GlobalTalk

Dual Power and Transformation in America

There are times (historical moments, really) when political power is dual power. In the US, right now, this is one of those times.

The 1917 Russian Revolution also comes to mind. In February of that year – with their men at war and themselves starving in town – St. Petersburg working women spurred a popular insurrection by marching and demanding Bread, Land and Peace! That rebellion quickly deposed the Tsar, but the real base of popular power – community and workplace-based soviets – was not enshrined as the new government. Instead, the war and its suffering continued as everyone endured the battered tenure and widening failure of the Duma. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks kept running their line, All Power to the Soviets! Nine months later, in October, a second uprising dismissed the Duma and installed the soviets as the people’s government.

Right now, the American voters have advanced our future’s cause by putting a wrecking ball in the White House just to be sure (as sure as we can be) that neoliberalism will never again paper over the crisis at hand. No more obfuscation. It’s going to be right here, right now; in your face; polarized and desperate. This is a measure of popular power not seen in the lifetimes of living Americans. The good news is: a spontaneous revolution has been launched, and the Presidency has been seized. The bad news is: the best agent we could find to get us here was Trump. Ugh. Still a long row to hoe.

Today, we have dual power in the US, and, as a result, have entered the twilight zone between the old order and the new. The institutionalized structure of corporate rule remains in place, but the voters have cut off its head. It will be less effective in its rule, and, if Trump cannot or will not press the broad interests of Americans (especially Millennial Americans) against this regime, he cannot retain office. Barring a suspension of the 2020 elections, Americans have a far better than average chance of breaking today’s duopoly and truly gaining the upper hand just four years from now!

The next four years are going to be a glorious struggle for real popular power in America and around the world. The tipping point (but not the end) comes when we put a conscientious revolutionary with a sound revolutionary program in the White House. In the meantime, we have to fight like hell against every instance of Trump racism, misogyny or national chauvinism while holding him to account on his promise to side with the workers against the elite. It probably goes without saying – especially if his cabinet is simply the collection of Republican good ole boys now under consideration – that he will not deliver the goods. That means, come 2020, he’ll retain, at best, only the 25 percent of the electorate that is blatantly backward; the other half of his votes (the ones who wanted the wrecking ball instead of more of the same) will be looking for another option, just like those who voted for Clinton this time and the massive number of voters who just stayed home.

We have to find that better option, but the key to that is knowing what we really want, not in a candidate’s character or personality, but in the next social contract. What are the demands that, once embraced and implemented, will actually and forever change our world?

I don’t think Sanders’ patchwork anti-corporatism is going to be good enough four years from now. By then, the crisis will be super ripe and a more decisive remedy (than he articulated) will not only be possible but, also, absolutely necessary.

IMO, it’s time to articulate and advance a true, comprehensive revolutionary program in order that it stick to the next candidate up in the challenge of seizing the White House. I have my ideas (below); perhaps, you have others. Let’s find the common ground and unite our efforts to advance the revolutionary cause.

Let’s launch an online movement for a Global Reset! Let’s base it on these global demands:

Cancel All Personal and Government Debt!
Tax Corporate Bank Transactions!
Save and Restore Our Environment!
Justice, Peace and Jobs for Everyone, Everywhere!

Let’s get started. Alert me to your interest, and I'll add you to membership in the new Global Reset! group on Facebook. From there, we can map plans and organize.

[Steve Clark]

For Openers...

Editors

This blog is in construction. Eventually, it will serve as the discussion forum for the Global Citizen Center (www.globalcitizencenter.net).