Obama ANTI-NEO-LIBERAL accomplishments Obamacare, the first extension of the War on Poverty since LBJ, Pay equity for women, peace treaty with Iran , blocking the next military-industrial complex planned war , saving tens of thousands of working class lives in the US and Iran , ending Bush’s ban on stem cell research, which will save millions of workers from dread diseases , 700 billion dollar stimulus , getting money to tens of thousands of workers, bailing out tens of thousands of auto industry workers’ jobs, joining Paris Accords, a step toward saving tens of millions of workers , and much more, getting tens of millions of white people to vote for a Black person for President , an anti-racist political act that the working class needs critically , ending the War on Black people (“drugs”) helping millions of workers, saving unemployment benefits from Republican cuts aiding millions of workers , and much more . You must have slept through it like Rip Van Winkle

And more : Republican efforts to cut taxes for the rich and cut unemployment insurance , created Dreamers , appointed two women Supreme Court justices

ALL THIS IN THE FACE OF FASCIST REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT BLUE DOG OPPOSITION


True (not phony ) Leftists are Obamaists in this period of American history. Obama achieved the first and only reversals of Reaganism that could be won in a Reaganite dominated polity. Reversal of Reaganism is the main True leftist task in this period Biden is a continuation of Obamism. True Leftist means for the best interest of the working class , the 99% that are winnable now. The number one task of Leftists today is to defeat the fascist Republicans . Biden is not only a continuation of Obamaism , he can win Michigan, Wisconsin , Pennsylvania and maybe Ohio with the recent plantclosings , the states we have to flip back Democrat to beat Trump.

BY THE WAY ,So-called neo-liberalism _is_ finance capitalism , state monopoly capitalism , in its Reaganite phase. It is not Liberalism in the American New Deal sense.

It was coined by ultra-leftists to put a knock on their infantilist whipping boy , Liberals. It’s is better termed Reaganite anti-liberalism or neo-conservatism .

Reagan’s big thing was making “Liberal” a dirty word in American politics , so it’s absurd to call this period “neo-Liberal . “

Racism , Privatization , cutting welfare , austerity , busting unions , anti-abortion are anti-liberalism in the sense of Liberal in the US since the New Deal.

It’s infantile leftist usage .

HISTORY OF CLASS STRUGGLE IN ELECTORAL POLITICS IN LAST 90 YEARS : So my position is that since FDR a genuine class struggle goes on in the DP. Sometimes the Proletariat wins ; sometimes the Bourgeoisie wins . The bourgeoisie dominate the Republicans steadily; no class struggle in the Republican Party . With FDR the working class won , he was among other major reforms , 40 HOUR WORKWEEK , THE HAYMARKET MAY DAY DEMAND . You know the one Communist Parties famously celebrate every year . That alone knocks the stuffing out of your whole Democratic Party has done nothing for us, the Proletariat. But there was the rest of the New Deal Then as I say_ a real class struggle goes on in the DP in which sometimes the Bourgeoisie win , which speaks to all your criticisms above , including in the first place Democrat Truman started the Cold War ; and put the whole national board ox the CPUSA , my Party, in prison ! This was before the Republican McCarthy. I and my Party have felt the sting of DP backstabbing more than you ! We know the treachery of Democrats better than you. But we don’t allow that cause us to subjectively take on a dogmatic anti-Democratic Party attitude. Things change ; with Kennedy and Johnson, another big pro-proletarian reform is won. And Kennedy was assassinated by fanatics anti-Communists in the CIA for being soft on Communism. He allowed the Cuban revolution to survive , he didn’t escalate in Viet Nam and he made a nuclear testing ban treaty with the Soviets. Cuba still stands The test ban treaty was important for the International Proletariat in that period . Johnson of course got the message and invaded The Dominican Republic when there was an insurrection there ; and escalated in Viet Nam . However , Johnson basically followed the demands of the peace movement by not running for re-election. And at that point the leading candidates for President in the Democratic Party were for ending the war , again the dominant influence in the material interest of the International Proletariat. Then of course LBJ passed the Great Society / a War on Poverty and Civil Rights Act. The low incomed and Black People are major sections of the proletariat. So this is another major reform victory through the Democratic Party. Meanwhile the Elephant in the room that you are blind too is moving steadily to the right , leaping to the antiproletarian right with Reaganism

Rebuttal of ultra left anti FDR and DP 

Just because Democrat FDR didn’t reform all of capitalism, doesn’t mean the New Deal was not a giant step reform for the working class .

Also Democrat LBJ led a second major reform against all the white supremacist practices you list with the Civil Rights Act, Great Society / War on Poverty ( especially urban Black poverty ). As a matter of fact pretty much everything you list was reformed by Democrats especially after FDR. Ultimately, Dems elected a Black President, a reform of white supremacy.

Plus , Black people , the ultimate judges on white supremacy, started shifting from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party because of FDR .

Your post is ultra-left demagogy .

What success has the American working class had in struggling to reform capitalism ? According to you none . Thereby you disprove Marxism . If the US working class hasnt won anything significant in 150 years, why should we expect it to ever fulfill its Marxist historical role ? That’s the result of fanatical anti-Democratic Party “thinking” - refutation of Marxism.

And what is your theory of the US road to socialism ? You don’t have one . There isn’t going to be a socialist third party that wins all the hundreds of federal and state elections. There isn’t going to be an armed insurrection (!). You all tend to vaguely refer to an apocalyptic collapse that will somehow turn into socialism. That’s so nonsensical it’s scary ; especially since crazies might get a hold of the US nuclear arsenal.



So my position is that since FDR a genuine class struggle goes on in the DP. Sometimes the Proletariat wins ; sometimes the Bourgeoisie wins . The bourgeoisie dominate the Republicans steadily; no class struggle in the Republican Party . With FDR the working class won , among other major reforms , 40 HOUR WORKWEEK , THE HAYMARKET MAY DAY DEMAND . You know the one Communist Parties famously celebrate every year . That alone knocks the stuffing out of your whole Democratic Party has done nothing for us, the Proletariat. But there was the rest of the New Deal

Then as I say_ a real class struggle goes on in the DP in which sometimes the Bourgeoisie win , which speaks to all your criticisms above , including in the first place Democrat Truman started the Cold War ; and put the whole national board ox the CPUSA , my Party, in prison ! This was before the Republican McCarthy. I and my Party have felt the sting of DP backstabbing more than you ! We know the treachery of Democrats better than you. But we don’t allow that cause us to subjectively take on a dogmatic anti-Democratic Party attitude. Things change ; with Kennedy and Johnson, another big pro-proletarian reform is won. And Kennedy was assassinated by fanatics anti-Communists in the CIA for being soft on Communism. He allowed the Cuban revolution to survive , he didn’t escalate in Viet Nam and he made a nuclear testing ban treaty with the Soviets. Cuba still stands The test ban treaty was important for the International Proletariat in that period .

Johnson of course got the message and invaded The Dominican Republic when there was an insurrection there ; and escalated in Viet Nam . However , Johnson basically followed the demands of the peace movement by not running for re-election. And at that point the leading candidates for President in the Democratic Party were for ending the war , again the dominant influence in the material interest of the International Proletariat.

Then of course LBJ passed the Great Society / a War on Poverty and Civil Rights Act. The low incomed and Black People are major sections of the proletariat. So this is another major reform victory through the Democratic Party. Meanwhile the Elephant in the room that you are blind to is moving steadily to the right , leaping to the antiproletarian right with Reaganism

Dennis :“the Democrats only respond to working class demands when forced “ to bespeaks a misunderstanding of the nature of American elected officials as ideological; such that Democrat politicians have an anti -proletarian ideology that they have to be “forced” to override : wrong . They are always being “forced” to whatever position they take BY MASSES OF VOTERS . They don’t have rigid ideological positions. As Obama says ,”Change comes from the bottom up. “

“Dennis: “ As I See It: FDR is an icon of the left in the US. His New Deal is still seen as the apex of progressivism and much of the recent spate of Democrat legislation is cast as a new New Deal. But, let's look at what occured during FDR's tenure in office. 1. The infamous internment of Japanese-Americans in concentration camps during WW2. 2. The flourishing of anti-Black Jim Crow laws across the country. 3. KKK violence against Blacks and lynchings in the South 4. Abduction of native childen and their placement in assimilationist boarding schools. 5. The forced sterilization of native women. 6. Medical malpractice directed against Blacks - the Tuskegee Syphilis Study 7. The Great Migration of Blacks in the South to Northern cities seeking work. 8. Substandard segregated schools and housing for minorities. 9. Forced labor of Mexicans in the agricultural fields of California. 10. Culturcide of native languages. As can be seen the FDR administration while praised by progressives for the New Deal is seldom criticized for its gross human rights violations, including racism and genocide.”

Furthermore, the US population majority has been bamboozled by Reaganism for 39 years and the Democrats have had to compromise with the rightwing bent of the _voters_. This is another round of the infamous US "populism" , based in white supremacy . As Lincoln said, you can fool some of the people all of the time. Republicans have been fooling a lot of people in recent decades. The media has been a main accomplice.

Don't scapegoat Democrats for mass rightwing thinking.

Reaganism would only apply to the US , of course smiles Comrade Salazar. You choose the term for the countries you mention.

In the US, on the US , we should use Reaganism , not neo-liberalism.

I call what's been going on mainly post-Soviet phase of imperialism ; transnational corporate imperialism .

I wrote a paper on privatization in 1989 as a state monopoly capitalist process.

There's a sense in which Reaganism is Powellism-Reaganism. Louis Powell wrote a "manifesto" as a memo that outlined and organized the ruling class action plan to reverse the mass progressive gains of the "60's". Then as Supreme Court (in)Justice he wrote the majority opinion in the case that launched the legal and political assault on affirmative action, the most advanced anti-racist program from the "60's".

http://reclaimdemocracy.org/powell_memo_lewis/

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_University_of_California_v._Bakke

Trumpism is a species of the genus Reaganism.

What was Reaganism in 2016 , 17, 18...? It is rightwing government continuing the War on the Poor, neo-White Supremacy, escalation of the nuclear arms race and warmongering, union busting. It was initiated by Reagan's Presidential leadership , but politically metastasized among millions of Americans , and was continued after Reagan's Presidency in the Gingrich Gang in Congress with its Contract on America; Bill Clinton's ending welfare as we know it, even, sadly; Bush's Crimes Against Peace in Iraq and Afghanistan and tax cuts for the rich;the tea Republicans and all current Republican Party Presidential nominees, and most Republican politicians with power , and Blue Dog Democrats for 35 years .

One of Obama's greatest political achievements is halting and reversing the federal War on the Poor with the first War on Poverty program since LBJ: Obamacare and opposing tax cuts for the rich. Obama has UNstayed the Reaganite course in the Presidency; Reagan's action was only in the Presidency at first; there were Democratic majorities in Congress for all his term. Reaganism spread to Congress and the states later.

Reaganism is all around anti-99% policies of government fraudulently presented as pro-working class; it is tragically successful demagogy.

Reaganism in 2022 is THE GOP ! the fascist Republicans :

Republican Party has cheated to oligarchic or minority rule through gerrymandering , stealing Supreme Court appointments and minority Presidents . They follow Mussolini's fascist principle :

"After Socialism, Fascism combats the whole complex system of democratic ideology, and repudiates it, whether in itstheoretical premises or in its practical application. Fascism denies that the majority, by the simple fact that it is a majority, can direct human society; it denies that numbers alone can govern by means of a periodical consultation, and it affirms the immutable, beneficial, and fruitful inequality of mankind, which can never be permanently leveled through the mere operation of a mechanical process such as universal suffrage...."

https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/mussolini-fascism.asp

We must focus on the class aspect in our most fundamental definition of fascism. Fascism is open terrorist rule by the most reactionary , racist and bellicose sections of finance capital . The Republican Party represents those sections of the bourgeoisie . It is threatening and executing policies with respect to social programs that will _foreseeably_ result in premature deaths of 10,000's just as certainly as if they were machine gunned. The Republican accelerated round up of immigrants , threats to expel Dreamers and others , racist threat against African and Latin immigrants equal the Nazis treatment of Jews in the early years of the regime before the holocaustic level of killing. There is no premature anti -fascism by name . The President has spoken in support of openly Nazi marchers.

Furthermore, the American fascist tradition is the KKK. The KKK had fascist rule in sections of the US before Italy (!) . The KKK is a core constituency of the Republican base . David Duke regularly endorses Trump's actions. Republicans have leaders like Roy Moore, who says life for Black people was better in slavery. The Attorney General is a political twin of Moore. Statues of Confederates litter the Southern landscape and rock star Kid Rock waves a Confederate flag in downtown , 85% Black Detroit.

The NRA is also a rightwing militant and armed core group of the Republican base. And another unique feature of American fascism, I'd say , is libertarian fascism. Unlike the European state centered "well ordered " police forces, America has individualist killers doing mass shootings. This is libertarian fascism para-military to the Republican Party.

The Republican Party is a fascist party. However , even though it holds most government offices , we don't have a fascist government (yet; there is no premature anti-fascism) because of the historical luck that the Republican President is at war with our secret police and spy agencies , the FBI and CIA; and the President is a Russian agent, of sorts ; he stumbled into it. We can't rely on that not changing; we have to warn the people. There is no premature anti-fascism.

How could I forget. The Republicans are also mounting an effort to destroy the trade unions : work-for -less law iin traditional labor union stronghold Michigan, Supreme Court potential blow , Trump attacking.

President supported a Nazi march in which a woman was murdered !

"Fascism" must be used rhetorically , not based on the identity between the current situation in the Republican Party and the fascists in Europe in the 20's and 30's. If we had warned of "fascism" in the time when it actually arose, the term would not have aroused much alarm because fascism had not become what it became : fastest big murdering system of all times. Terms like tyranny, barbarism and savagery had to be used to get people's attention . Of course , technically it was not tyranny, a system in Ancient Greece. But because of the rhetorical need the term was used non-technically. Similarly with fascist today. History does not repeat itself , but it does rhyme sometimes.

On the other hand , on the technical point, the Republican Presidential contenders all represent the most racist , bellicose, reactionary sections of finance capital. Trump threatens open terrorist rule against specially despised national and racial groups. Bush launched aggressive , unprovoked war against Iraq, a Crime Against Peace, which Hermann Goering was sentenced to death for at Nuremberg.So, Republicans are right on the edge with meeting the technical definition . There is no premature anti- fascism

Republican Party is a fully , openly fascist party now.

Someone says : "The republicans are planning to kill thousands more veterans by yanking life-support and healthcare out from under them. They have to know what they're planning will kill that many, but they just don't care.

The GOP core belief seems to be that if you can't work and pay taxes through working, you do not have a right to life -- even if you lost that ability fighting in one of the pointless wars they started. This is eerily similar to the "euthanasia program" the nazi's were operating in Germany right before the war. The elderly, the chronically ill and infirmed, the maimed (many of whom were veterans of WWI) were sent to "free" clinics to be treated. They were actually murdered, either with gas or an injection, and their survivors would receive a letter reporting about how they died from pneumonia or some other cause. Sometimes the remains were returned, sometimes they weren't."

June 2016 I said , Some like me call the Republican Party fascist, way past a whiff. "Populist"-fascist . Capable of open terrorist rule , especially targeting racial minorities , representing the most reactionary , chauvinist , bellicose sections of finance capital; there is no premature anti-fascism.

CB : Yea better to use "fascist." Fascism started and got its name in Italy. There was fascism in Spain , too. Republican Party has Italian Fascist characteristics like minority rule or oligarchy .

Joe : "I understand the word Nazi is overused, and used poorly, often. Until they kill so many innocents as Hitler did Jewish people, nobody will be in the league with Hitler.

But NOT using the word out of deference to extremist sensitivities, or out of political correctness, clearly benefits whatever group is MOST LIKE the fascists referred to. There's no doubt about that.

And if any group shares the methodology of fear-mongering, racist nationalism, and politically weaponized xenophobia, it is of the utmost importance that ordinary people recognize it. That because the modern GOP seems to use a similar tool set, and they are very active right now.."

Bull: the Republicans are the liars , cheaters , thieves , unAmericans , not the Democrats. False equivalence of Dems and Reps helps the fascist Republicans.

AMERICANS FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AMERICANS FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY Republicans are a bunch of lying demagogues, tellers of half-lies, prevaricators.

We must get rid of the GOP ! We must get rid of the GOP 1

Like the old, old Whig Party, the ole, ole Republican Party has got to go, go, go onto the garbage heap of American history. It gets worse every day ! Every damn day , some stupid Republican says something fascist , just beyond the pale , unconscionable. There's a rightwing insanity epidemic in the tea Republican Party.

No both parties do _not_ work for the same bosses ! Vote Democrat !

Republicans used to pretend that they hate tariffs , Russians , bailouts , budget deficits and debts: the Grand Ole Party of Liars only cares about getting more of the total amount of money in the system to the rich, the One Percent , the One capitalists , who already have most of it; and beating down the 99% economically and socially. This is socioeconomic fascism.

And budget deficits and debts: the Grand Ole Party of Liars only cares about getting more of the total amount of money in the system to the rich, the One Percent , the One capitalists , who already have most of it; and beating down the 99% economically and socially. This is socioeconomic fascism.

CB: Republicans' war on Women is its central fascist plank.

Jim says : "I’ve been somewhat amused to listen as both old and young progressives argue about whether Trump is a “real” fascist. I love reading about the history of antifascist resistance during the 30’s and 40’s, and have enjoyed greatly my associations with antifascist fighters from that period. But this discussion is pointless and gets us nowhere.

The facts are the Republican Party has waged an unceasing campaign against American democratic institutions for the last eight years, since the election of Obama, who they tried to delegitimize with their birther movement. You don’t think they have become a fascist movement? Fine! Call it what you want, put whatever label you want on it.

Now days the Republicans don’t even try to hide their nihilism.

They have tried to shut the government down, destroy Social Security and Medicare and shred the safety net. They have fought tooth and nail against any effort to hold Wall Street and the financial industry accountable for their deprivations against the American people.

Their scapegoats extend to Muslims, undocumented immigrants, feminists and people of color who they blame for all of America’s woes. They also attack and harass scientists who try to warn us about the dangers and consequences of climate change.

They tried and are still attempting to undermine the Iranian nuclear agreement, going so far as to use the Israeli prime minister as a weapon against our president.

They have had some success in sabotaging health care reform, suppressing voting rights, gerrymandering voting districts, destroying workers’ ability to collectively bargain, and restricting women’s rights to control their bodies. They continue to vilify gay and transgender people. They have sought to obstruct and undermine the entire federal judiciary, not just the Supreme Court.

They have encouraged their followers to consider violence and taking up arms if they are unable to win at the ballot box. State Republican leaders have threatened succession.

The modern Republican Party is not the party of Lincoln. Nor is it the party of Eisenhower. It’s not even the party of Nixon. It represents the greatest threat to America since the Confederate states succession.

Let us not be distracted by the Bundy’s, the play-soldier militias, the Klan or the other assorted pathetic pawns. They have no power beyond a few guns and bullets that give their empty lives some purpose. It’s the Republican Party that is the greatest threat to our society, and the sooner we understand that the sooner we will be able to unite to counter their threat.

Is the Left going to discuss the fact that we are in fascism ? No because the Republicans are the fascist party and the Democrats are NOT a fascist party nor are the Democrats enablers , or fake opponents of the Republicans. So, the Left ( all of it almost , so ultra-left is redundant) can't call out the fascism because that would violate their number one dogmatic principle that there is no difference between the parties.

You both are right on ! Trumpist Republican Party is the Reaganite Republican Party in the nude , revealing it's essence, at its logical conclusion : anti-working class, white supremacist and male supremacist

Thomas : "The Republican Party is turning into a fascist party much like Le Pen's National Front in France. The GOP is now so far to the the right from even the GOP of even Barry Goldwater's and dare I say, Ron Reagan."

George : "Goldwater, Nixon and Ronnie Raygun laid the foundation for the current mess. They hid behind lofty slogans, but they were fundamentally saying the same crap!"

Bruce : "We are not allowed to compared the Nazi-like behavior of the Republican Party to Nazis because it upsets them. So here's a question. In the 1930s, who did people refer the actual Nazis to earlier in history? What was the most evil group people would have heard of to call the Nazis?"

CB: Exactly: use of "Nazis" or "fascist" now is rhetorical , even if the Republicans are not just like Hitler or Mussolini's parties. Calling Hitler a Nazi then wouldn't inform people because the Nazis hadn't murdered tens of millions yet. You'd have to say tyrants or barbarians . Rosa Luxembourg said "Socialism or Barbarism " before the Nazis.

Got to call Republicans fascists to alarm people, though Americans are generally very ignorant of history , even World War II history.


CB: US is under a fascist Republican Troika - Congress , President and Supreme Court ; evolved fascism since Reagan

It continues... -The Supreme Court just upheld the Trump anti-Muslim travel ban. -The Supreme Court also just upheld the right of pro-life centers to prevent abortions by deceiving women about their true purposes. To do otherwise, the "Court" claims, would infringe on the centers' First Amendment rights...

https://take10charles.blogspot.com/2015/03/americans-for-abolition-of-republican.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR1nkVFZx36E2uSPLSe-gFQ2TNueiyolVaMPhCAJrNhSBVfAwfQw4PNIXac .

I’ve been a John Conyers -Jesse Jackson type Democrat for 35 years . I was in demos in front of GM with them against plant closings: I was at Solidarity Day demos in Washington. I attended Occupy Detroit religiously , I was at the million person March for Nuke disarmament in NYC . I’m a leading rank and file progressive Democrat , optimum left ; retired professional revolutionary . So, when I criticize progressives, it’s criticism / self- criticism. I also have been poll electioneering for Democrats since 1956 when my mother took me to the election poll to campaign for Adlai Stevenson ; I campaigned door to door for JFK , LBJ, Humphrey, McGovern…Obama, Clinton , Biden and other offices

I’m your progressive Democrat for sure . No I sound exactly like I want unity. Criticizing you for being too sharp in criticizing liberals ( in the context of fascist Republicans) definitely sounds like and is an effort to get you to be more unified with Liberals .

All reforms the US working class has won in the last 90 years have been through the Democratic Party . There is a genuine class struggle that goes on in the Democratic Party , because the working class has won often.

False equivalence of the Democratic and Republican Parties is a critical error on the Left in 2021. We are in a period of growing dominance of working class interests in the Democratic Party you’re telling a 2/3 false tale . Democrats since FDR have a much stronger history of winning pro -working class reforms like the New Deal , desegregation laws , Great Society/ War on Poverty , Civil Rights Acts , electing a Black President and Vice President and Obamacare.

The Working Class has three enormous advances in the last 3 1/2 months : -Democrats win Presidency and Congress -Big split in Republican Party -Loss of Republican Limbaugh