Olympus Has Fallen
Law and order is itself a political question. Order for who, and for what?
We have witnessed a new threshold in American politics being broken. With no more than a mere suggestion from their leader, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed into Capitol Hill in the middle of the joint session of Congress to stop the formalities that certify Joe Biden as the president-elect of the United States. The country watched in disbelief as men and women, some wearing shirts reading "Camp Auschwitz" and brandishing Confederate flags, not to mention the shirtless guy dressed as a bison, stormed the much worshipped chambers of Congress, breaking windows, vandalizing offices, looting mail and other items, and taking pictures of the occasion. For many of these politicians, including Vice-President Mike Pence who had to be escorted out for his safety, this outpouring of fervor by the Trump fanatics was a wake-up call to the extremes the ideology that they enabled for five years could reach.
It is then quite hypocritical to hear these same politicians now calling for a return to normalcy. They quickly joined their Democratic peers in qualifying this coup attempt as an "attack on democracy." Let's not forget that this happens less than a week after the Senate refused to pass the $2,000 stimulus for working Americans affected by the virus. Their demands for civility right after they show all of us their heartlessness come out as very banal, to say the least. The pandemic adage now rings true more than ever: We will never go back to normal.
Right after the incident, Trump's former allies began to make moves to save face. The National Association of Manufacturers, who throughout the Trump presidency praised his attacks on labor and rollback on regulations, called for Vice-President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment; that is, that Pence assumes the role of president pro-tempore as Biden is inaugurated. Similar calls were given by senior senators like Chuck Schumer, and even within Trump's own cabinet. Trump's presidency is coming to an abrupt end.
When the smoke cleared, Trump's display of force seemed like it accomplished nothing. One of his supporters was shot and killed by Capitol police after an armed standoff. Three others died due to medical emergencies. Both houses resumed functions late at night and certified Biden as the president-elect. Trump himself asked his supporters to go back home in peace, while still praising them for their actions. His Twitter and Facebook accounts had been suspended, effectively silencing him from the world. He had played his last card, and lost, it seemed.
However, we must remember there are two kinds of political animals. On one side we have the supporters. They go to rallies, talk about it on social media, talk about their views with their family and coworkers, but pretty much stay inactive, and simply let things run their course. On the other hand we have the political militant. They do things like what we saw last Wednesday. They take politics on their own hands, putting their bodies in the line of fire for their beliefs. Despite yesterday's storming of the Capitol failing to achieve its purpose, it will live on in the consciousness of the Trump electorate, and thus make more militants out of his regular supporters.
For one, it has proved how lenient the state can be when confronting even a mostly disorganized mob of fascists storming the country's seat of power. They will display absolutely no scruples when confronting a progressive movement of the actual historically oppressed, such as BLM. Even protesters for Medicare for All faced heavier repression than yesterday's Trump fanatics. On one occasion, Capitol security was even taking pictures with one of the disruptors. Despite Tuesday's night battle between the Proud Boys and DC Police, it shows the big sympathies for Trump's movement within the state's repressive apparatus.
It has also proven the effectiveness of this type of militancy to disrupt official proceedings. The legislators, fearing for their safety, fled and could not continue with the confirmation of Biden's victory. This shows that with enough force, enough violence, the establishment can be brought to halt, its legitimacy put into question, and forced to resort to more overt repression in order to maintain status quo. It also shows the willingness of the fascists forces that Trump has enabled to use terror as a means of political coercion; two pipe bombs were found inside the Republican National Committee offices, and also inside the Capitol. It is this combination of terror and mass mobilizations that makes Trump's movement a truly fascist phenomenon.
It is then important for this fascist threat to no longer be given legitimacy. New articles of impeachment must be brought before Congress to effectively remove Trump from office. His supporters in Congress must also be expelled for defending the bogus claims of electoral fraud. This, of course, will probably invite more chaos and violence from Trump's militants, but it is the price the American state must pay for allowing fascism to walk unhinged in America's political stage for four years.
As Biden assumes power, he will be forced to confront the growing fascist threat with state repression, which in turn will confirm Trump's base worst fears, and provide the moral ground for their movement. It is therefore imperative for labor to provide the ideological counterweight to this threat in order to halt its growth.
We must then forge unionism that brings workers together as members of the same working class. We must forge unionism that is not only interested in what happens at the workplace, but also has a say in what gets decided in the seats of power. We must forge unionism that fights for workers power, creates its own organs of power, and actively organizes the disorganized. We must promote unionism not divided by arbitrary notions such as skill or trade, but that recognizes that the power of unions comes from their ability to control an industry, and maintain solidarity among its ranks. This is very important because where solidarity is strong, fascism cannot grow.
