USA: elections, crisis and debates of the left
There is less than a month until the presidential elections of the 3 of November, and early voting by mail has already begun in many states. Against a backdrop of crisis, rebellion and polarization, the campaign is shaken by new events every week.
By Luis Meiners
Two days after the disastrous debate between the presidential candidates, Trump tested positive for Covid-19 adding even more volatility to the situation. According to surveys, Biden's lead widens. Against this, Trump reinforces his denialist and polarizing rhetoric, and continues to question the electoral process.
The dynamics of the situation are enveloped in symptoms of a deep crisis, structural, that the elections will not be able to close. In this frame, There are deep debates about the role of the left and its policy towards the elections and about the scenario that will come in the coming months.
The deep roots of polarization
One of the central elements of the political situation in the United States is the strong polarization. This process has been developing since the crisis of 2008, but its roots are found in the exhaustion of the bosses' and neoliberal offensive of recent decades. The adjustment and austerity policies applied since the 1990s 70, added to neoliberal globalization, caused a sharp growth in inequality. for the year 2008, The concentration of wealth reached pre-crisis levels. 1929.
Crisis 2008 showed that this process had failed to resolve the deep problems of the capitalist economy. The decade that followed, with an economic "recovery" in which levels of inequality and job insecurity increased, It was characterized by a rise in class struggle accompanied by political radicalization. The economic crisis and the rise in struggles, They combined and contributed to a crisis of legitimacy of the two-party political regime.. Both parties of capital were shaken by this process.
The pandemic has accelerated all the components of this situation. The immense and historic rebellion against racism and police violence has been the main protagonist of recent months. in response to this, Trump has deployed a strong political offensive, relying on police departments, in some federal agencies, and deploying a "law and order" speech that has become his main campaign axis. This has mobilized far-right groups against the protests, such as the case of the militias of which Kyle Rittenhouse was a member who killed two protesters in Kenosha.
Final stretch towards the elections
The presidential campaign enters its final stretch. Although the scenario remains volatile, Biden maintains a solid lead in national polls and in several key states for Electoral College votes. The Covid-19 outbreak in the White House, and Trump's erratic and irresponsible behavior in the face of it, He once again placed the management of the pandemic as the main issue of the campaign. The result has been a growth in Biden's lead in the polls. There are signs that Republicans are preparing for the possibility of a tough defeat. Ted Cruz, senator from Texas and important figure within the Republican Party, warned of the possibility of losing both the presidency and both chambers in "a bloodbath of Watergate proportions", in reference to the electoral defeat after the Nixon scandal.
With his return to the White House after having been hospitalized, Trump redoubled his campaign of questioning the electoral process. It fundamentally aims against voting by mail, continues to refuse to affirm that it will recognize the electoral result and has called on its base to monitor the polling stations. Considering this, and although a clear victory for Biden today is the most likely result, We cannot rule out the possibility that a tight vote could lead to legal questions and greater polarization in the streets..
Debates on the left
In this framework, important debates are taking place on the left., that have threads of continuity with the discussions around strategic perspectives. One aspect of the debate revolves around the characterization of Trump and the political situation. Part of the left sees Trump in a position of strength, on the offensive, and characterizes him as fascist. This can be seen in the positions expressed by signatories of the open letter titled "Dump Trump, then battle Biden» (End Trump, then fight Biden). The other central argument is also based on a defeatist and defensive evaluation of the situation., and therefore understands the electoral scenario as the only possible terrain for political intervention. A) Yes, accepts the terms in which the Democrats present the scenario.
The most recent example of this orientation has been an open letter titled “DSA Members Organizing Against Trump.”. In this brief statement signed by recognized members of the DSA, including several members of its national and several regional leadership organizations, the central argument of the politics of the lesser evil is reiterated: "A Trump defeat would be unequivocally better for the working class and for our movement than a Trump victory in his quest for re-election." On this basis he expresses his commitment to do "everything we can to ensure Trump's defeat."
This argument is based on a mistaken view of the relationship of forces between the classes., and on the political orientation of the ruling class itself. Although there are extreme right groups, and you should never underestimate them, What marks the dynamic is the immense anti-racist rebellion. The mobilization of the right has been precisely in response to this, and in incomparably smaller numbers. On the other hand, The US ruling class has shown its support for Biden, and rejection of Trump. The Democratic candidate has been reaping more financial contributions to his campaign, and in the last month important figures in the state apparatus have publicly expressed their support.
This perspective, Besides, It is anchored in the idea that elections are the fundamental terrain of politics. The idea that the left can only have real influence through electoral competition using the Democratic Party, It aims that only in this way can the correlation of forces between the classes be modified and better conditions generated for the class struggle and the development of the left.. From there he deduces that voting for Biden is the only realistic path in the current situation.
By calling to vote for Biden, an important part of the left contributes to postponing the urgent task of building an independent alternative. further, will not achieve its stated objective of stopping the extreme right. A Biden victory will not resolve the structural conditions that enable the development of these forces. Biden's neoliberal and imperialist agenda will deepen them. The way to stop the extreme right will be through mobilization, not in this election, and for that task it is essential to build an independent force.
