Electoral Politics

A few thoughts for election day

The Lost Child. Cast of cops includes: Eugene W. Chafin of the Prohibition Party, William H. Taft of the Republican Party, Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party of America, Thomas E. Watson of the Populist Party, Thomas L. Hisgen of the United States Independent Party, and William Jennings Bryan of the Democratic Party. Sash on the boy reads: Reactionary Voter. Caption Reads: Chorus of Kindly Cops - Don’t you know where you belong, little boy? The Waif - No -o-o! I’m a-all turned round. Boo-hoo!

If I were seeking office, you know, I would not be in the Socialist Party. - Eugene V. Debs

Today is election day. In honor of that event, here are a few thoughts and Marxist quotes on electoral politics. At some point, I’ll write a more in depth article on this subject, but election day snuck up on me.

Instead of deciding once in three or six years which member of the ruling class was to misrepresent the people in Parliament, universal suffrage was to serve the people, constituted in Communes, as individual suffrage serves every other employer in the search for the workmen and managers in his business. - Karl Marx, The Civil War in France

Karl Marx understood that bourgeois democracy is not true democracy. Under this system, it is the bourgeosie who ultimately benefit. And this is the system that exists in the United States today. There is no true democracy - if we had a real democracy, Bernie would be serving his second term (and likely disappointing the left, though we would likely have full student loan forgiveness and healthcare).

The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie. - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto

It is important to understand this. The nature of the capitalist state is oligarchical, not democratic. This is especially true in the United States with unlimited political spending allowed, but it is true of all bourgeois democracies to a lesser extent. Only in a worker’s state can there be true democracy.

The state is a special organization of force: it is an organization of violence for the suppression of some class. - Vladimir Lenin, The State and Revolution

Both parties serve the interests of the bourgeoisie and use state power to oppress the working class at home and abroad. Biden is increasing funding to the police state and military in an unprecedented manner.

There is no longer even the pretense of difference between the so-called Republican and Democratic parties. They are substantially one in what they stand for. - Eugene V. Debs, But Two Parties And But One Issue

Eugene V. Debs understood the nature of the uniparty in 1912. Nothing has really changed except it has constantly shifted the overton window to the right. The Socialist Party stood opposed to both capitalist parties which were united in their oppression of the working class. Today there is no party that can compare to the Debs’ Socialist Party.

There is no hope under the present decaying system. The worker who votes the Republican or Democratic ticket does worse than throw away his vote. He is a deserter of his class and his own worst enemy, though he may be in blissful ignorance of the fact that he is false to himself and his fellow workers, and that sooner or later he must reap what he has sown. - Eugene V. Debs, But Two Parties And But One Issue

Class independence remains the issue of the day. To vote for either flavor of evil (there is no lesser evil) is to reinforce the corrupt system. Revolutionary socialism is the only answer to the capitalist system and it cannot be obtained within a broken electoral system. Small gains can and should be obtained for the working class through ballot initiatives and independent/third party candidates, but the means of production cannot be seized without a mass working class movement. Every chance of this type movement in the modern era in the United States has been crushed or coopted. To continue to support the two wings of the uniparty that have done this is a betrayal to your class.

Electoral politics remains a dead end without a strong socialist party. My Colorado ballot had no left wing candidates on it - the only third parties were center-right at best. No matter who wins, the poverty created by the capitalism will persist. Neoliberal democrats can’t save us from fascism. Only a strong socialist movement aimed at overthrowing the capitalist system will do that. Instead of being concerned about votes and congress and such, we should be concerned with organizing the working class behind a strong socialist banner. This is what Eugene V. Debs did. This is what we should do.