Futile Attempts to Get Ruling Factions to Unite and Cooperate
- Voice of Revolution -
November 13, 2020. Signs added to the fence in
front of the White House.
In his victory speech November 7 and during his
campaign, Joe Biden emphasized that it is time for
the ruling factions to unite and cooperate. This
is necessary to preserve the Union, he said.
The more acrimonious the disputes become between
the factions which comprise the ruling class in
the United States, the more talk of unity sounds
hollow. The disputed election itself and the many
disputes within and between the presidency and
military and federal and state governments all
reflect the intense conflicts now raging among the
ruling oligarchs. Expressions of concern that they
could break out into an open violent civil war are
becoming increasingly shrill.
 The possibility of
the contradiction degenerating into open violence
has been further underlined by Trump's refusal to
concede defeat in the election. In addition, he is
making changes to his cabinet that point to his
willingness to resort to violent means to suppress
the opposition. This violence would more likely be
directed against the people to start with. A
general strike has been called by unions
representing more than 600,000 workers across the
country, including teachers, health care workers,
flight attendants, auto workers and many more. The
rulers are deathly afraid of the workers uniting
and together rejecting the role they have been
assigned where they are not considered citizens
who determine the direction of the economy and
politics but are described as "consumers,"
"producers," "clients," "voters," "Blacks,"
"whites, "delinquents" and the like, to avoid them
emerging as a social force in the political life
of the country. In the face of the people's
striving for empowerment, Biden is urging the
factions to now unite and for Trump to be isolated
to such an extent he is forced to concede.
One form the current battle takes is Trump's
refusal to allow the usual transition process to
proceed. This involves the General Services
Administration (GSA) "ascertaining" that the
election has produced a clear winner. The GSA is
supposed to be a "non-partisan" body within the
Office of the Executive but so far it is refusing
to ascertain the election of Biden and, along with
it, hand over the resources the president-elect
requires to establish the transition and "hit the
ground running" when the inauguration takes place.
Millions of dollars in resources are being
withheld, which includes not only money to pay
staff and office rentals but also access to
intelligence briefings, secure phones for calling
foreign leaders, gaining security clearances for
top officials. Biden forces are insisting that the
GSA cooperate and Trump has so far successfully
blocked them. A lawsuit by Biden is being
considered.
The main effort here involves Biden seizing the
reins of power that the presidency provides. This
is couched in threatening language about how a
failure to be ready threatens national security.
"America's national security and economic
interests depend on the federal government
signalling clearly and swiftly that the United
States government will respect the will of the
American people and engage in a smooth and
peaceful transfer of power," the Biden team
stated.
As has been the case throughout the election
process, the concern about a "peaceful transition"
reflects the intensity of the conflicts and the
rulers' recognition of the potential for violence
within their ranks and against the people in a
manner that threatens the Union and their
continued rule.
Various Republicans, including Trump loyalists
like Lindsey Graham, the senior Senator from South
Carolina who has served as chairman of the Senate
Committee on the Judiciary since 2019, are
now saying Biden should get the intelligence
briefings and the transition should proceed while
the lawsuits contesting the election results are
being resolved. "I think he should get the
information. [...] I just think it's part of the
transition. And if in fact he does win in the end,
I think they need to be able to hit the ground
running," said Republican Senator John Cornyn of
Texas, a member of the Senate Intelligence
Committee.
Other Republican Senators making similar comments
include Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Mike Rounds of
South Dakota, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Ron
Johnson of Wisconsin and both Missouri Senators
Roy Blunt and Josh Howley.
Biden's Call for Unity in Victory Speech
Biden's victory speech repeated calls for unity,
directed at the vying factions among the rulers.
Echoing former President Obama, he said, "I pledge
to be a president who seeks not to divide but
unify, who doesn't see red states and blue states,
only sees the United States." The reference to red
and blue states is to the divide between Democrats
and Republicans. This refers not to the people,
but to the factions. The concern is the potential
for the Union, the United States, to fracture.
This basic theme is repeated: "The refusal of
Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one
another is not some mysterious force beyond our
control, it's a decision, a choice we make. If we
can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide to
cooperate." He adds, "It's time to put away the
harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each
other again, listen to each other again. To make
progress, we have to stop treating our opponents
as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They're
Americans."
 Biden attempts to
claim a mandate from the people, saying "They want
us to cooperate in their interests, and that's the
choice I'll make. I'll call on Congress, Democrats
and Republicans alike, to make that choice with
me." And then, "This is the United States of
America. There's never been anything, never been
anything, we've been not able to do when we've
done it together."
The emphasis is that for the United States to
maintain its place as superpower and
"indispensable nation," it has to remain united.
It is not the people of the country that are
describing each other as enemies and refusing to
cooperate. On the contrary, the stand across the
country in relation to going all out to assist
each other in coping with COVID-19 and to provide
care despite lack of protection; the more than 20
million people directly involved in demanding
equality and justice and an end to racist police
killings and the millions more supporting them;
the many millions who stood against separation of
children from their parents at the border -- show
the united drive of the people for a different
direction for the country. While many rejoice that
Trump is out, most, like nurses and teachers, are
also already engaged in pursuing the fight for
rights. Their united efforts are for a new
direction for politics and the economy, a
direction that favours the interests of the people
by putting their rights front and centre.
Voice of Revolution is a publication of the U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 44 - November 14, 2020
Article Link:
Futile Attempts to Get Ruling Factions to Unite and Cooperate - Voice of Revolution
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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