We are a bit distant from the action, but we certainly don’t want to lose anything about it. So, the journalists of the Québec Mental Health national magazine, Mentalité, were getting ready for work on November 3rd. One question was on the tip of the tongue: what do you think or the setback of Obama?
The answer was plain and simple: U.S. President Obama was not defeated. He still represents hope and betterment in USA. But now, workers are getting 
more aware of the whole situation. Already, one month before the Election Day, “some 200 000 people came to Washington DC for a March for Jobs. [Even] the Transport Workers Union (Local 100, representing bus and subway workers in New York City, sent one of the largest delegations), UAW (United Auto Workers, Ed.), the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and many anti-war and social justice organizations [were there]”. This piece was published in the Bulletin of the U.S. Friends of the Soviet People in fall 2010. They recalled that “in the 1930s, during the last Great Depression, there were huge sit-down strikes, local general strikes and mass demonstrations.”
(Photo People's World: the Spirit of Detroit, a monument to U.S. Workers and Hope).
more aware of the whole situation. Already, one month before the Election Day, “some 200 000 people came to Washington DC for a March for Jobs. [Even] the Transport Workers Union (Local 100, representing bus and subway workers in New York City, sent one of the largest delegations), UAW (United Auto Workers, Ed.), the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and many anti-war and social justice organizations [were there]”. This piece was published in the Bulletin of the U.S. Friends of the Soviet People in fall 2010. They recalled that “in the 1930s, during the last Great Depression, there were huge sit-down strikes, local general strikes and mass demonstrations.”(Photo People's World: the Spirit of Detroit, a monument to U.S. Workers and Hope).
CommonDreams.org website wrote this same week that in USA “inequality had increased so much since the 1980s, Citi strategists noted in 2005, that the richest 1 percent of households and the bottom 60 percent had ‘similar slices of the income pie’. Even better, they said, ‘the top 1 percent of households account for 40 percent of financial net worth, more than the bottom 95 percent of households put together. ‘And the Bush ‘administration’s attempts to change the estate tax code and make permanent dividend tax cuts, plays directly into the hands of the plutonomy.” This site adds that “average wages are 7 percent lower today, adjusted for inflation, than they were back in 1973 [...] Wall Street plundered your livelihoods, homes and retirement funds – and now they want you to bail them out, again, with your vote.”
Several U.S. analysts anticipated this vote, and the dissatisfaction of the people towards Obama. According to the U.S. website Change.org Weekly: “This is in part due to how the economic crisis that started well before Obama’s inauguration has overshadowed the accomplishments his administration and Congress have had despite long odds: historic health care reform, a stimulus that prevented a second great depression wile making long-term investments in clean energy and public transportation, and an overhaul of our financial regulations system to prevent future economic crises.”
The 11
million members strong AFL-CIO goes one better through its President, Richard Trumka and says: “Voters in this election were angry, and for good reason. They’ve felt the pain of economic collapse. And they’ve paid for it with jobs, their homes and often their hope. Many working people knew in their gut that Washington insiders did too much to help Wall Street and the banks, and not enough to help average people. [They] reject privatizing Social Security and raising the Social Security retirement age...” They already resent the fate of their European comrades.
(Photo People's World: Trade-Union support for a new Health Care in USA during the President Obama campaign).
million members strong AFL-CIO goes one better through its President, Richard Trumka and says: “Voters in this election were angry, and for good reason. They’ve felt the pain of economic collapse. And they’ve paid for it with jobs, their homes and often their hope. Many working people knew in their gut that Washington insiders did too much to help Wall Street and the banks, and not enough to help average people. [They] reject privatizing Social Security and raising the Social Security retirement age...” They already resent the fate of their European comrades.(Photo People's World: Trade-Union support for a new Health Care in USA during the President Obama campaign).
Big Capital and multinationals reluctant to put their eggs in the same basket supported an even more conservative new comer: the Tea Party movement, with goals of personal, fiscal responsibility and smaller government. In a nutshell, it means: less taxes for the rich and big businesses and less control of the government over the operations of these corporations and huge capitalist enterprises. New York City Metro wrote: “According to a recent CBS poll, 22 percent of Americans view the Tea Party favourably, up from nil when the movement started in January 2009. Five in 10 Tea Party supporters are Republicans, while two in 10 are Democrats. ‘They don’t like how government grew under George W. Bush with the bailout of the banks and auto industry...” Like Sarah Palin, “the movement’s unofficial head, they’re often Republicans”.
But they don’t blame the federal government for military spending like in France where the people strongly condemns that, “while in deep social and political crisis, members of Parliament and the Senate will vote on a 31 Billion Euros Budget for Defence, with 16 Billions on new arms programs”.
In fact, European Big Capital -as an whole- wants to make a quick buck and press on “friendly” governments to use public money (from Health, Education and Public Services...) for their own purposes and let the public opinion thinks that this is a debate based on the personal confrontation between French President, Nicolas Sarkozy and the people, while hiding in the shadow the role played by the European Union, with the “carelessness” of too many opportunist trade union leaders, including the leadership of the French Communist Party.
It seems obvious that in USA, the current leaders of the official Communist Party USA (CPUSA) are not on the offensive mood either. Their electronic bulletin, People’s World, affirms about the Election: “Had the unemployment rate been 7 percent and falling, and had the economy showed more tangible signs of revival, the outcome would have been very different.”
But, why don’t they move on to reach this goal, why don’t they mobilize the workers around these issues? Abroad, we 
did not hear anything regular, determinate and vindictive about it!
They say: “But the ugly economic reality on the ground has left millions in dire straights, confused and angry, and looking in all the wrong places for someone to blame.”
did not hear anything regular, determinate and vindictive about it!They say: “But the ugly economic reality on the ground has left millions in dire straights, confused and angry, and looking in all the wrong places for someone to blame.”
How can’t they be if "confused and angry"? Nobody proposes them any concrete step to fight the big corporations. Of course, they will blame the President. It seems that he is the new Messiah for all of those who claim to be on the Left.
(Photo People's World: U.S. Hotel employees demonstrating in Chicago for better working conditions and wages).
(Photo People's World: U.S. Hotel employees demonstrating in Chicago for better working conditions and wages).
Their general-secretary continues: “Nevertheless, whatever the administration’s failings (and ours as well) –oh la la, what a confession! The “CPUSA” is part of the problem (!); why not being part of the solution and present a real alternative: its program for socialism in USA? It will be new for many people. It is high time for workers to learn there is a way out. Then, it will be true to hammer down: “On this ground will emerge a people’s coalition that is bigger and stronger than the one that elected Obama in 2008”. It will be led with the full participation of the Communists.
As the French communist and l’Humanité journalist, José Fort, wrote on November 3rd, “we hoped that Obama would help the poorest, being open to the world and helping the emancipation of peoples”. Consequence: many people did not go to vote: “Black, Young, Urban and Middle-Class”. One Chicago student spoke on radio and said: “our conditions did not change, they are worse”. On the other hand: “100 million Americans live with an inferior income by comparison to their parents when they had the same age. 8, 4 jobs were lost since 2007. One American out of five is jobless or underemployed; 30% of high schools students leave school without a diploma.”
Further Obama did not succeed in any of his world challenges: “No result in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, quagmire in Afghanistan and still more killings in Iraq...”
“They are two options for Obama: to remain on the side of lobbies, multinationals, the republican one; or to put in application his electoral promises.”
“They are two options for Obama: to remain on the side of lobbies, multinationals, the republican one; or to put in application his electoral promises.”
The New York City Metro reports: “U.S. voters swept Democrats from power in the House of Representatives and increased the GOP’s ranks in the Senate yesterday. Anxiety about the economy and discontent with President Obama’s leadership fuelled big GOP gains that toppled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fro
m power and are likely to slam the brakes on Obama’s agenda.”
The second part of this Shakespearean tragedy could be played behind close doors. The people, the AFL-CIO, the official CPUSA must put pressure on Obama. On the other hand, as reported by the Toronto Metro, “Top Republicans signalled Wednesday they are looking for common ground with Democrats.” The President intends to “work together now that Republicans are back in a position of power in Congress”; there could be agreement on the financial situation of the government and climatic changes, says the Montréal Métro.
(Photo SolidNet: demonstration in Greece, organized by the labour movement, PAME -militant trade unions-, in 2010; the way out for the U.S. working class).
m power and are likely to slam the brakes on Obama’s agenda.”The second part of this Shakespearean tragedy could be played behind close doors. The people, the AFL-CIO, the official CPUSA must put pressure on Obama. On the other hand, as reported by the Toronto Metro, “Top Republicans signalled Wednesday they are looking for common ground with Democrats.” The President intends to “work together now that Republicans are back in a position of power in Congress”; there could be agreement on the financial situation of the government and climatic changes, says the Montréal Métro.
(Photo SolidNet: demonstration in Greece, organized by the labour movement, PAME -militant trade unions-, in 2010; the way out for the U.S. working class).
The struggle goes on. We can predict that there is room for a real Left alternative in USA. The Toronto Metro stresses that: “voters under 30 far prefer Democrats, as do Hispanics and Asian-Americans...”
The Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain came up with some orientations recently and it might apply to the CPUSA:
· Articulate and/or consolidate the united wider structures of social, political and trade union organizations to defend workers' rights and organizing in specific fields for those who are the most class awared.
· Continue to maintain and develop the direct communication of the Party with the working class and especially the workers in struggle.
· Support and express our solidarity with struggles of the Greek, French and Portuguese working class.
The Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain came up with some orientations recently and it might apply to the CPUSA:
· Articulate and/or consolidate the united wider structures of social, political and trade union organizations to defend workers' rights and organizing in specific fields for those who are the most class awared.
· Continue to maintain and develop the direct communication of the Party with the working class and especially the workers in struggle.
· Support and express our solidarity with struggles of the Greek, French and Portuguese working class.
La Vie Réelle in English: http://wwwlavienglish.blogspot.com
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