President Biden, Storming Washington, and What Kind of America Do We Want?

The Republicans have lost two important seats in Georgia and as a result, will lose control of the Senate. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell will now be the Senate minority leader. Democrats are already in control of the House. Trump has held off conceding the election, though it's clear that Biden is the victor. Trump is expected to concede, but doesn't have to say that Biden won "fair and square". That's because it appears that he didn't. But there's a bigger story being played out here.

Americans have had mounting doubt about the legitimacy of elections going back to at least George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000 (remember "dangling chads"?).  Hillary Clinton's defeat in 2016 sparked another round and launched a nearly four year investigation into alleged Russian collusion and a rigged election, amplified by the media, which was at least partially complicit.

 Ultimately, it was proven that not only was there no Russian collusion, but that the whole story was  concocted by the Clinton-Obama camp to discredit Trump (which also goes to show the extent those in power will go to keep power. I dare say they will go much further); an opening salvo to destroy Trump's credibility.

Now, with the 2020 election over, we're being told that China this time was directed involved in the election results by the Right.  We're told that the voting machines were rigged; that fake ballots were used; that the dead rose from their graves and somehow voted for the Democrats; that the vote counts stopped as soon as the Democrats had enough votes to win. Meanwhile, the victors, the Democrats, are telling us that the election went just fine. That our elections can't be rigged unlike the results in 2016.

Is any of it true? To be honest, I don't know. I've seen a lot of footage which reputedly shows illegal vote counting in process. I've read numerous articles about the reliability of some of the voting machines. We know the "Russian collusion" of 2016 was a hoax at taxpayer expense.

Frankly, I see no reason to think the claim of Chinese involvement is anything but utter garbage. Why would Russia or China try to destable the country when we are quite able and willing to do it to ourselves? It's just something else to cause us to doubt the legitimacy of our electoral system.

But here's the real issue. Americans, especially on the Right, have long believed that the we're losing our freedoms and I agree, although perhaps not to the extent that they do. We are certainly not a Constitutional or democratic Republic any longer. We are a defacto Corporatocracy, controlled by an small group of Oligarchs. We are a surveillance state which is just one major crisis away from becoming an all out police state.

We no longer feel we have a say in what's going on (academic studies conclude that's pretty much the case. Congress and the Presidency follows the dictates of the 1% and a relatively few very powerful global corporations). Therefore, we feel threatened. We have come to believe that we have only two arrows in our Constitutional quiver---the ballot or the bullet.

If we can no longer trust the ballot, the only remaining option is a revolt. Could it happen? Yes, it's certainly possible. However, with the tools of the surveillance state already in place, it would be hard to pull off. I don't think, however, that we are expected to pull it off. Historically speaking, the larger and more complex a society is, the more difficult it is to topple.

The best examples of successful overthrows of governments are the so-called "Rainbow Revolutions" of Eastern Europe; the "Pots and Pans" revolution of Iceland; and, of course, the Second Revolution in Russia following Gorbachev. The uprisings during the "Arab Spring" are another great example.  Even the recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, while apparently unsuccessful due primarily to the COVID outbreak, merit close study as does the Tiananmen Square uprising of 1989 in China.

These were sustained protests aimed at key government centers. They were largely non-violent since the State is always looking for an excuse to declare martial law and call out the National Guard or military. The protests sought to disrupt not just the operation of government, but the personal lives of those in power; to make it nearly impossible to function or for them to go or do anything.

They are also disregarded the official media which serves the interests of the Status Quo. The media's job is to divide the opposition into as many factions as possible in order to render it impotent. That includes manufacturing events to pit the various groups against each other (which the media has already been doing for awhile now). It is to discredit or vilify the opposition and its leaders.

The State will do everything possible to disrupt and infiltrate the opposition that they can. In the U.S. they've been doing that going back to at least the 1920's they infiltrated the KKK, Odd Fellows, the Socialist Party of America, unions, and other groups. During the 60's and 70's, it was the anti-war movement, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Black Panthers, the Civil Rights Movement, the American Indian Movement (AIM), the Women's Liberation Movement, and so forth.

They threatened and attempted to blackmail MLK, Malcolm X,  Cesar Chavez of the National Farm Workers Association among others. Wonder whatever happened to activist unionism? Wonder no more.  It was "defanged" like all the other groups which posed a threat to the Status Quo. Heck, more recently they did it within Occupy Movement and the Tea Party.  The singular goal of the Status Quo is to maintain or expand the power and control of the Status Quo.   

Naturally, I'm not proposing anything. I am, however, saying that when people no longer have faith in the government; that when they no longer believe their vote counts, then the State leaves no option for the people they will, like a cornered animal, strike out, be it Left, Right, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, or whatever. I'm sure those in power are keenly aware of this, just as I'm equally sure they are prepared for such an action by the people.

Those in power will use patriotic sounding words like "our democracy", the "People's representatives" or "doing the People's business". They will tell us that protests against government "aren't who we are". That we are a nation of laws except they fail to mention that there are two sets of laws. One for them and another for everyone else. That speaking up is "Un-American". They will act surprised by any protests or acts of resistance. Perhaps some of it will be actually true. It's so hard to differentiate their lies from the truth anymore. 

Nevertheless, those in Washington are largely out of touch with what the average American endures, let alone those among the working poor or homeless. Anything to tug at our heartstrings so that we back down. Anything to obfuscate the corruption of government and acumination of wealth and power. It's the silk glove covering the mailed fist.

People, regardless of political ideology, race, gender, or religion, must wake up to the fact that this is not "our" country any longer. The ruling Oligarchy has near absolute control of America. One percent controls as much wealth than the bottom 90%. The inequality gap is the widest of any industrialized nation. Our healthcare and educational systems are among the worse. Our social safety net is inadequate at best (we rank toward the bottom when it comes to infant mortality and child poverty).

Most of our well paying manufacturing jobs have been outsourced overseas. We're now largely a low paying service economy.  Unions, once the backbone and voice of the Working Class are mute.  Our infrastructure is crumbling and yet we spend more money on the military that the next ten nations combined, including Russia and China. We are taxed without input. And now, even our supposed national voice---the election process itself---is no longer reliable.

There's an old curse---"may you live in interesting times". I'm sure the next four years will be interesting times without a doubt. The only question is what, if anything, can we do about it? What, if anything can the American People---Left or Right---do restore or rebuild the America we want to live in; that we want our children and grandchildren to live in? The answer is up to you.

 

"The Top 0.1% percent...owns about the same wealth as 90% of America"

U.S. Defense Spending Compared To Other Countries

How Does the United States compare with child well-being?

Addressing Child Poverty: How Does the United States CompareWith Other Nations?

Election Fallout: Giddy Conservatives and Democrats Losing Their Minds

Politics is a tough business. Many would say it's a dirty business, and having been involved in politics as a community and political activist, a campaign manager and advisor, and occasionally as a candidate, I can't say I disagree. Politics is also a unpredictable business too, despite all the polls and talking heads pretending they've got their finger on the pulse of public. Most, I would say, in actuality have their finger elsewhere, so it didn't come as a particular surprise to me when---much to the corporate media's chagrin--- Donald Trump became America's 45th President. In fact, it was funny listening to the talking heads on election night. They were so convinced that Hillary Clinton would win, they were acting as if her coronation was all but a foregone conclusion. Most were busy talking about all the various scenarios of how Hillary could and would win and who would be in her Cabinet, and what issues she would tackle first. Of course too, for the sake of variety I'm sure, they spent time talking about what would happen if Trump refused to accept the verdict of the voters and what would a contested election look like; would he file suit and ultimately appeal to the Supreme Court which George W Bush did in his race against Al Gore (the Supreme Court illegally decided the outcome of the election in violation of the Constitution. The decision belongs to the Speaker of the House and the House of Representatives).

So, now we have the Democrats and the political Left losing their collective minds. There has been well over a 100 protests and riots, complete with burning cars and businesses, looting, dozens of arrests, blocking streets and highways (never a smart idea), throwing bottles, garbage, and carrying signs reading "Not My President", "Love Trumps Hate", and many more; some quite vulgar. Thus far, while here have been a few confrontations with the police, there has been only one serious injury reported, and that was a woman struck by a vehicle in Oakland during a protest. Some are suddenly called for the end of the Electoral College (which I doubt they actually understand the significance of). most of the protests and riots seem to be located in large cities like Oakland, Miami, Chicago, New York City, Seattle, and a few small cities and towns like Louisville and Bowling Green Kentucky as well as in Paris, Berlin, and London. Russia, on the other hand, seems to welcome Trump's election based on the fact that they believe Trump is someone who is intelligent, reasonable and open minded.

As an aside, some are claiming that billionaire George Soros is behind the protests, or at least behind hiring "professional" protesters and organizers. Some claim it's communists or socialists (the terms are often and incorrectly used interchangeably) while a few like to throw Soros into the mix as well not realizing that communism or socialism would be an antithesis to everything he stands for as a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist, though admittedly, Soros does support some Left leaning causes and campaigns, like that of Hillary's the way the Koch Brothers support those on the Right.

We haven't heard much out of Beijing yet. Perhaps they're taking their usual "wait and see" approach. Meanwhile, many of the Muslim countries aren't too thrilled. I suspect they are reevaluating the billions they invested in the Clinton Foundation while the scramble around to see if "The Donald" has a similar foundation to redirect their... uh..."donations" and contemplate having to absorb the millions of "refugees" they've been trying to force on the West while their refugee camps set completely furnished... and empty. ISIS claims the election of Trump will be a boon to their recruiting efforts. Perhaps so, but I suspect they're going to miss Hillary. She was pretty good for their recruiting and resupplying efforts from what we're hearing from WikiLeaks. Of course, we mustn't forget the dozens of so-called "celebrities" who promised to leave the country if Trump won. While I personally think they were just running off at their mouths and trying to promote a false sense of bravado, given the "sure thing" of a Hillary victory, I believe, however, that in order to maintain what shred of credibility they had, they need to start packing don't you?

I'm specifically speaking about the likes of Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Stewart, Lady Gaga, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Streisand, Kanye West and the Kardashians (neither of whom I consider celebrities), Lena Dunham, Spike Lee, George Lopez, Amy Schumer, Raven-Symone', Samuel L. Jackson (he can use what's in his wallet to buy a plane ticket) and Miley Cyrus who can leave on her "wreaking ball" to mention just a few. I guess their opinions---and threats---just didn't carry the weight or influence they thought it did. Anyway, hope you all have a nice flight where ever you end up. Oh, but a word of warning. Canada is asking that you all don't come there. Seriously. They are ads running north of the border asking that these whiney ass star-wannabes and has-beens look elsewhere. Isn't that a hoot? Even liberal Canada doesn't want them!

Back on the home front, the devastated Hillary supporters seem to be shell shocked. Some universities, like Cornell, are holding "cry-ins" so that students (supposedly young adults) can sit in a circle, cry, and share their feelings; coloring books and color pencils are being provided---seriously. Some, like at Yale have seen midterms cancelled with either the university or professors providing classroom space and free pizza in order to allow students (and some faculty) so commensurate with each other. I guess if these individuals actually acted like adults, I'd recommend a beer to cry into but I don't think they should have anything stronger than a root beer. In a few other cases, classes have been suspended for the rest of the week while others are seeking out their "safe spaces". Of course, as stated above, some have taken to streets (and highways) to protest and demand a do-over! As one gal put it, "I voted and I didn't win so I have no choice but to protest the decision". That's a girl. Maybe if you hold your breath long enough they'll do a recount just for you.

The worrisome aspect to all this is not the temper tantrums or the fact that anti-Trump protestors are using baby pins (aka diaper pins) to show solidarity with each other, but the fact that some are openly calling for the assassination of Trump. Admittedly, America is not the nation it once was. Heck, it's not even the Constitutional republic it once was. We are an Oligarchy and we're given the illusion of choice, but we've always managed a peaceful transition of power from one party or individual to the next. I think the last time we had this much anger was when Lincoln won! How many protests do you recall when Obama was elected---either time? Yet, me either, and we survived his eight years. I'm a child of the late 60's and the 70's. I grew up watching protests, riots, sit-ins, the Black Panthers, the Weathermen, and the SLA. I participated in a few too. I'm fine with protests personally (but not rioting. That's just stupid to destroy someone else's property), but before running off demanding that someone be murdered or "assuming" that somehow your life or lifestyle is suddenly about to be ruined, don't you think you need to give him an opportunity to prove himself one way or another? We did Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H Bush and his son, George W. We also gave Barak Obama eight years. Sometimes are fears were justified. Sometimes not.

Lastly, I would like to address the Republican Party. Since Trump's election, the GOP Establishment has been acting like Trump's victory was a referendum on Republican policies. Listen, you all did your damnest to defeat Trump. You made fun of him (often calling him a "clown" and his campaign "a circus"). You belittled his proposed polices ( like on illegal immigration and building a wall on our Southern border---remember?) You put up all of your "Establishment" candidates against him. You tried to railroad him out of the RNC Convention. Your Establishment leaders like Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney and the Bushes refused to endorse him. You repeatedly demanded for him to step down right up to the closing days of the race! Even the once "fair and balanced" FOX News showed hits butt when it came to Trump. Trump's election is not---I repeat---is not an endorsement of your policies or values. Trump spoke to the good old fashioned working class values, and RNC, that ain't you. So, before your puff out your (so-called) chests and strut around Washington as if you all did something special, you best recall that We the People know who did what and we see you for what you are---part of the problem, not the solution. So, take a close look at that turkey come Thanksgiving. That just may be you.



A List of Celebrities Who Plan to Move Out of the Country If Trump Becomes President
https://www.youngcons.com/a-list-of-celebrities-who-plan-to-move-out-of-the-country-if-trump-becomes-president/


George Soros Rises Again
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/george-soros-democratic-convention-226267


Weekend brings more anti-Trump protests across the nation
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/12/us/protests-elections-trump/index.html