The Empire Strikes Back

As I predicted some time ago, this "health care reform" was indeed perceived as a substantial threat to capitalist forces ( hence the irrational zeal of the shock troops) and though these forces are themselves far from united as to how to proceed, it is obvious that those most concerned with preserving the ideological imperative have prevailed for now. They have decided to kill even this moderate attempt to align ourselves with the rest of the modern western nations, so fervently do they worship at the Temple of Profit. So no, we will not see any substantial gains for the working class in the short run, but a fissure has been opened and a possible Achilles Heel identified. This slight wound, the mere questioning of the legitimacy of profit, is not trivial. The words capitalism and socialism, taboo for decades, have actually entered mainstream discussion, they are seen on signs at rallys and in articles in newspapers and magazines. The Left-Left should be organizing to take advantage of the rare ( and brief) crack in the spectacular narrative.

Witness the stunned dismay of "centrists", moderates, progressives, etc... at the irrational counter-attack against even the "public option". These are the folks most heavily invested in the illusion that there is a "civil discourse" around which our "liberal democracy" is built and include much of the business class that got Obama elected. They depend on the Spectacle and hoped to continue the charade of a "nuetral media" and a "nuetral state" and a "representative government" but they see the veil slipping away to reveal the blatant ideological bias of all these so-called -constitutional institutions. Each "moderate" being asked to justify the profits of the insurance industry is slipping in the muck of contradiction and hypocricy, each sociologist brought on to explain the anger, outrage and frustration stumbles and stammers trying to explain the difference between self-interest and greed, individualism and alienation, rational fear and zenophobic paranoia.Even John Stewart has trouble defending such a corrupt, capitalist government.

This presents amazing opportunities for left radicals and anti-capitalists of all stripes to give a clear, articulate analysis of the historical moment to a understandably confused and frightened public ( workers, managers, coordinators, unemployed) . Only when viewed on a structural level can the dissapointment of liberals and the fear of conservatives be addressed logically and clearly. When someone asks you if you trust "the State" to run the healthcare system you can answer NOT THE CAPITALIST STATE. If someone asks you how you plan to pay for the stimulus and the bailouts you can say WE CAN'T BECAUSE CAPITALISM DOESN'T WORK. If a "progressive" tells you he/she is dissapointed in Obamas Afghanistan policy you can tell him OBAMA IS A CAPITALIST AND THE WAR ON TERROR IS AN IMPERIALIST WAR. We explain that FOX, CNN and NPR are all capitalist media, we explain that all political parties are capitalist parties and all the debt, war, repression, recession, fear and distrust spring from the same Spectacular source.