Why Democrats are aiding and facilitating fascism, what this shows about this system, and what decent people need to be doing
November 16, 2024
This is Bob Avakian—REVOLUTION—Number 103.
After calling Trump a fascist, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and other leading Democrats are now busy bragging about how they are upholding “the peaceful transfer of power,” are helping Trump with his “transition” to power, and they hope he will succeed as President! This is a repeat of what the Democrats did in 2017—even after they kept insisting this time that a Trump presidency now would be far worse than the first time around.
Once more, the Democrats themselves are driving home the crucial point I have repeatedly emphasized (for example, in my article FASCISM AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM, available at revcom.us): The Democrats, and the “mainstream” section of the ruling class that they represent, cannot fight the fascists the way they need to be fought—and this fight needs to be waged as part of fighting to abolish this whole system.
Fascism is not a “swear word”—or just some kind of negative label to put on your opponent in the course of an election. Fascism, as represented by Donald Trump, is a white supremacist, male supremacist, anti-LGBT, immigrant-hating, aggressively environment-destroying, anti-scientific, religious fundamentalist fanaticism, determined to use the power of the government to forcibly compel obedience to its dangerous and destructive lunacy, and to viciously persecute those who oppose or resist. And, now that the election is over, here are the leading Democrats anxious to cooperate with and assist the fascist Trump!
For the Democrats, the “stability” of the rule of this system of capitalism-imperialism, even in the form of fascism, is more important than actually defeating fascism.
Yet another glaring demonstration of the reality that this whole system, and every part of its ruling class, is completely rotten, criminal and thoroughly illegitimate!
As opposed to what the Democrats are helping to impose on people, what is needed is bold defiance and a determined refusal to go along with any of this—now, and in an ongoing way.
As I said in message #102: This is not a time for demoralization and despair—it is a time for righteous anger and revolutionary determination.
There will definitely be a need to defend the rights and the lives of people who are the targets of this fascism. At the same time, in the face of this fascism and those who are its supporters, there should be no defensiveness, but instead a firm stand of defiantly opposing everything they are about, and everything they do in moving to carry out this fascism.
As for people who voted for and back Trump: regardless of the reason, or rationalization, they give for doing this, the fact is that they are supporting fascism, with everything that means. And it is necessary and crucial to consistently and actively take the offensive against this. (This definitely goes for those “bros” who are openly trumpeting rape culture, assaulting women and girls with the depraved chant: “Your body, my choice!” And it goes for every other putrid expression of this fascism.)
Even more fundamentally, as I have consistently emphasized: This fascism is rooted in the very soil of this system in this country, and more and more people need to be won to recognize, and act on the understanding, that the fight against this fascism needs to be waged as part of fighting to abolish this whole system, through an actual revolution.
Coming Soon: How can I talk seriously about a revolution when the fascist Trump just got elected?