For those of you were were not history majors or somehow got here and know nothing about socialism (if you got here knowing Matt, this seems highly unlikely) here's some info on May
Day (International
Workers’ Day).
Since today is May Day, let’s do a socialist themed morning
update.
So President Obama, who we all know ordered the raid that
killed Osama bin Laden, has been out waving the bloody
flag to show that he has some balls. But turns out the Navy SEALS are not
happy about this. Ryan Zinke, a former SEAL Team 6 assault unit leader had
this to say “The decision was a no brainer, I applaud him for making it but I
would not overly pat myself on the back for making the right call. I think
every president would have done the same thing.” Now we can all debate whether
or not Presidents should claim ownership of military decisions (I’d agree with
Matt here that they can), but I also think that when the real heroes want their
name out, well then we drop the issue. Who knows if Romney would have given the
order, but I know that neither he nor Obama would have had the balls to do what
our SEALS do on every mission, let’s respect their wishes. [Daily Beast, “Obama’s
Osama Bin Laden Ad Is a Well-Played Attack” 5/1/12; Daily Mail, “SEALS slam
Obama for using them as ‘ammunition’ in bid to take credit for bin Laden
killing during election campaign” 4/30/12]
In other socialist news, France is most likely about see a
new socialist Prime
Minister. [Reuters, “Sarkozy on defensive in bitter final election battle”
4/29/12]
Then back home, Occupy Wall Street is back, promising global
disruption. [Bloomberg, “Occupy Wall Street Plans Global Protests in
Resurgence” 4/30/12] But does anyone care?
[CNBC.com “Occupy Wall Street: Back, But Does Anyone Care?” 4/30/12]
Finally, Obama’s new campaign slogan “Forward”
has some serious issues and probably highlights why a history degree (like
those earned by Matt and myself), are more valuable than anyone gives them
credit. A student of European and Russian History (focusing on the development
of Western economics) I could recognize the “Forward” and its use as a Marxist
word. So, either one of three scenarios occurred here: 1- Obama is actually
a socialist, forgot that people thought he was, went along with this and didn’t
think any history majors/people with access to Wikipedia were out there. 2-
Obama is/is not a socialist and is messing with us all. 3- Obama just fired an
entire PR team, for not a-employing a history major and b-not using Wikipedia/Google
(or c- the PR team was really made of cyborgs created by Carl Rove and Dick
Cheney to bring down the Obama campaign.) All of these would make for an
excellent movie (comedy or action depending on the scenario, but all likely
starring a version of Harrison Ford playing a good cop/FBI/CIA agent).
I agree we should respect the SEAL team's wishes, but where were all these soldiers when Bush stepped out of a fighter jet on an freaking aircraft carrier to declare victory in a war that wasn't over? Or when the Bush/Cheney campaign repeatedly insinuated in 2004 that voting for John Kerry would leave the country vulnerable to another terrorist attack?
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings on the ad - substantively, the mission was not "no brainer," as the president was told it had a 50/50 chance of success. He pulled the trigger, but instead of a heroic mission we can all celebrate, it could have resulted in another Iran hostage crisis. So I think Obama is absolutely right to take credit for it. On the other hand, I'm disappointed that he's chosen to hammer Mitt Romney with it, because I think Obama could have taken credit without going down that road.
Still, when people criticize Obama for stuff like this, it's like they forget the modern, chest-beating Republican Party ever existed. The GOP has been employing these very same tactics for decades.
RE: Socialism and the state Occupy movement as of May Day, it strikes me (no pun intended) as extremely ironic that the "anti-institutional" core beliefs of a movement, which invokes "V for Vendetta" and Guy Fawkes-inspired images of anarchy at every turn, would suddenly throw its weight behind a socialist message - the most naturally institutional cause of all, as artificially-induced redistribution of capital. Indeed, besides the effects of winter and getting kicked out of protest spaces by law enforcement, OWS failed to capitalize on any meaningful policy gains despite international media attention because it lacked centralized leadership or central figures around which the movement could coordinate and focus its effect.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of no centralized leadership and the destruction of institutions is so fundamental to anarchy that it stands in complete conflict with any idea of an institutionalized social compact between the state and its people, and history shows that the possibility of an alliance between anarchism and socialism is logically impossible. Yet as Stephen has already alluded to above, political socialism is once again on the march around the world and in the United States, even if many social welfare or "re-distribution" policies are precisely what have bankrupted Europe and sent America spiraling into debt. It's also what is most politically feasible given the harshness of existing economic conditions and future austerity measures: In a world with zero or negative growth and stagnating employment, capitalism quickly loses its luster.
Thus, the move today by OWS towards the socialist cause, besides the obvious fact that it's May 1st, is clear: The only way for Occupy to recover from the fallout of Zucotti park is to distance from its anarchistic motivations and embrace the idea of institutionalized re-distribution to effect socialist outcomes (tax, welfare, unions, import tariffs, export subsidies, etc.) Even political science has argued that anarchy itself can never exceed its role as a fringe political player, since the alternative to bad rule (i.e. Pakistan) is generally far worse than no rule (i.e. Somalia, parts of Afghanistan, parts of Iraq during the Iraqi civil war, much of the former Soviet Union from 1991 to the present). If OWS can co-opt - or be co-opted by - the socialist agenda, then we are likely to see an entirely new "American Spring."
Except for the fact, of course, that summer begins in about a month.