Trump militarized Portland last week and then threatened to send federal police and military forces to Chicago and other Democrat Party-led cities. Then Democrats squealed in opposition. But it’s phony. Both political parties are playing a cynical game designed to keep the public’s attention on the drama of Trump while they work together to advance the agenda of the ruling class.
The public has been told the two parties can’t seem to agree on vital issues facing the working class, such as extending unemployment protection and a moratorium on rent and mortgage evictions. But there didn’t seem to be much problem for the parties in the U.S. House of Representatives when they decided a pathetic proposal to reduce the Department of Defense budget by 10 percent was too dangerous. In fact, 139 Democrats joined Republicans in voting down that amendment to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) before approving another obscene military budget of $740 billion.
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the Black mouthpiece for the right-wing neoliberal corporate wing of the Democratic Party, took the lead on advising Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) that her proposal for a federal “paycheck guarantee,” while efficient in that it would cover workers’ salaries for three months, was much too expensive. The cost? For six months of coverage, it was estimated at $654 billion.
The priorities are clear. Money is available for the military-industrial complex, but lifesaving support for workers is just too expensive.
And yet the games continue. Trump shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston as both parties are in fierce competition to demonstrate their toughness on China. Neither party can explain to the people why China is such a threat today. Just a few months ago, Russia was the main threat.
That is why the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) takes the unequivocal and unambiguous position that we will never allow the U.S. state and its ideological henchmen to push us into opposition against any external enemy. We say, “no to a new cold war with China,” no to militarism, no to domestic repression, and no to the continued neglect of millions of workers and poor people in the United States.
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