Part II: Democracy’s Avowed Enemy

The second in a four part series on the primal issues we face in American democracy

DEMOCRACY’S AVOWED ENEMY

When democracy was born from the American Revolution its avowed enemy stood in the birthing room and swore the baby would never grow beyond its swaddling clothes.  And it has been keeping this vow with a grand measure of success despite all the supposed victories of the proponents of democracy.  After all, it has been almost two hundred and fifty years and we still do not have a grounded democracy.  Indeed, we are presently in a state of regression toward our birthing room.

This enemy is economic imperialism which is the use of government power for the purpose of profit-making.  And until recent history this has been almost exclusively the venue of white males. Economic imperialists only have one morality: making a profit. The means or the consequence is irrelevant.  For the economic imperialist, democracy serves capitalism.

Let’s put the birth of America into proper perspective.  It was an absolute miracle because it was against every possibility of success.  Look at the astounding odds:

• A small rag-tag ill-equipped and ill-disciplined American army of mostly farmers and clerks had to prevail over an overwhelmingly strong British army and navy, the most powerful and well trained military force in the world.
• Only around one third of the colonists were in support of the revolution.  Another third was loyal to the British king.  And a remaining third assumed a wait-and-see posture toward the outcome.  So, the revolutionaries did not have even a majority of support of the colonists.

This lack of support was exemplified when George Washington was holed up with the remnants of his rag-tag army during the 1777-78 winter at Valley Forge. He had great difficulty getting enough food and clothing for this remnant to just survive – and many died. All they could do was endure the bitter cold and subsist on rotten vegetable soup.  And why was this the case? It was because the surrounding colonists could make a greater profit selling their wares to the British army.  And that was what many of them did.  They chose profit over supporting their own starving and freezing soldiers.  They chose economic imperialism over democracy at one of the most decisive moments of the revolution.

Benedict Arnold is another example of this betrayal. Originally, he joined the revolutionary army and distinguished himself, rising to the rank of general.  Then he was wounded in battle and felt he was not treated properly while convalescing. He built up resentment toward revolutionary leadership.

Upon recuperating he was given the opportunity to resume his military command.  He chose the strategic fort at West Point on the Hudson River.  He fled that post when it was revealed that he was a traitor who intended to sabotage the fort’s capacities so it could be captured by the British. Although the scheme was thwarted, he was richly rewarded by the British both in terms of military position and wealth. 

What Arnold did was make a crucial life decision.  He chose the monetary rewards of economic imperialism over the possibilities of democracy.  And he represented a large number of colonists – who also made grand profit from the revolution without giving it any real support.

There have been millions of Benedict Arnolds with other names in the American drama.  At this moment they have taken over the White House and the Republican Party.  And they are rapidly packing the federal court system with their supporters and undoing all laws supportive of democracy. The citizenry of America again faces the same decision it faced in the seventeen seventies about whether to commit to democracy or commit to economic imperialism.

Throughout American history white males have used black slavery, whether real or de facto, and women servants as a cheap labor force to ensure high profits.  They have deliberately suppressed the rights of these two groups for this purpose without regard to morality – as they have all non-white groups. Racism and sexism in America have always rooted in the economic imperialist goals of white males.

It would be easy to suggest that nothing has changed since the 1776 Revolution.  But much has.  We have made a great deal of significant progress in giving focus to several of democracy’s primal issues: Equality of worth and voting rights for all its eligible citizens.  But economic imperialism has also made significant progress. Currently, it has captured the very structures of democracy and began a systematic dismantling of everything that upholds democratic intent.  We have reached a moment in our history as critical as the Civil War – a moment that will determine whether we will be ruled by democrats or by economic despots.  Again it is time to make a choice that will determine our nation’s destiny. But to choose decisively we must see the options with clarity and why they are the options.  We must see beyond symptoms to cause.

PS: Donald Trump aspires to be the most powerful despot of modern times.  In seeking to fulfill this aspiration he has adopted two role models.  One is his father who was a racist and sexist psychopathic economic imperialist willing to degrade and defraud anyone to make a profit.  The other is Vladimir Putin a shrewd psychopathic economic imperialist dictator who is fleecing Russia of its wealth while wearing the mantel of democracy.

This aspiration answers every question anyone might have about Trump’s goals, attitudes, and actions. His style is similar to another Russian dictator, Stalin, who advised: “Probe with a bayonet.  If you encounter mush proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw.”  So far he has encountered a lot of mush.

Robert

Robert T. Latham

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