Seven Lessons from the Capitol Hill Takeover
New president, new challenges.
When I first heard about the Capitol Hill takeover I could not but have a grudging respect for the ones who carried out. Here were people, in our day and age of narcissim, extreme selfishness and fear culture, who were not afraid to risk their lives for a president that they believed in, who believed that there was something worth to dying for [1]. Yes, they were misled by a cynical and selfish president who was crying wolf wolf while he lost plainly and squarely. For, while widespread allegations of mismanagment and wrong counting have been widespread, the US Supreme Court – including those appointed by the president himself- has ruled over and over again that the popular vote was not stolen. But, here were protesters, who still believed in, however perverse, a kind of American idealism for which were bold enough to embark on storming Capitol Hill, long a place controlled by corporations and lobbies, and who managed to move beyond narrow individualism and form if only for several hours, some kind of a community. Many spectators, no doubt, were angry at the sight of a united group pursuing its goal. They were terrified, partly, because they were jealous at the unity displayed by the protesters/insurrectionists. While not maintaining social distancing at our time is also risky, the lack of concern about this issue displayed, once again, the boldness of the protesters.
When it came to the formal response, the Democratic Party revealed once again its profound ineptitude. Not only did they refuse to impeach Trump at once, they went at pains to ask vice president Pence to remove the president, while in fact is it not true that Pence is far more dangerous than Trump, for, despite being less charismatic, he nevertheless is even more hell-bent on securing whatever profits there are to be made for corporations while using nationalist rehetoric and while not even having a semblance of egoism and selfishness that would mean he could get lazy at times in his path of destruction. From a real politic perspective alone, to view Pence as the mature adult in the room and to assume that he would betray the president revealed extreme naivete which at our times has no justification or excuse and is criminal.
When it comes to Trump himself, it is worth while noting how much he has managed to get away with. Here is a man under whose watch over 300,000 Americans died, who is only concerned with his own fame and power, who believes in sweeping uncomfortable issues under the carpet, who is not moved by the sight of suffering of others unless it could get him more votes, and who ignored with supreme irresponsibility the emergence of Covid-19 since he could not for a moment entertain in his mind the possibility that there is a real issue that could unseat him, so freightful was such a prospect for his mental peace.
There were public figures who claimed that the storming of the Capitol reminded them of the Nazi era, as if Adolf Hitler did not secure all the power for himself once he was established in power that he would need to rely on protesters. Then, of course, is the naive argument that our democracy is a sword and that the more it is attacked, the stronger it becomes. The fact that 25,000 National Guard soldiers are currently patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. reveals the strength of our democracy indeed. Others make the argument that the US is standing at a similar crossroads to Spain of 1936, where a civil war ensued between the republicans and monarchists and the anarchists and communists. This shallow argument displays incredible ignorance. Where in the US are there two opposing camps who are willing to go to war with each other? We have the hardened pro-Trump supporters, but where are the anarchists and communists on the other side who are as organized and motivated and are willing to storm the Capitol Hill if necessary? For months while police forces throughout the country murdered black people with impunity and while Trump made over and over again white supremacist claims, there was not a single incident in which an group of protesters from the left made a respectable effort to storm Capitol Hill or the White House. Such an effort could only be seen on the right. What we are seeing now in the US, is a hardened, motivated far-right camp that is deeply ideological and distrustful of the mainstream media, that is bold and courageous, and that is willing to walk the walk. On the other side is a massive cam of liberal Americans who accept the status-quo and are fearful of confrontation as well as of Covid-19, fringe groups of anarchists who protested in support of black brethern but have no national aspirations, and a non-existent communist left.
If an historical analogy is to be made, it appears that it is far more solid to argue that a Biden presidency may well turn into the failed Weimar Republic experiment. Joe Biden was rightfully elected and needs to be given a chance. However, we are already seeing the sights of a carvan of refugees making their way from Guatemala to the United States. Why are they doing so at this precise moment, and what will Biden do once they reach US borders?
The White House may chose to open the gates of the United States to immigrants and/or refugees from Latin America. That would be an unwise decision. It is not only that due to Covid-19 increasing the number of people in a given country is dangerous. It is also that the US economic situation is deeply unstable and many Americans are out of work. It is true, however, that many Latinos are willing to take jobs that no one else would take or that other Americans are too spoiled to take. But a scene in which Latinos break into the country, and subsequently some of them engage in act of violence, robbery or vandalism, is likely to turn an even large number of people into the Trump camp.
The Biden Administration has many challenges to face. Joe Biden would need to create a new vision of America, he would need to heavily tax corporations and rein them in, he would need to end the censorship in social media that is only driving more people to the fringes, he would need to provide real dignity and support for Americans, he would need to eradicate Covid, he would need to return to growth. At emergency times, he may need even to turn authoritarian. That is due to the fact that eradicating Covid means mandating mask-wearing everywhere, not just in federal lands. Truly, the tasks facing him and vice president Kamala Harris are large in scope that the two may not have the time to carry out their engagment in the traditional US imperialism abroad and in their illegal game of regime-changes across the world. Russia on the other hand, is likely to forster and encourage far-right opposition to Biden. It can hardly be blamed considering the fact that after the collapse of the USSR, Russia wanted peace with the US while the US worked hard on looting the country. Moreover, Biden himself supported the regime-change operation in Ukraine that involved support for Ukrainian neo-fascists, at the very least. If Biden does not want to be overplayed by Putin, he would be wise to appoint judo graduates to US State Department positions and/or make judo classes mandatory for the staff. Putin’s skill has been to defeat his opponent by letting him trip due to his own mistakes. US traditionally has taken more of the Teutonic view of trying to defeat an opponent by brute force. Biden could destabilize countries elsewhere to secure greater profits for the US and buy resources at favorable prices. However, due to the current economic crisis the profit margin is unlikely to be sufficient to meet demand at home.
The current crisis demands an entirely new way of thinking and addressing collective ills that have been dormant for a long time. Every new president deserves a chance. This time, however, we already know what to begin to expect if Biden fails.
[1] I once saw a sign in a protest in the Middle East stating “If have nothing you are willing to die for you have nothing you are willing to live for.”
