By Claudia O’Riordan, Socialist Alternative Leicester
The US presidential race has been completely shaken up by recent events. Since the attempt on Donald Trump’s life at a rally on 13 July, we have seen Joe Biden drop out of the race, Kamala Harris chosen as the new Democratic Party candidate and the announcement of the Vice-Presidential candidates. Looking at polls, it appears the Democrats are in the ascendancy. But can they be relied on to defend the rights of ordinary working people?
Initial reaction to the attempted assassination on Trump was cynical. Many were saying that this would lead to an outpouring of sympathy and would seal the election for the Republicans. What we have seen instead seems to be the opposite. Details about the would-be assassin have been sparse, but it was learned that he was a registered Republican, making it more complicated to take advantage of for political gain. In the time since, the assassination attempt has become more of a footnote in this election to many, rather than the event that completely upended the election as many outlets predicted.
Additionally we have now seen both candidates announce their picks for Vice President (VP). J.D. Vance has been picked as the Republican VP candidate, who is a real threat to women’s rights. Vance is vehemently anti-abortion, but is more generally obsessed with people having children, going as far to suggest those with children should be afforded rights not given to the childless. Vance also holds other right-populist views, such as being opposed to same-sex marriage and gun control laws.
It is clear that we must stand up and oppose Trump and the Republican party. Trump represents a real threat – he is a racist, he is LGBTQ+phobic, he is a misogynist, and he and his party will continue a sustained attack on working people and oppressed groups.
The main legacy of the assassination attempt may actually end up being that it was the event that urged Biden to drop out of the race just one week later. Biden had been struggling – it was clear his memory was in decline and he had a terrible performance in a televised debate against Trump. This, combined with several big donors urging Biden to drop out and not parting with their cash (such as the $90m withheld by the super PAC ‘Future Forward’), spelled the end for any hopes of a second term.
Despite the fact that Biden appeared to not be physically or mentally capable of holding the office to just about anyone with eyes and ears, up until the moment of him dropping out, many establishment Democrats, even supposed ‘socialists’ like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, were lining up to support him.
Once announcing his stepping aside, Biden immediately endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris, to run in his stead. Harris quickly sought the support of the super-wealthy and big business, attending fundraisers and behind closed doors events. Harris secured the Democratic nomination, running unopposed.
Harris was able to secure the nomination without any input from ordinary people and without having to put forward a single policy position to the general public. No word on how to end the genocidal war in Gaza, no word on universal healthcare coverage, no word on the cost of living crisis, but she was able to win over the super-rich and convince them to open their chequebook – and that is what counts.
When confronted with pro-Palestinian protesters at a recent rally in Michigan, Harris’ response was “If you want Donald Trump to win, say that, otherwise I’m speaking.” This kind of callous response to the horrific scenes we are seeing out of Gaza exemplifies the approach of the Democratic Party. Harris wishes to present herself as a progressive (hence the appointment of Tim Walz as her Vice-President nominee) – a step to the left from Biden, but her record is anything but.
Harris was the self-described “top cop” when acting as Attorney General of California, where she had many controversies. Not least defending the convictions of innocent people, and even allegedly withholding evidence of massive impropriety within the state’s drug testing lab that affected over 1,000 cases. As Vice President, Harris has been largely ineffective. She was tasked with overhauling the US immigration policy which, in reality, is practically unchanged since Trump’s term as president.
Tim Walz, Harris’ VP pick, has been heralded for his supposed progressive bonafides by groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), due to some initiatives in his home state like free school meals, and because his wishy-washy position on the genocidal war in Gaza is better than that of the other prospective VP nominations. Take a closer look at his record however, and his appointment starts to make a little more sense. Walz, as Governor of Minnesota, vetoed a new set of protections and pay rises for drivers on rideshare apps (such as Uber) last year. He also sent in the National Guard to crush the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Harris and Walz represent what the Democrats always represent – more of the same. They are not going to end the genocidal war in Gaza, they are not going to tackle the cost of living crisis, they are not going to tackle the healthcare system, or the student debt crisis or any of the problems facing ordinary US workers. The Democrats are wedded to big business and capitalism as a whole. We are told that Harris is the only choice that can defeat the right, but when the Democrats deliver nothing over the next four years, this plays into the hands of the Trumpist right who seek to portray themselves as an anti-establishment alternative to the status quo of the Democrats.
The current line of the Democrats in this election isn’t pointing to the positive change they could make in the everyday lives of US workers – it is calling Republicans “weird”. While that may be true, it isn’t the kind of rhetoric that will energise people to build a movement and change society. If we want change, real change, we can’t rely on establishment politicians. Our comrades in Socialist Alternative in the US, affiliated with International Socialist Alternative, have made sure to voice opposition to the Democrats and the establishment figures in the labour movement who support them. We are calling for a new, anti-war, pro-worker party of the left within the unions, as well as protesting at the Democratic National Convention against the “business as usual” approach of the Democrats, and making the case for a protest vote for either the Greens’ Jill Stein or Cornel West.
We don’t need a different Democrat, we need a new party – one that will fight on a class basis against the capitalists and can cut across the division sown by the right wing and ultimately one that will oppose the system with a socialist programme.
