Hate Me

From a speech by FDR in 1936 for the second New Deal:

"Give me your help not to win votes alone, but to win in this crusade to restore America to its own people."

These words could be those of Ocasio-Cortez or any populist who believes capitalist democracy can be reformed in service of the majority. And of course, FDR showed that it could be...temporarily. He famously "welcomed the hate" of Big Business and its ideological allies and pushed through programs which made life better for workers and which we still enjoy. But Capital has played the long game.

Lately, a version of those words was spoken by arch-conservative Tucker Carlson. He sees Capital gouging a little too deeply, stirring up anger and resentment at both ends of the ideological spectrum. Like FDR, he hopes to maintain labor peace, make a few concessions and let some steam off. Another temporary fix remarkably close, ideologically, to Jon Stewart or liberals of that ilk. Of course, Tucker doesn't hear the climate clock tick. Liberals plug their own ears and pull the wool over their own eyes.

On a more radical front, a group calling itself Symbiosis is planning a conference to help unite libertarian ecosocialists on a program focused on local initiatives. Then there are the debates within The Great Transformation folks around de-growth and the role of markets. Over at SCNCC there is a fierce debate around the anarchist/ munincipalist critique of The State and how to "scale up".

Voting, building local co-ops, engaging in protest, in strikes, proposing legislation, supporting "blockadia"; basically Alinsky-style community organizing in general is the question of the day. It is universally accepted (even by Tucker Carlson)that this is how change happens,a basic orthodoxy ; at the level of tactics it is Nation Magazine versus Jacobin Magazine versus Anarchismo; but is it strategically correct? Or is it enough?

I claim community organizing is probably necessary but certainly not sufficient. That before a new script can be written the old one must be demolished in some fashion. You can talk and reason with people and get them to come to a meeting perhaps, but they will be carrying tons of baggage in the door. Bags and bags of ideological rubble which they are willing to carry as long as the illusion of order is maintained. The illusion of systemic coherence and function.

FDR could welcome the hate of capitalists because he effectively employed Americanism to serve his cause. The system was not functioning and had lost its coherence. Most of the bourgeoisie realized it was a long game and he was just saving capitalism from itself. And they had all the time in the world. Which we don't.