https://socialistaction.org/2016/11/10/protests-score-trumps-hate-mongering-agenda/
Protests score Trump’s hate-mongering agenda
/ 14 hours ago
nov-2016-la-trump-demo
By MARK UGOLINI
On Jan. 20, Donald Trump will be sworn in on the steps of the U.S.
Capitol, and a new Republican administration will take control of the
U.S. government’s executive branch. The election of this bigoted
billionaire sent shock waves throughout the communities that were the
targets of his racist, sexist, and anti-immigrant diatribes.
Angry demonstrations and student walk-outs took place in a number of
U.S. cities immediately following the election. Shouting anti-racist and
feminist slogans such as “My body, my choice!” thousands marched on Nov.
9 in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, Oakland, Portland,
Seattle, and elsewhere. In the San Francisco Bay Area, students marched
out of several high schools while chanting, “Not our president!”
The popular vote tabulated on the night of Nov. 8 had Democratic Party
candidate Hillary Clinton narrowly edging Trump by .2 percent of the
nationwide vote total. But Trump amazed many by winning over large
numbers of working-class voters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan,
and other states normally considered solid Democratic Party territory.
By early the next morning, Trump had easily surpassed the 270 electoral
votes needed to be declared victor and president-elect.
This year’s presidential election was unique in the way that it focused
on the unsavory personal characteristics of the candidates, and in the
harshly offensive tone of the national discourse. Trump made effective
use of Hillary Clinton’s anti-working class, “unscripted” and supposedly
“private” comments at a fundraising event attended by many of the
Democratic Party’s richest campaign donors.
For her part, Clinton wrote off supporters of Trump as “deplorable” and
“irredeemable,” comments that convey her distain for working people, and
the absence of any recognition of the desperate situation they face
under the heels of a severely depressed economy.
A big part of Trump’s campaign message concentrated on nationalistic and
protectionist “America First” appeals to workers, and racist attitudes
toward Mexican Americans, Blacks, Muslims, and immigrants. Trump’s
sexist attitudes and behavior were also prominently on display,
including a tape-recorded comment he made admitting his involvement in
sexual assault. In one instance, Trump made vicious comments and
gestures mocking a disabled reporter. Early in his campaign Trump tried
to provoke his supporters to inflict physical harm on Black Lives Matter
protesters.
A young Muslim woman, speaking on a PBS call-in show the night after the
election, expressed the fear that the Trump victory has produced in
minority communities. She stated, “Everyone here is in shock. … Even
though I was born and raised in this country, if feels as if I am not a
full American by Trump’s standards. … His rhetoric has emboldened the
racists and bigots.”
Trump’s campaign drew international attention, particularly its racist
aspects. The newly anointed “president-elect” received congratulatory
messages from far-right, anti-immigrant nationalist leaders, including
Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Marine Le Pen, leader of the
National Front in France and candidate for the French presidency.
However, the notion that Trump’s victory reflected deep and growing
racist and sexist sentiments among U.S. workers is far from accurate.
Virtually the same electorate chose the nation’s first Black president
four and eight years earlier. Trump prevailed in spite of his racist and
sexist tirades, not because of them. Seventy-two percent of those who
voted on Nov. 8 believed that “the economy is rigged to the advantage of
the rich and powerful.” Sixty-eight percent indicated that “traditional
parties and politicians don’t care about people like me.”
Trump’s populist demagogy
Vote totals revealed that Trump ended up with widespread support among
working people, particularly white workers, some of whom had been voters
for Democratic Party candidates in the past, including Bernie Sanders.
It appears that a high percentage of the voters were attracted to
Trump’s populist demagogy—including his anti-politician, “drain the
Washington swamp” message that denounced a rigged system designed for
the Washington insiders at the expense of the vast majority.nov-2016-trump-2
As the campaign proceeded, Trump placed more and more emphasis on
populist themes, promising decisive changes in trade, immigration, and
health-care policies. He promised to bring back manufacturing and good
paying jobs. He promoted a national campaign to rebuild the decaying
infrastructure, and he promised to sweep away the job-stealing
international trade agreements of previous administrations.
Trump called for an end to Obamacare—with its skyrocketing expenses for
working people—and for replacing it with a better system, with priority
treatment for veterans. He seemed to promise anything and everything he
could, almost always without specifics, to win working-class votes.
At the same time, despite a multi-billion-dollar media offensive
conducted by both capitalist parties and designed to attract voters,
many millions stayed away from the polls on Election Day. Forty-four
percent of all U.S. registered voters (102.7 million people) did not
vote at all. This reflected widespread revulsion and distrust with both
candidates. Millions felt both candidates were offensive in their
personal characteristics and behavior, what they stood for, and in the
way they communicated. For a large minority, there was less a sense of a
“lesser evil” choice between the two capitalist candidates, and more a
sense that there was no real choice.
As in most past elections, despite the modest efforts of our Socialist
Action presidential campaign and other socialist campaigns, the
political voice of the U.S. working class was generally absent in the
corporate media. The United States is somewhat unique in this regard, as
in many countries a Labor Party, based on the trade unions, or a mass
Socialist Party, at least purports to speak for the working class.
Without an independent working-class party, the ruling class has a far
easier opportunity to convince working people into supporting
pro-capitalist candidates, policies, and interests in the name of
supporting the “lesser evil.” That’s why revolutionary socialists raise
the pressing need for a Labor Party, based on a fighting, re-energized,
and re-invigorated labor movement.
Partly due to this void in American politics, a significant portion of
white workers in the U.S. chose to support the Trump campaign. Despite
the reactionary, racist and misogynist tone underlying much of Trump’s
message, the broad support that his campaign attracted expressed in a
sometimes distorted way the fact that many U.S. workers believe that
they are not being heard and their issues and problems are being ignored
by the rulers in Washington.
In fact, the anti-working-class actions and policies of the Democratic
Party’s Obama administration fed into many workers’ feeling of betrayal.
Obama bailed out Wall Street and the banks to the tune of $32 trillion,
while failing to create programs to create secure jobs with union wages
or public works programs to rebuild depressed U.S. cities. He supported
anti-working-class trade policies without concealing that his prime
concern was to guarantee super-profits for big corporations.
Nowhere to be found under Obama were programs to provide adequate and
affordable housing, clean water supplies, or funding for desperately
needed public schools and day-care centers in working-class communities.
Obama’s “Affordable Care Act” ended up as a bonanza for the insurance
companies and a cruel hoax for victims of the profit-gouging health-care
industry.
The Socialist Action presidential campaign
During the 2016 election campaign Socialist Action candidates Jeff
Mackler for President and Karen Schraufnagel for V.P. successfully
gained a hearing for revolutionary socialist ideas through speaking
tours, and articles in our newspaper, website, and social media.
Supporters around the country also took part in building our campaign,
including distribution of thousands of copies of our four-page campaign
platform.
Another socialist group, Freedom Socialist Party, called for a vote for
Mackler and Schraufnagel because Socialist Action’s “far-reaching
platform includes abolishing the U.S. war machine; getting rid of
racist, sexist and homophobic laws and practices; providing amnesty and
equal rights for all immigrants; and defending labor.”
A number of prominent individuals supported the Socialist Action
campaign, while others invited our candidates to participate in debates
around the country with candidates and representatives of organizations
representing Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Jill Stein.
We call on all who were attracted to the Socialist Action campaign to
continue to work with us in the coming months. During the election
period we spoke about the need for working people and the oppressed to
rely on their own power, organized independently in united action. This
will be our focus going forward.
The reactionary programs promised by the capitalist Republican and
Democratic parties underscores the need for all the movements for
significant and just social change to redouble their organizing efforts.
We must build our struggles on multiple fronts—against U.S. wars of
imperialist aggression, for immigration rights and climate justice,
against cop violence in minority communities, for full reproductive
rights of women, and many other issues.
Join us in building these independent movements, and join Socialist Action!
Photo: Los Angeles Times
.
Share this:
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
14Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)14
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
November 10, 2016 in Actions & Protest, Elections, Vote Socialist
Action. Tags: Clinton, Trump
Related posts
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.,
address guests at a fundraising event in Chicago, Tuesday, Dec. 18,
2007. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Is Hillary Clinton a fascist?
‘Lesser-evil’ politics from Trump to Sanders
April 2016 Trump, Cruz
The politics of deception
Post navigation
← Labor’s Trump Card: Build a Labor Party!
Vote Socialist Action!
Jeff Mackler for President and Karen Schraufnagel for Vice President
More information:
Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month November 2016 (6) October 2016 (12)
September 2016 (10) August 2016 (10) July 2016 (14) June 2016 (14)
May 2016 (9) April 2016 (12) March 2016 (14) February 2016 (8)
January 2016 (11) December 2015 (11) November 2015 (9) October 2015
(8) September 2015 (10) August 2015 (7) July 2015 (13) June 2015 (9)
May 2015 (10) April 2015 (12) March 2015 (9) February 2015 (11)
January 2015 (10) December 2014 (12) November 2014 (11) October 2014
(9) September 2014 (6) August 2014 (10) July 2014 (11) June 2014 (10)
May 2014 (11) April 2014 (10) March 2014 (9) February 2014 (11)
January 2014 (11) December 2013 (10) November 2013 (11) October 2013
(17) September 2013 (13) August 2013 (10) July 2013 (11) June 2013
(15) May 2013 (14) April 2013 (14) March 2013 (12) February 2013
(10) January 2013 (17) December 2012 (7) November 2012 (8) October
2012 (19) September 2012 (2) August 2012 (27) July 2012 (18) June
2012 (3) May 2012 (19) April 2012 (14) March 2012 (17) February
2012 (19) January 2012 (17) December 2011 (3) November 2011 (33)
October 2011 (14) September 2011 (13) August 2011 (34) July 2011 (24)
June 2011 (19) May 2011 (19) April 2011 (15) March 2011 (15) February
2011 (16) January 2011 (15) December 2010 (17) November 2010 (1)
October 2010 (6) September 2010 (3) August 2010 (8) July 2010 (7)
June 2010 (2) May 2010 (9) April 2010 (3) March 2010 (8) February
2010 (3) January 2010 (9) December 2009 (6) November 2009 (5) October
2009 (16) September 2009 (3) August 2009 (2) July 2009 (5) June 2009
(2) May 2009 (7) April 2009 (6) March 2009 (16) February 2009 (9)
January 2009 (10) December 2008 (11) November 2008 (8) October 2008
(16) September 2008 (14) August 2008 (18) July 2008 (12) June 2008
(3) May 2008 (2) April 2008 (3) March 2008 (14) February 2008 (11)
January 2008 (11) December 2007 (8) November 2007 (1) July 2007 (1)
June 2007 (1) April 2007 (1) March 2007 (1) February 2007 (3)
December 2006 (11) November 2006 (11) October 2006 (13) September
2006 (15) August 2006 (11) July 2006 (18) June 2006 (7) May 2006
(14) April 2006 (6) March 2006 (14) February 2006 (5) January 2006
(2) December 2005 (9) November 2005 (8) October 2005 (13) September
2005 (12) August 2005 (9) July 2005 (16) June 2005 (16) May 2005
(16) April 2005 (12) March 2005 (14) February 2005 (19) January 2005
(15) December 2004 (14) November 2002 (17) October 2002 (19)
September 2002 (22) August 2002 (21) July 2002 (15) May 2002 (21)
April 2002 (21) February 2002 (15) January 2002 (15) December 2001
(17) October 2001 (24) September 2001 (18) July 2001 (19) June 2001
(18) October 2000 (17) September 2000 (21) August 2000 (19) July 2000
(16) June 2000 (26) May 2000 (21) April 2000 (22) March 2000 (28)
February 2000 (18) January 2000 (20) December 1999 (20) November
1999 (26) October 1999 (25) September 1999 (18) August 1999 (40) July
1999 (38) June 1999 (24) May 1999 (27) April 1999 (25) March 1999
(26) February 1999 (29) January 1999 (24) July 1998 (12)
Search
Get Involved
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action
View socialistactionusa’s profile on Facebook
View SocialistActUS’s profile on Twitter
View SocialistActionCT’s profile on YouTube
Subscribe to Our Newspaper
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events
View Calendar
Blog at WordPress.com.
