The social counterrevolution in America ........

[blindpig]

The social counterrevolution in America and the tasks of the working class

Two and a half years after the Wall Street collapse and multi-trillion dollar bail-out of corporate swindlers, the ruling class is carrying out a savage and unprecedented assault on the living standards and basic social rights of tens of millions of working class families in the United States. Against the backdrop of an intractable recession, with long term unemployment at its highest level since the 1930s, the political elite—Democrats and Republicans alike—are engaged in a bipartisan campaign to destroy crucial social programs upon which the working class depends.

What is unfolding in the United States is a social counter-revolution—the ruthless and systematic destruction of the fundamental gains and social rights won by the working class over a century of struggle.

On health care, the Obama administration and congressional Republicans are conspiring to cut trillions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid, the programs for the elderly and poor. One study estimates that a proposal from Republicans to cut Medicaid—which the Obama administration has refrained from publicly criticizing—would raise the number of people without coverage by 44 million over the next decade. State governments throughout the country, bankrupted by the economic crisis and starved of resources by the federal government, are carrying out their own sharp cuts in services and eligibility.

Public education, a central concern of progressive movements in the United States for over 150 years, is being dismantled. Cities throughout the country are closing public schools, expanding private charter schools, increasing class sizes, laying off thousands of teachers, and imposing sharp cuts in pay and benefits. In response to cuts in state funding, public colleges and universities are raising tuition to levels unaffordable to the vast majority of working class youth.

more...

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/pers-m13.shtml

[fascisthunter]

1. we win in the End

the evolution of mankind.... democracy.

[Hannah Bell]

24. die letzte schlact gewinnen wir (1972)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUmf6X3Nn4Y

We don't need the landlords, the houses belong to us.
We don't need the factory owners, the factories belong to us.

Out of the way capitalists, we'll win the last battle!
Throw the gun away, police,
The red front (socialist) and the black front (anarchist) are here!

We don't need a strong man, we ourselves are strong enough.
We know what to do ourselves, our heads are large enough.

Our fight means peace & we fight your war.
Every battle we lose means our next victory.

Out of the way capitalists, we'll win the last battle!
Throw the gun away, police,
The red front and the black front are here!


der traum is aus? der kampf geht weiter...

(the dream is over? (no,) the struggle continues... = two songs by the same group)

[Starry Messenger]

2. k&r

[blindpig]

3. kick

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended with one quibble, I believe the author's view

of the protests in Wisconsin is too narrow and short term.

The social counterrevolution will not be defeated by mere protests. As last February’s events in Wisconsin proved, the protests of the working class could not reverse the policies of the state government.

Wisconsin was a watershed moment, the momentum has shifted and it was only the beginning of the awakening here in the U.S.

I suspect the protests will grow in number, scope and impact across the nation and politicians standing in the way of this rebirth will pay heavy a political price.

Thanks for the thread, blindpig.

[blindpig]

5. It is gonna take more than protests...

it's gonna take strikes, big ones, long ones, general strikes. It's gonna take the kind of organization that we don't have now and a growing sense of class solidarity. We can be pretty sure that will happen, our capitalist master show no sign of letting up in the onslaught besetting us.

[Uncle Joe]

6. I agree it will take strikes as well,

as for organizing and getting the message out I believe the Internet will greatly aid in that endeavor.

I also believe the ever visible, blatant, runaway greed of those at top, their bought and paid for political puppets and the punitive actions of the mega-corporations can only contribute to the growing sense of class solidarity.

In short, they're their own worst enemies.

[socialist_n_TN]

8. As I've said before, there's nothing like capitalism

as the BEST way to recruit for socialism.

[blindpig]

13. a related quote:

The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.

[socialist_n_TN]

21. Yep. One of my FAVS from Vladimir Ilyich

Short, pithy and TRUE.

[leeroysphitz]

26. I think Steinbeck figured out what it will take.

"And the great owners, who must lose their land in an upheaval, the great owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need. And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed."

[socialist_n_TN]

9. +1.........

I really think that we missed an opportunity in Wisconsin. But then again, maybe the timing just wasn't right.

I'll add "wildcat" ones to your list of strikes too. And yes, I know they're illegal. We ain't going to do much without some (or a LOT) civil disobedience.

I do think that class consciousness and class solidarity is SLOWLY and painfully creeping into lexicon and mindset OF the working class and yes, Wisconsin was a BIG factor in that.

What we do now is wait for the system to fail like we know it will and then go from there. I think that the SC election IN Wisconsin has taken another "chip" out of the system for some folks. It'll get even more ragged when they rig the elections in the recalls.

[blindpig]

14. The pressure builds....

but it is only when the politial becomes economically tangible that it really comes home. As that seems to be the trajectory of ruling class consensus we can expect radicalization to become widespread.

[TBF]

15. It's early ...

Wisconsin went as well as can be expected with a bunch of liberals protesting. Kind of like a parade ... :)

We need more organization, and that is hard with the onslaught on unions (which of course is why capital is doing everything in their power to shut them down). But I think we'll get there - we really have no other choice.

[blindpig]

17. That's it....

"we really have no other choice"

As a matter of dignity and survival, no other choice at all.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftstreet]

7. Do you think the WI protests promoted class solidarity?

I'm not seeing much evidence of it

[socialist_n_TN]

10. I think it did, but then I'm an optimist............

:) But it's going to be a SLOW process at least at first. At some point I think that it will hit a "critical mass", but it ain't there yet. But yep, I think that Wisconsin helped.

[socialist_n_TN]

11. Kick. I like this web site. I was just on it yesterday

Unlike most socialist websites, it seems like it's updated daily or at least fairly often.

I got the url from a tract that a guy at one of our actions here in Nashville gave me back last month. It took a while to get there because I wasn't expecting much, but I'm glad I did. It's a WHOLE lot more militant than I expected it to be.

[TBF]

16. This one is pretty good too -

I found it on Facebook of all places: http://www.fightbacknews.org/

[socialist_n_TN]

23. Thanks J...........

I'll check it out.

[maryf]

12. General Strikes

both broad and specific... keep talking about what needs doin' and do what you can now... K&R

[socialist_n_TN]

22. Strikes are DEFINITELY the next step.........

But in the meantime it's education and agitation, along with organization. ALWAYS organization.

I'd like to see some Reds (or even some Red unions) try and organize the unemployed. It's a large group that's out there now. Maybe the IWW. They're kind of anarcho-syndicalist, but they're damn well MILITANT.

[maryf]

25. organizing those not working

is a good idea, including those who can't work will add to the unemployed numbers.

[socialist_n_TN]

27. Yep. If you ain't capitalist class

it would pay you to join with others that aren't capitalist class.

[blindpig]

18. kick

[Zorra]

19. _^_

[inna]

28. dead on and required reading, imo. KR