Dark Days

Has Representative Democracy Failed?

In the U.S. we may soon find out – again.  This Sunday’s election in Brazil of a near fascist, Jair Bolsonaro, indicates that the ‘democratic’ part of bourgeois representative democracy is in crisis.  Bolsonaro is a deeply anti-communist, anti-labor and anti-union figure.  He is intent on bringing terror and perhaps death squads and military force into Brazil once again, as was done under the military dictatorship that lasted from 1964 (as part of a U.S.-backed coup) to 1985.   Yesterday, left-liberal journalist Amy Goodman only commented on Bolsonaro’s homophobic, sexist and racist side as befits her identity politics, but Glenn Greenwald set her straight as to Bolsonaro’s essential animus, which is aimed at the Left in all its shapes.  Bolsonaro is carrying the flag of God too, as fundamentalist Christians and Catholics rallied around his candidacy.  He intends to destroy the Amazon rain forest in the interest of corporate mining, cane sugar ethanol, beef cattle and soy bean interests.  This will accelerate global warming, as these trees act as a massive carbon sink.

Bolsonaro and his "gun" hands.  The NRA loves him.

This victory is ultimately due to the failure of the formerly left-wing Workers Party, whose leadership slowly moved towards neo-liberalism and a closeness to the Brazilian capitalist class and all that entails, the 'appearance' of corruption included.  Neither Lula nor Rouseff were corrupt - it was a state lie engineered to remove them from power.

FASCIST ACTIVITY

This week the bloody fascist attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh; the MAGA-bomber and his inept attempts to send bombs to Democratic Party politicians; the killing of two black people by a racist at a Kroger’s in Louisville after trying to get into a black church – all are part of a pattern of increasing right-wing, racist and fascist activity in the U.S. that accompany this breakdown in bourgeois democracy.  Right now working-class people need to go beyond candle-light vigils, occasional marches or Facebook posts and join or form organizations that can defend our class and every part of our class. 

PROBLEMS IN PARADISE

Trump’s election through a deeply flawed U.S. electoral system, Orban’s election in Hungary, Putin’s re-election in Russia, the success of the Brexit vote, the recent election of Salvini in Italy, the past election of a far-right government in Poland, even the coming resignation of Angela Merkel in Germany after the success of a far-right party in Bavaria – all show that something is wrong in the very structure of parliamentary ‘democracy’ and the underlying capitalist economy and its war-making. 

The flip side is that the overthrow of the elected leader of Ukraine by NATO or State Department plans for a coup in Venezuela or Nicaragua, or the State Department embrace of the military coup in Honduras in 2009 show that even parliamentary democracy can be ignored when necessary by imperial power.  As has been true for many years...  The present caravan of destitute Hondurans is partly blow-back for Clinton’s support of the Honduran coup, along with years of destruction in Central America that started in the 1980s.  This is being compounded by food insecurity due to climate change, forcing starving farmers off the land.  The practice of the  U.S. government basically wrecking other countries is consistent.  Libya, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Palestine also come to mind.

We should be reminded that in 1933 Hitler was handed the Chancellorship by Von Hindenberg after the Nazi Party won a large minority of the German vote.  This ascension to power was later approved by another ‘democratic’ vote in Germany.  Mussolini was constitutionally appointed leader of Italy by its King Emmanuelle II in 1922.  It was all ‘legal.’  On the other hand, the Spanish fascists and part of the capitalist class ignored the election of the liberal left and started a class war that they won, with the dictator Franco staying in power in Spain from 1939 until 1975.  Again, even parliamentary democracy can be ignored when needed.  Right now it doesn’t have to be disposed of, as yet...

HERE IN THE U.S.

Here in the U.S. it is obvious that corporate money, gerrymandering, voter suppression and purges, bogus ‘provisional ballots,’ vote count manipulation, legal Party limitations that stop 3^rd parties, first-past-the-post rules, felony limitations, polling place shenanigans, ID laws, post-office box prohibitions, Supreme Court votes, lobbyists, the mass of non-voters and media propaganda have all distorted the ‘democratic’ process of voting into something unrecognizable and alienating.  That is not to mention the restrictions on actual democracy in the Constitution, which are multiple.  Essentially the system now clearly serves the needs of the wealthy, the corporations, the upper middle class, the 10% and no one else.  It is no longer actually ‘democratic.’  This is not news to many and has been pointed out in book after book, many of which are carried at May Day.  

In the coming election in the U.S., observers say the Democrats will carry the U.S. House, but not the Senate.  Whether this is true or not, the factional war within the capitalist class will still result in a continuing stalemate of sorts, common since the rise of the Tea Party and the ascendancy of neo-liberalism.

Socialists of course would like a more democratic system, even under bourgeois democracy, and support whatever will make this system actually representative.  However, based on the failures of 'democracy' since the model of voting was promoted by the bourgeoisie to replace royalty in the late 1700s - another model of democracy is necessary. Certainly a theocratic dictatorship like Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States is not the way to go – it is only the way to go back. 

WORKERS' COUNCILS

The other form of democracy is through the rule of workers' councils in workplaces and in neighborhoods.  Right now, parliamentary democracy – representative democracy – is limited or done away with based on the needs of the underlying capitalist economic system.  Any analysis of the failures of bourgeois democracy shows that it is the capitalist class which is behind it every time.  A more direct democracy – workers’ democracy – could involve everyone from the bottom-up, in their community and workplace.  After all, the working classes are the overwhelming majority worldwide.  If the main parts of the economy were socialized, the role of the rich and corporations would weaken and even disappear.  Expropriating that class and disarming their armed servants puts an end to their threat to the actual democracy of the majority. Building a form of this democratic dual power as the legislative one crumbles will be a sign that people are fed up with the way it is now.

The danger of a new bureaucracy or a dominant party would be dealt with through strengthening the councils so that they gradually acquire all power.  Any working-class parties should eventually ‘whither away’ or be ‘whithered away!’ 

While this sounds like a 'utopian' scheme at this point in history, the present situation or the dark past are not really promising.  At some point when the democratic crisis becomes intolerable – and that time is coming - a choice for a new system of democracy will have to be made. 

Counterpuch article 10/31 on workers' councils in Iran - being called for now.
Iranian Workers' councils

Book reviews on this topic, below:  "All Power to the Councils," "Facing Reality," "Workers' Councils," "October - the Story of the Russian Revolution," "Building the Commune," "Maoism and the Chinese Revolution."  Use blog search box, upper left.

Red Frog

October 30, 2018