US: You Say You Want a (Political) Revolution?

Written on March 27th, 2016 in politics Comments Off

Published on Dissident Voice, by Bruce Lerro, March 25, 2016.

Is there political life outside of electoral politics?

Is it possible to be “political” in the United States and not get involved in electoral politics? For most of human history there have been “high politics” of kings and aristocrats and “low politics” of peasants, artisans and proletarians. Yet before roughly the 20th century, staging elections was not part of the political process. The root meaning of politics is “policy” which means setting a course or direction.

A deeper meaning of politics is to “steer” the way a ship is navigated through dangerous currents and weather conditions. With this in mind I want to suggest that there can be radical politics in the United States, but in order to have a “political revolution”, as Bernie Sanders says he wants, we need to move outside of electoral politics. What might this look like? The following is an imaginary process for what Bernie Sanders would do if he really were serious about a political revolution.

1) Desert the Democratic Party:

Right in the middle of the primaries, while the question of who will be nominated is still up for grabs, Bernie Sanders could leave the Democratic Party flat. He has been an independent all his life, why not end this way? He used the Democratic Party to get into the debates. Now people know him and he has their mailing lists. Why not go directly to the people who support him and dump the party? … //

… 2) – 8)  // …

… 9) Prepare the above and other strategies and practice them while waiting for the economic-ecological collapse to occur.

These include:

  • Withholding work while working towards a general strike;
  • Collectively withholding taxes to the state;
  • Collectively coordinating attacks on the banks, including making runs on the banks.

What all these strategies have in common is cutting off the blood supply of capitalist vampires. They are necessary for destroying capitalism.

10) Hire independent filmmakers as well as big name people like Oliver Stone to make a movie of this political revolution so we can better visualize it and use them as a medium of agitation for spreading the political revolution.

11) Hire economists and anthropologists like Richard Wolff, David Harvey, Michael Hudson and David Graeber as consultants for:

  • Tracking the movements of capital as it’s declining to better predict its fall;
  • Developing a theoretical plan for implementing 21st century socialism.

Stop wasting time with Hillary. Let her win the election and preside over the economic and ecological collapse The ruling classes will never let an upstart like Trump win the presidency, so the argument of the lesser of two evils will not be a stumbling block.

(full text, related links).

(Bruce Lerro has taught for 25 years as an adjunct college professor of psychology at Golden Gate University, Dominican University and Diablo Valley College in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has applied a Vygotskian socio-historical perspective to his three books found on Amazon. Read more of his articles and get involved at Planning Beyond Capitalism. He can be reached here. Read other articles by Bruce).

Links:

Before our eyes: Syria’s Battle for Palmyra in latest RT reports [5 VIDEOS, PHOTOS], on RT, March 26, 2016: Syrian army is close to regaining full control of the ancient city of Palmyra. Check out some of RT’s exclusive footage and battleground reports on how Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) militants are being pushed from the UNESCO heritage site …;

On sex, lies and revolution – interview with Laurie Penny, 11.36 min, uploaded by Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung;

Unlikely partners? How Western media largely ignored State Dept-Google-Al Jazeera plot against Assad [2 VIDEOS], on RT, March 26, 2016;

Is the Iraqi government capable of taking back Mosul? [VIDEO, 25.30 min], on Al Jazeera, March 25, 2016: the Iraqi army, backed by the US, launched an offensive to retake the northern province of Nineveh from ISIL fighters;

We Are under the Foot of the Gangrenous Monster, on Dissident Voice, by Paul Haeder, March 25, 2016: singling out America’s disease – floating into insanity, Part One of Five;

The Ouarzazate solar plant in Morocco, on Pambazuka News, by Hamza Hamouchene, March 23, 2016: about triumphal ‘Green’ capitalism and the privatization of nature. Despite the allure of the solar mega-project, the environmental/climate justice movement must question the Morocco’s propaganda and the emergent dominant global discourse around environmental governance to which it is linked. The urgent questions about this project include: Who owns what? Who does what? Who gets what? Who wins and who loses? And whose good is being served?

about Europe meeting Turkey:

von Vollgeld-Initiative:

  • ECO_SRF vom 30. Nov 2015: Vollgeld, 8.44 min (teilweise in schweizerdeutsch) … weitere Videos in autoplay;
  • Hansruedi Weber und Hendrik Barth am 5. Dez 2016: Zauberlehrling, 7.53 min … weitere Videos in autoplay;

Switzerland: an independent policy towards the EU and NATO, on Current Concerns (scroll down to page 7), March 8, 2016: Rl. The Swiss press reported it instantaneously: The EU superiors implied that the negotiation results between Brussels and London would not mean any compromise for Berne. One would like to add that the non-EU country Switzerland should kindly comply decorously and do as commanded from Brussels. But in what shape is the EU actually?

From seat of learning to cesspool of sedition, on Geopolitical Analysis, by K.N. Pandita, Feb 24, 2016;

Tore zur Unterwelt, Doku mit Heinrich und Ingrid Kusch, von Querdenken TV hochgeladen: Teil 1, 30.47 min; Teil II, 52.53 min;
oder gekürzt, in einem Stück: Tore zur Unterwelt, 50.11 min, Doku mit Heinrich und Ingrid Kusch;

… and this:

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