We Should Expect the Worst
A Trump Presidency is upon us. And we should expect nothing less than the worst from this administration. Trump ran a campaign of open racism and nationalism and sexism, promising attacks on immigrants, Muslims, women, gays and anyone else who stands up to him.
With his cabinet selections we see the sort of policies that will be prioritized. He has selected open racists and white supremacists for his administration. He has selected billionaire heads of corporations for his cabinet, even nominating people who want to dismantle the very department they have been selected to direct. Trump’s cabinet selections bring in Wall Street billionaires who openly stand against the rights of workers, women, immigrants, and public education, Medicare, Social Security, environmental preservation and more.
A New President – But the Same System
Trump’s presidency certainly seems like a break with the recent past in terms of its openly racist and hate-filled tone and rhetoric. But in no way is it a break from the system that it serves.
Under the Obama administration and the Democratic Party, the past eight years have been a series of attacks on working people, on immigrants, on the environment, and on innocent people all over the world. The Obama administration didn’t flinch as it defended the interests of Wall Street banks and corporations over the millions who lost their homes. It represented corporations as they made record profits on the backs of workers. It represented the richest one percent of the population amidst record inequality. It stood by energy companies as they profited from ravaging the planet. It funded the militarization of the police during ongoing violence against Black men and women across the country. It has carried out a continuous brutal assault on millions of people all over the Middle East and many parts of the globe. And a Trump administration will not only continue these attacks – but promises to intensify them.
The reality is that both major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, have much more in common despite any differences they claim to have. They share the goal of defending this system of capitalism, of serving the interests of the world’s largest banks and corporations. The Obama administration tried to present a more acceptable version of this system, concealing its defense of the one percent. Trump represents the same interests but with the mask ripped off, revealing a more naked and brutal functioning of the same system.
It’s Time to Gather Our Forces!
As president, Trump will attempt to further divide the population, to pit us against each other in order to weaken our forces. This must be fought against wherever it occurs. Only through uniting our forces can we stand up to any further attacks.
The Democratic Party will try to direct any outrage against this system into preparation for the next election. But we should not accept the rule of the one percent, no matter which party is in power. They have made it absolutely clear what their system represents: racism, sexism, violence, exploitation, war, environmental destruction – only the worst of what humanity has to offer.
We know what to expect from their system. We know the forces arrayed against us. It is time for us to start gathering our own forces in order to defend our interests. We are the vast majority of humanity, and it is our labor that makes their whole system run. When we are organized together, we have the power to resist further attacks, in whatever form they may occur. We have the forces to grind their system to a halt, and the strength to organize society to finally represent the interests of all of humanity.
Now is the time we can begin to gather our own forces and start to organize a fight against their whole rotten system.