by Douglas Johnson

US oligarchs have been waging an economic war on the American people for the past 60 years. After the success of the various labor movements that spanned over a hundred years, American workers enjoyed robust labor unions that ensured higher working standards, a 40-hour work-week and a livable wage. The middle and working classes flourished as a result. When the Great Depression of the 1930s struck and people became jobless, Roosevelt created a national public works program called The New Deal, which put the country back on its feet. Until the 1980s, Americans enjoyed healthy lives and were generally optimistic about their futures.

Wanting a greater share of the pie, US oligarchs began waging war on the people. They passed “Citizens United” to rig the electoral system, and legalized forms of bribery to empower lobbying groups. They also dismantled important safeguards of the American people. They passed NAFTA, which sent jobs abroad and deindustrialized the country, cut welfare and social security, increased military spending for disastrous foreign wars, and allowed the wholesale surveillance of the US public. They enacted the Omnibus Crime bill which militarized the police and quadrupled the US prison population. They repealed the Glass Steagall Act that separated commercial and investment banking, and deregulated both the banking industry and the FCC, which enabled the financial crash in 2008.

In addition, both political parties blocked universal healthcare for all and supported for-profit insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. They undermined free education and rejected student debt forgiveness. They waged endless wars around the world, which gutted the working and middle classes and transferred the country’s wealth into the oligarchs’ pockets. These actions were taken against the will of the people.

Sheldon Wolin called this system “Inverted Totalitarianism,” which — instead of a dictatorship — means “rule by diverse powers [such as] corporate capital, the very rich, business associations, [and] large media organizations.” Essentially, it’s a conglomerate of oligarchs sharing the same vision of tyranny. Instead of enforcing unanimity, inverted totalitarianism conquered by dividing the people. Instead of abolishing opposition, it kept the pretense of democracy alive by allowing for token concessions. The “Iconography” of democracy remained but the institutions were hollowed out from inside.

Then Trump came. He promised to drain this swamp. Instead, he did the opposite. Trump ripped away the very pretense of democracy itself and is working to crush pluralism. He is turning “inverted” into “overt” totalitarianism. Trump didn’t plan this – he’s too stupid. He just can’t help himself.

Unlike his predecessors, who projected the façade of democracy by managing the narrative, Trump can’t hide the systemic rot. Through the decaying carcass of his presidency, we see corporate filth and corruption eating the remains of democratic institutions – Congress, the judicial and penal system, the media, the electoral system and the presidency itself. The Zionist lobby now owns Trump and Congress, and the US government is nothing more than a hand puppet for the oligarchs. The US dutifully inflicts financial chaos around the globe, militarily threatens multiple countries simultaneously, commits genocide in Gaza, and then crashes and burns itself on the shores of Iran. Today, the American people are not even an afterthought. The US government has abandoned them, and they must fend for themselves.

Meanwhile, as money flows into the oligarchs’ pockets, the US economy tanks. Decent jobs have disappeared at an alarming rate. Prices continue to rise while wages remain stagnant, and people grow increasingly desperate. The public remains atomized and isolated by the news, social media, and advertising, which profit from their suffering. Young people have little-to-no-hope because the government has sabotaged or gutted their future prospects. Sadly, there is no New Deal on the horizon.

It’s very clear what the American people want. In addition to ending wars abroad and the police state at home, they want universal healthcare, a livable minimum wage, more responsible fiscal policy, free education, and a job commensurate with their talent and interests.  Equally important, they want sustainable community development that brings people together for the sake of the common good. They yearn for group belonging, one that gives security, spiritual connection and a real sense of purpose.  Ultimately, they want a say in matters pertaining to the quality of their lives.  They want democracy.

What can we do to make this happen? As totalitarianism looms, it’s delusional to think our vote for president will ameliorate the ravages to our democracy, at least in the short term. Voting within this corrupt system clearly hasn’t worked because the oligarchs buy and own the candidates. US presidents (Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, Trump) represent the antithesis of what people care about. Reinstating democracy requires a grass-roots movement.

The first step is simple, yet it’s radical and revolutionary: Get to know your neighbors and help the less-fortunate among them.

If this were done on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, it would undermine the very fabric of predatory capitalism. Imagine: dozens of neighborhood “co-ops” spread throughout a city. People who are hungry can eat. Those who are isolated and lonely find companionship through social activities. Those who are vulnerable and weak derive strength in numbers. Members become immune to propaganda, and less complacent toward the status quo. United, we become stronger exponentially; we can promote training programs, organize labor unions, and even field our own candidate to represent us. Co-ops can shield us from financial predators and foster the common good.

Other steps include boycotts and civil disobedience, which I won’t delve into now. The point is that only a grassroots movement will work, and sadly, as the world economy falters and the US dollar verges on collapse, it’s unlikely the government will do anything to save us. Grassroots organizing may be our best option for survival.

Further reading cited in article—Sheldon S. Wolin, Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism (Princeton University Press 2008).

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ABOUT DOUGLAS JOHNSON

I’ve taught English in Palestine, Iraq, and Oman. I currently reside in Indonesia, but my heart will always be in Louisville, Kentucky.