Pete and Frank and everyone: When posting on CVO Talk, it is best to avoid using URLs that begin mail.google.com, mail.yahoo.com, or mail.anything-at-all.com.
They are links to someone’s email account. So it is only under special circumstances that such URLs work for anyone except the user of that account. This is why a URL that works for some users of Substack in some circumstances may not work for anyone else.
Frank, if you try to use a URL beginning mail.google.com, google may ask you to sign in, which it may phrase as “sign in with Gemini”. Even if you had done this, the URL probably wouldn't have taken you to the intended reference. For example, it takes me to my gmail account.
Another January 6th
Re: Another January 6th
I posted this on Marxmail as a contribution to the thread "Nero fiddles while Rome burns"
Re: Another January 6th
Pete, I disagree with how your last post is stated. It's one thing to vote for the lesser of two evils in order to oppose the looming danger of a Trumpist dictatorship. This is only one part of what needs to be done to fight the Trumpist offensive, but it is important to support defeating the Trumpists in the election. We are all agreed on that.
It's another to lecture the left over the "progressives and self-proclaimed socialists" who are running for office on the Democratic ticket. Yes, *you* don't say that these candidates are a "vibrant" rebirth of part of the Democratic Party; you just cite something in that direction *from others*. Without refuting it. Such a presentation is not the same thing as asking one to vote for the lesser of two evils. And, as far as how others will read it, it doesn't create a realistic impression about what to expect from the Democrats.
The development of the left-wing of the Democratic Party is a reflection of a leftward trend among a major section of the masses. As is the growth of DSA. But it is still just a reformist left-wing of the Democratic Party. And how effectively they campaign still largely depends on the stand of a section of the bourgeoisie. One shouldn't be sectarian towards it and those who believe in it, but it would be the death knell of a truly effective radical left to close one's eyes to what is really happening in the country.
You cite John Reimann, saying he has drawn the correct conclusion. But where has he ever said that the issue is simply to vote Democratic? He stresses that one should vote for the Democrats against the Trumpists in this election, but he repeatedly raises that something else must also be done to oppose a possible Trumpist coup. He talks about what the left needs to do, and how the left needs to change, and the truly deep flaws of the DSA, and the tragedy of what's happening in the unions. He doesn't simply prescribe doing electoral work for the Democrats, not even during this period of hot electoral campaigning. In his own way, he deals repeatedly with the crisis of the left.
The fact is that no large section of the radical left is going to make a big shift before November. So what is the effect that, at this time, a correct stand in the election debate can have? It can help one do such things as keep among the masses; contribute to and be part of the mass anti-Trump effort; it will help prepare for what happens in a mass struggle against an attempted election coup; it can help prepare for what will need to be done after the election; and it can help develop some consciousness of the crisis of the radical left among at least a few activists.
It's another to lecture the left over the "progressives and self-proclaimed socialists" who are running for office on the Democratic ticket. Yes, *you* don't say that these candidates are a "vibrant" rebirth of part of the Democratic Party; you just cite something in that direction *from others*. Without refuting it. Such a presentation is not the same thing as asking one to vote for the lesser of two evils. And, as far as how others will read it, it doesn't create a realistic impression about what to expect from the Democrats.
The development of the left-wing of the Democratic Party is a reflection of a leftward trend among a major section of the masses. As is the growth of DSA. But it is still just a reformist left-wing of the Democratic Party. And how effectively they campaign still largely depends on the stand of a section of the bourgeoisie. One shouldn't be sectarian towards it and those who believe in it, but it would be the death knell of a truly effective radical left to close one's eyes to what is really happening in the country.
You cite John Reimann, saying he has drawn the correct conclusion. But where has he ever said that the issue is simply to vote Democratic? He stresses that one should vote for the Democrats against the Trumpists in this election, but he repeatedly raises that something else must also be done to oppose a possible Trumpist coup. He talks about what the left needs to do, and how the left needs to change, and the truly deep flaws of the DSA, and the tragedy of what's happening in the unions. He doesn't simply prescribe doing electoral work for the Democrats, not even during this period of hot electoral campaigning. In his own way, he deals repeatedly with the crisis of the left.
The fact is that no large section of the radical left is going to make a big shift before November. So what is the effect that, at this time, a correct stand in the election debate can have? It can help one do such things as keep among the masses; contribute to and be part of the mass anti-Trump effort; it will help prepare for what happens in a mass struggle against an attempted election coup; it can help prepare for what will need to be done after the election; and it can help develop some consciousness of the crisis of the radical left among at least a few activists.
Re: Another January 6th
[Below is a Facebook post on the coming U.S. election by Croation Domagoj Franic, who spends 7 days a week collecting and posting things about what is happening with the Russian aggression against Ukraine. He points out a number of things that Trump could do in November, which I don't think are wild fantasies.]
I've been thinking for a while about something that isn't good at all and concerns all of us.... I have a feeling that most people aren't even aware of what a complex and turbulent part of history we're living in. But, not to ramble on (as usual), I'll get straight to the point.....
The US midterm elections are coming up in just 66 days. What will happen if Trump doesn't accept defeat?
Polling models for summer 2026. showing an extremely unfavourable environment for the Republicans — Trump's approval ratings have fallen to 33 per cent, the party-level polling shows a Democratic advantage, and historical models project a loss of 20 to 35 seats for the Republicans in the House of Representatives, with the possibility of an outright loss of the Senate.
This means there is a real political motive for the administration to approach the November 2026 election defensively, perhaps even attempting to delegitimise the result if it is unfavourable....... a pattern that Trump already demonstrated in 2020, but now with substantially more powerful tools at his disposal – control over the Department of Justice, the FBI, the DHS, ICE as a de facto paramilitary force with tens of thousands of agents, the military, the police.....
Although there is currently no documented signal that the administration would formally refuse to certify the 2026 election results, the question remains open – a matter worth considering precisely because of the risk.
What is proven is that the tools for escalation are ready and have been tested. ‘Federalisation’ of the National Guard without the governor's consent, the threat of the Insurrection Act, a court order for racially motivated raids, and an executive framework for declaring dissenters a terrorist threat.
ICE's raid and detention infrastructure, already ‘normalised’ through the summer of 2026, could be expanded from the immigrant population to a wider circle of citizens if political opposition is formally labelled as part of ‘domestic terrorism’ – a mechanism that has no clear legal safeguards precisely because the domestic terrorism designation did not exist before 2025 and has no case law to limit its application.
The reality is that the main barriers against such an escalation are currently the federal courts, which have already partially slowed National Guard deployments and have partly ruled against the raids. But not the Supreme Court, which is under the control of Donald Trump....
What else is left? Public resistance and protests?
The combination of waning popularity, a growing institutional tool for repression, and the absence of a clear legal ceiling for new categories of “threats” creates a real risk that the autumn of 2026 could test the limits of the US constitutional order in a way that goes beyond immigration policy and targets the democratic transfer of power.
Not presidential but Congressional, and in these relations, even more important, authority.....
What I fear is an escalation of violence......whether as a reaction to ICE actions, or as unrest over election results. The main tool Trump could use to bypass constitutional limits is the Insurrection Act of 1807, which is explicitly exempt from the law that otherwise prohibits the use of the military in civilian law enforcement.
Unlike previous deployments of the National Guard in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, the Insurrection Act would give soldiers direct law enforcement powers – making arrests, searches, pursuits and detaining civilians.
The law can be invoked by Trump himself without anyone else's consent. The US President can use the military as a police force and his own private army, without any restriction. The law itself does not define what exactly ‘insurrection’ or ‘illegal association’ means.......this is left to the interpretation of the President himself, without a clear judicial text to limit it.
I fear a scenario in which Trump would not accept the election results, which would very likely lead to unrest or protests that would be characterised as “organised political violence” or directly linked to the “domestic terrorism” label, thereby automatically assigning protesters to a more serious legal category without the need for individual proof of guilt.
This would be followed by a formal presidential order to disband the “insurgents”, and if the protests do not subside within a short timeframe, the Insurrection Act would be invoked, thereby granting the active military and federalised National Guard the authority to directly arrest civilians. At this stage, ICE's already-established network of raids and detention centres could serve as an operational template for a wider application to domestic protesters.
Limitations to such a scenario do, of course, exist.... but they are very uncertain. The courts could challenge the interpretation of “insurrection”, governors of Democratic states could refuse to cooperate legally and politically, and public and international pressure would grow in proportion to the images of soldiers arresting civilians on American streets. But the key fact that personally worries me is that the legal framework for such a scenario already exists and is legally “ready to use”.
The difference between the current situation and this scenario is not a lack of tools, but, for now, a lack of a formal decision to use them to their full capacity. And frankly, I am convinced that Trump and his lackeys will exploit them.
And finally, I'm not reinventing the wheel, which is already known to the Chinese, the Russians and other world dictators for whom this is a historic “win-win” opportunity to help the Americans trigger the “collapse” of the Republicans in the mid-term elections, so that Trump would incite riots and a dictatorship, thereby achieving their historic goal of overthrowing the democratic United States of America, which would be left without partners, without NATO, without the EU, without influence in the Middle East....... or..........if Trump accepts the negative election results, the Republicans lose Congress and Trump's downfall and prosecution begins, they are certainly the winners.....
Think a little about the bubbling cauldron of interests that will very soon, in just two months' time, show us what it has all cooked up for us......
I've been thinking for a while about something that isn't good at all and concerns all of us.... I have a feeling that most people aren't even aware of what a complex and turbulent part of history we're living in. But, not to ramble on (as usual), I'll get straight to the point.....
The US midterm elections are coming up in just 66 days. What will happen if Trump doesn't accept defeat?
Polling models for summer 2026. showing an extremely unfavourable environment for the Republicans — Trump's approval ratings have fallen to 33 per cent, the party-level polling shows a Democratic advantage, and historical models project a loss of 20 to 35 seats for the Republicans in the House of Representatives, with the possibility of an outright loss of the Senate.
This means there is a real political motive for the administration to approach the November 2026 election defensively, perhaps even attempting to delegitimise the result if it is unfavourable....... a pattern that Trump already demonstrated in 2020, but now with substantially more powerful tools at his disposal – control over the Department of Justice, the FBI, the DHS, ICE as a de facto paramilitary force with tens of thousands of agents, the military, the police.....
Although there is currently no documented signal that the administration would formally refuse to certify the 2026 election results, the question remains open – a matter worth considering precisely because of the risk.
What is proven is that the tools for escalation are ready and have been tested. ‘Federalisation’ of the National Guard without the governor's consent, the threat of the Insurrection Act, a court order for racially motivated raids, and an executive framework for declaring dissenters a terrorist threat.
ICE's raid and detention infrastructure, already ‘normalised’ through the summer of 2026, could be expanded from the immigrant population to a wider circle of citizens if political opposition is formally labelled as part of ‘domestic terrorism’ – a mechanism that has no clear legal safeguards precisely because the domestic terrorism designation did not exist before 2025 and has no case law to limit its application.
The reality is that the main barriers against such an escalation are currently the federal courts, which have already partially slowed National Guard deployments and have partly ruled against the raids. But not the Supreme Court, which is under the control of Donald Trump....
What else is left? Public resistance and protests?
The combination of waning popularity, a growing institutional tool for repression, and the absence of a clear legal ceiling for new categories of “threats” creates a real risk that the autumn of 2026 could test the limits of the US constitutional order in a way that goes beyond immigration policy and targets the democratic transfer of power.
Not presidential but Congressional, and in these relations, even more important, authority.....
What I fear is an escalation of violence......whether as a reaction to ICE actions, or as unrest over election results. The main tool Trump could use to bypass constitutional limits is the Insurrection Act of 1807, which is explicitly exempt from the law that otherwise prohibits the use of the military in civilian law enforcement.
Unlike previous deployments of the National Guard in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, the Insurrection Act would give soldiers direct law enforcement powers – making arrests, searches, pursuits and detaining civilians.
The law can be invoked by Trump himself without anyone else's consent. The US President can use the military as a police force and his own private army, without any restriction. The law itself does not define what exactly ‘insurrection’ or ‘illegal association’ means.......this is left to the interpretation of the President himself, without a clear judicial text to limit it.
I fear a scenario in which Trump would not accept the election results, which would very likely lead to unrest or protests that would be characterised as “organised political violence” or directly linked to the “domestic terrorism” label, thereby automatically assigning protesters to a more serious legal category without the need for individual proof of guilt.
This would be followed by a formal presidential order to disband the “insurgents”, and if the protests do not subside within a short timeframe, the Insurrection Act would be invoked, thereby granting the active military and federalised National Guard the authority to directly arrest civilians. At this stage, ICE's already-established network of raids and detention centres could serve as an operational template for a wider application to domestic protesters.
Limitations to such a scenario do, of course, exist.... but they are very uncertain. The courts could challenge the interpretation of “insurrection”, governors of Democratic states could refuse to cooperate legally and politically, and public and international pressure would grow in proportion to the images of soldiers arresting civilians on American streets. But the key fact that personally worries me is that the legal framework for such a scenario already exists and is legally “ready to use”.
The difference between the current situation and this scenario is not a lack of tools, but, for now, a lack of a formal decision to use them to their full capacity. And frankly, I am convinced that Trump and his lackeys will exploit them.
And finally, I'm not reinventing the wheel, which is already known to the Chinese, the Russians and other world dictators for whom this is a historic “win-win” opportunity to help the Americans trigger the “collapse” of the Republicans in the mid-term elections, so that Trump would incite riots and a dictatorship, thereby achieving their historic goal of overthrowing the democratic United States of America, which would be left without partners, without NATO, without the EU, without influence in the Middle East....... or..........if Trump accepts the negative election results, the Republicans lose Congress and Trump's downfall and prosecution begins, they are certainly the winners.....
Think a little about the bubbling cauldron of interests that will very soon, in just two months' time, show us what it has all cooked up for us......
-
philwest44
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:14 pm
Re: Another January 6th
Just to add my .02 cents here, I think this guy has a pretty clear-headed view of where we are headed. He is very likely correct in his speculations.
Re: Another January 6th
I'll add one cent's worth: Franic seems to have a good grasp of the situation and is knowledgeable about the legal landscape. In general, nothing is new: the possibilities of a fascist takeover have been there for a long time -- see Jack London's The Iron Heel. But under Trump, the bourgeoisie seems to be driving toward some kind of desperate resolution of issues. I recently heard an NPR broadcast about billionaires' push for private cities. Some billionaires have bought up large tracts of land for their own private cities -- like gated communities, only with industry, data centers, housing, and their own environmental rules, all under the direct control of the city owners, with no elected government. These fellows have close ties to Trump and are demanding federal legislation to authorize the go-ahead, so they can break ground on their new cities. Trump is hesitating, however, and so some billionaires have threatened to go elsewhere -- Canada, Australia, or some place. I thought this indicates the kind of competitive pressure Trump is under from members of his own class.
The only thing I question about Franic's piece is his last thought, that a Democratic victory in the elections would be a "win" for the Russians and Chinese. Having Trump tied up by investigations and prosecutions would be a win for the Russians and Chinese? How so? Well, I guess it would weaken the American presidency, perhaps force a step back from American attempts to control the Middle East. But impeding the slide toward authoritarianism in the U.S. would, I think, only impede the interests of Putinesque and Xi-esque politics.
The only thing I question about Franic's piece is his last thought, that a Democratic victory in the elections would be a "win" for the Russians and Chinese. Having Trump tied up by investigations and prosecutions would be a win for the Russians and Chinese? How so? Well, I guess it would weaken the American presidency, perhaps force a step back from American attempts to control the Middle East. But impeding the slide toward authoritarianism in the U.S. would, I think, only impede the interests of Putinesque and Xi-esque politics.
Re: Another January 6th
Why isn't the radical left campaigning against Trump's plans to steal the election
Last week, Oakland Socialist put forward another valuable article about Trump's preparations to steal the midterm elections. It deals with some of the methods Trump is preparing. It also warns about the dissident section of the far right that no longer supports Trump, such as Tucker Carlson, blame Trump's actions on the "international Jewish conspiracy". It criticizes those "'progressive' Democrats like Ro Khanna and Bernie Sanders" who have been sharing platforms with the dissident far right when criticizing various programs of Trump.
And it also denounces the complacent stand of the DSA, which has been ignoring both the danger of Trump's plans to steal the elections and the threat that a section of the far right will pose as the real champions of the people against Trump's actions.
This article is one of a series of articles by Oakland Socialist that deal with the threat of the far right, and the complacency of much of the radical left. These articles raise issues, such as the problems with the work of the radical left in the union movement and the threat of, essentially, the red-brown alliance that are usually ignored.
I think the general drift of these articles is important, although I don't think his suggestion is realistic - that the radical left , weakened by years of the tactics that he exposes, might organize a successful campaign in the unions in the month before the elections. Probably he only sets it forward as his idea as what the left could have done, instead of silence. But it would be more realistic to put forward what activists should do to help transform the left as well as to oppose Trump's election plans.
DSA should campaign against Trump’s plans to steal [the midterm] election (excerpt)
by Oakland Socialist, September 24, 2026
Full text at https://oaklandsocialist.com/2026/09/24 ... -election/
DSA
The socialists that matter most are DSA. So far, they have studiously avoided the threat of a stolen election. One excuse making the rounds among some in DSA is that if we talk about Trump’s plans that only makes Trump stronger. That is insane. These plans are very real. Warning of them is not some distraction. It is the first step towards mobilizing to stop him. There are two real reasons why DSA is not saying anything :
A serious attempt by a U.S. president to overturn the election would be a momentous break from all of US history since the Civil War. As social democrats (at best), they cannot conceive of such a break.
is that they then would have to propose what to do to stop him. Second is that however much they might try to avoid it, that would lead back to the role of the labor movement and its leadership, but much of DSA is in the pocket of that leadership.
Serious, independent-minded working class-oriented socialists in DSA should start taking up the issue now so that we can be out ahead of the Nazi-friendly opposition to Trump. They should call on DSA to organize public meetings on this issue now. They should demand that all DSA-supported candidates for office immediately raise this danger and use their campaigns to organize against it. The main strategy should be to organize mass work stoppages to stop Trump’s planned theft. That necessarily means building a campaign within the unions and challenging the union leadership.
Again: Nobody knows exactly what will happen during and after the elections. Even Trump doesn’t know. But to ignore this serious threat is the height of foolishness. Only Trump and his Nazi-friendly opponents will benefit by socialists ignoring it. <>
Last week, Oakland Socialist put forward another valuable article about Trump's preparations to steal the midterm elections. It deals with some of the methods Trump is preparing. It also warns about the dissident section of the far right that no longer supports Trump, such as Tucker Carlson, blame Trump's actions on the "international Jewish conspiracy". It criticizes those "'progressive' Democrats like Ro Khanna and Bernie Sanders" who have been sharing platforms with the dissident far right when criticizing various programs of Trump.
And it also denounces the complacent stand of the DSA, which has been ignoring both the danger of Trump's plans to steal the elections and the threat that a section of the far right will pose as the real champions of the people against Trump's actions.
This article is one of a series of articles by Oakland Socialist that deal with the threat of the far right, and the complacency of much of the radical left. These articles raise issues, such as the problems with the work of the radical left in the union movement and the threat of, essentially, the red-brown alliance that are usually ignored.
I think the general drift of these articles is important, although I don't think his suggestion is realistic - that the radical left , weakened by years of the tactics that he exposes, might organize a successful campaign in the unions in the month before the elections. Probably he only sets it forward as his idea as what the left could have done, instead of silence. But it would be more realistic to put forward what activists should do to help transform the left as well as to oppose Trump's election plans.
DSA should campaign against Trump’s plans to steal [the midterm] election (excerpt)
by Oakland Socialist, September 24, 2026
Full text at https://oaklandsocialist.com/2026/09/24 ... -election/
DSA
The socialists that matter most are DSA. So far, they have studiously avoided the threat of a stolen election. One excuse making the rounds among some in DSA is that if we talk about Trump’s plans that only makes Trump stronger. That is insane. These plans are very real. Warning of them is not some distraction. It is the first step towards mobilizing to stop him. There are two real reasons why DSA is not saying anything :
A serious attempt by a U.S. president to overturn the election would be a momentous break from all of US history since the Civil War. As social democrats (at best), they cannot conceive of such a break.
is that they then would have to propose what to do to stop him. Second is that however much they might try to avoid it, that would lead back to the role of the labor movement and its leadership, but much of DSA is in the pocket of that leadership.
Serious, independent-minded working class-oriented socialists in DSA should start taking up the issue now so that we can be out ahead of the Nazi-friendly opposition to Trump. They should call on DSA to organize public meetings on this issue now. They should demand that all DSA-supported candidates for office immediately raise this danger and use their campaigns to organize against it. The main strategy should be to organize mass work stoppages to stop Trump’s planned theft. That necessarily means building a campaign within the unions and challenging the union leadership.
Again: Nobody knows exactly what will happen during and after the elections. Even Trump doesn’t know. But to ignore this serious threat is the height of foolishness. Only Trump and his Nazi-friendly opponents will benefit by socialists ignoring it. <>
Re: Another January 6th
More on the complacency of the radical left, and
also about some views in the Palestine rights movement
John Reimann has posted on the Marxmail list articles against the passivity of much of the radical left in the face of the Trumpist threat against the elections. Replying to criticism of his views, he posted the following on Marxmail on October 2. He defends the importance of dealing with the far right, Trumpist threat, and also defends a criticism he made of certain stands which have come up in the vitally important Palestine solidarity movement.
From John Reimann
Re: [marxmail] DSA should campaign against Trump's plans to steal the election
Fri, 02 Oct 2026 04:26:50 -0700
https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/43585
Nobody knows exactly what November 3, never mind the 4th or 5th, will look like. That includes Trump. He doesn't know either. So, all we can do is look at what is happening now. The main events include:
Some have been put off by my criticizing the Palestine rights movement. [In discussing the likely indifference of much of the radical left to whether the CNN, MSNOW, and other news agencies were banned from the White House for reports that irritated Trump, Reimann wrote "The majority of the Palestine rights activists will dismiss this issue since these news outlets are all 'Zionists'." — Joseph Green] I personally know a local leader of the Students for Justice in Palestine. I followed them closely during the 2024 election. Along with the majority of the socialist left, they focused almost all their energy on attacking "Killer Kamala" with hardly a word of warning about Trump. That was the same for most socialists. There is another aspect to this: Many of them promoted the claim that Epstein was an agent for Israel. Who else do you think promoted this idea? The Nazi-friendly crowd around Tucker Carlson! The whole claim is ridiculous. Epstein had connections with all sorts of global figures, including the British royalty. Popular support for the Nazi-friendly crowd is far more widespread than many of us would like to think. If and when Trump tries to steal the elections, he will be supported by Netanyahu, and Carlson et al will use this to claim that Israel is behind it all. For Carlson's tens of millions of followers, this will mean "the Jews". However much this might offend some, yes the pro-Palestine movement will also probably make similar claims. Already "progressive" figures like Sanders and Khanna are appearing alongside prominent Nazi-friendly figures like Steve Bannon and Ted Massie. It is entirely reasonable to think that many pro-Palestine groups will do something similar, if not in person than at least line up politically alongside them. It would not be the first time.
Finally, please note: I don't think calling for a "general strike" is realistic at this point because too much of the working class - especially the white working class - is part of the Trump cult. The latest Times Siena poll shows that that's especially true among white blue collar (equals non-college) workers. (Some years ago, a few of us in the Ukraine Socialist Solidarity Campaign spent several months arguing with Anthony Boynton and a few others who claimed that there was no major support for Trump within the working class.) But there are important pockets of resistance, especially among workers in the major urban areas. I think organizing there should be at the center of any serious working class organizing. The possibility of shutting down major cities through workplace walk offs/wildcat strikes is a starting point, I think. That would have to mean coming into direct conflict with and organizing against the entire union bureaucracy, including its "progressive" wing.
John Reimann
also about some views in the Palestine rights movement
John Reimann has posted on the Marxmail list articles against the passivity of much of the radical left in the face of the Trumpist threat against the elections. Replying to criticism of his views, he posted the following on Marxmail on October 2. He defends the importance of dealing with the far right, Trumpist threat, and also defends a criticism he made of certain stands which have come up in the vitally important Palestine solidarity movement.
From John Reimann
Re: [marxmail] DSA should campaign against Trump's plans to steal the election
Fri, 02 Oct 2026 04:26:50 -0700
https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/43585
Nobody knows exactly what November 3, never mind the 4th or 5th, will look like. That includes Trump. He doesn't know either. So, all we can do is look at what is happening now. The main events include:
- SCOTUS prohibition of the postal service's implementation of Trump's executive order regarding mail-in ballots. The court's prohibition ignored the postal service's flagrant violation of the previous injunction against the implementation. The court thereby leaves open the possibility for the Trump administration to continue to violate future court orders.
- Vast expansion of ICE coupled with DHS head Markwayne Mullin's admission that ICE agents will be deployed to polling places.
- Presence of some 200 election deniers on various local and state election boards. This includes the Georgia state board, where election deniers now constitute the majority.
- Trump's flagrant violation of the court order prohibiting him from banning certain media (CNN, MSNow, Axios) from the White House. This violation continued for nearly twelve hours. This delay is critical in the case of court orders on Nov. 3. If a court makes an order on election day, all the feds have to do is wait 12 hours (meaning after voting has ended) to obey.
- The possibility that House Speaker Johnson could install a new and partisan House clerk who would subvert the outcome of the election on the House. (See the second half of this NYT article for the details.)
- It's possible that there could be some hiccups but that the election more or less runs as in the past, but we would be extremely foolish to count on that. Even if Trump loses control over one or both houses, the chaos and confusion he creates will benefit him and MAGA for years to come.
Some have been put off by my criticizing the Palestine rights movement. [In discussing the likely indifference of much of the radical left to whether the CNN, MSNOW, and other news agencies were banned from the White House for reports that irritated Trump, Reimann wrote "The majority of the Palestine rights activists will dismiss this issue since these news outlets are all 'Zionists'." — Joseph Green] I personally know a local leader of the Students for Justice in Palestine. I followed them closely during the 2024 election. Along with the majority of the socialist left, they focused almost all their energy on attacking "Killer Kamala" with hardly a word of warning about Trump. That was the same for most socialists. There is another aspect to this: Many of them promoted the claim that Epstein was an agent for Israel. Who else do you think promoted this idea? The Nazi-friendly crowd around Tucker Carlson! The whole claim is ridiculous. Epstein had connections with all sorts of global figures, including the British royalty. Popular support for the Nazi-friendly crowd is far more widespread than many of us would like to think. If and when Trump tries to steal the elections, he will be supported by Netanyahu, and Carlson et al will use this to claim that Israel is behind it all. For Carlson's tens of millions of followers, this will mean "the Jews". However much this might offend some, yes the pro-Palestine movement will also probably make similar claims. Already "progressive" figures like Sanders and Khanna are appearing alongside prominent Nazi-friendly figures like Steve Bannon and Ted Massie. It is entirely reasonable to think that many pro-Palestine groups will do something similar, if not in person than at least line up politically alongside them. It would not be the first time.
Finally, please note: I don't think calling for a "general strike" is realistic at this point because too much of the working class - especially the white working class - is part of the Trump cult. The latest Times Siena poll shows that that's especially true among white blue collar (equals non-college) workers. (Some years ago, a few of us in the Ukraine Socialist Solidarity Campaign spent several months arguing with Anthony Boynton and a few others who claimed that there was no major support for Trump within the working class.) But there are important pockets of resistance, especially among workers in the major urban areas. I think organizing there should be at the center of any serious working class organizing. The possibility of shutting down major cities through workplace walk offs/wildcat strikes is a starting point, I think. That would have to mean coming into direct conflict with and organizing against the entire union bureaucracy, including its "progressive" wing.
John Reimann
Re: Another January 6th
Trump is once again outmaneuvering the opposition by raiding Rep. Ilhan Omar's home and launching an antitrust lawsuit against the major news networks. He is stepping up his repressive actions and threatening more against critics, thus building towards declaration of a national emergency. He isn't waiting for January 6th and pulling some parliamentary trickery with a new clerk of the House. His subversion of the elections may be accomplished by not attacking the elections directly, but indirectly, by silencing news media critics and congressional opponents.
Re: Another January 6th
There is news today of opposition to Trumpism: Trump went to a campaign rally in Syracuse, NY, but his motorcade got blocked by large street demonstrations against him. And in Michigan, judging from Facebook videos, Abdul el-Sayed appears to be surging in popularity in traditionally Republican areas like Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Marquette, etc. His appearances there draw large, enthusiastic, loud crowds. He also gets endorsement visits by big-name Democrats, which is good to see, since el-Sayed has been running directly against Trump, and his campaign is centered on tying his opponent, Mike Rogers, to Trump. El-Sayed had a long interview on Meet the Press yesterday. The host challenged him to name something Trump could be impeached on, and el-Sayed replied, "There's lots of things." Then he started talking about the massive corruption, illegal war, disobeying court orders, etc. Trump and Elon Musk have reportedly dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican campaign the last few weeks, but the ads have not so far changed the poll numbers, which remain favorable to Democrats.