group differences there are, but basically all of these differences are as nothing when the difference between capitalist and worker comes into prominence. Then the common aim of the capitalist class is shown, and that is, to maintain the present social system.
It should be clear to all workers that the working class, if they are to escape from the misery of capitalism, must first understand their class position, and must then build up a world socialist political party for the purpose of capturing the powers of government in order to introduce socialism.
This is the only solution of the economic problems of the working class. All else will leave them wage-slaves still.
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