EDITORIAL
A sucking undertow
Al Gore and George W. Bush have won the crucial "super
Tuesday" primaries in the Democratic and Republican parties,
respectively, and are now positioned to be the two main big
business candidates in the 2000 presidential elections.
Gore in particular won with strong support from organized
labor, which mobilized many foot soldiers to turn out the
voters on primary day.
As has happened in the United States ever since the days of
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the bulk of the progressive and
working-class movement is being sucked into the Democratic
Party undertow.
Especially in today's world, since the Soviet Union and its
allies were pulled down, the U.S. president represents an
economic and military power that revels in its global
supremacy. So how does this election look from the vantage
point of the rest of the world? Do the hundreds of millions of
super-oppressed workers have anything to cheer about, anything
to pin their hopes on?
In the choice between Gore and Bush, what must the Iraqi
people be thinking? Bush's father carried out a massive
high-tech onslaught against their country with his "Desert
Storm" war. But the Clinton-Gore administration has killed many
more Iraqis through sanctions--while continuing to bomb in the
"no-fly zone" whenever they feel like it.
Can the people of Mozambique feel hopeful that the victory
of one or other of these candidates will make any difference in
their epic struggle for survival? The poorest of the poor, on a
continent whose stolen riches have fattened every Western
imperialist power, they have gone through a murderous
post-colonial civil war and now a devastating flood.
The U.S. government pats itself on the back because now that
the waters have receded, it is committing $100 million to
Mozambique for flood relief.
Number one, some CEO perks and alimony settlements are
bigger than that.
Number two, the U.S. did virtually nothing to help while the
floodwaters were inundating the country.
Number three, U.S. imperialism is responsible for the lion's
share of the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing the
climate of this planet.
And number four, we can be sure that the U.S. will try to
charge a political quid pro quo for its meager assistance,
since Wall Street is hungrily eyeing Africa more than ever
these days.
None of this will be changed by which candidate wins in
November.
There are no deep issues dividing the Democrats from the
Republicans. The Clinton administration has been no different
in its basic foreign or domestic policies from the Republican
administrations that preceded it. That is clear to Cuba, to
Vietnam, to north Korea, to Iraq--to all the countries bullied
and robbed by this giant imperialist power.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page