PUBLISHER'S NOTE – 55.1
Written by Wade Rathke
We all knew it was going to be bad, but most of us never imagined it would be quite this bad. Having lived through Trump I, we thought we would be saved by his inattention, incompetence, and lack of follow through. None of that has changed, but Trump II has subcontracted governing to Elon Musk, a specialist in slash-and-burn, who may not have proven his competence, but, Lord almighty, he does get things done, one way or another, and does so ruthlessly and without apology, despite myriad mistakes and incalculable harm. Trump for now, seems more than happy to go along for the ride, as long as the headlines spell his name right.
Our first piece, anonymously, but frighteningly, tells us that this neoractionary program may have gone from provocative theory to double trouble in no time. Read and learn, because unless stopped, we haven’t seen nuthin’ yet! Steve Early looks at what might have been, if labor was willing to play to its strength in politics, not in terms of donations, but in deeply involving and mobilizing the rand-and-file, whether for Bernie Sanders or Kamala Harris.
Moshe ben Asher and Khulda Bat Sarah rose to the moment with a warning that we are offering in two-parts about the impact of these politics, particularly in regards to tariffs and China. The daily headlines echo their points as the economy heads down and the stock market, Trump’s favorite measure, tanks. Mike Miller, another longtime contributor, in the first of two parts, reminds us all that organizing successfully requires paying attention to the basics and that means communicating clearly and fully with people about their issues and interests, and walking the road with them to the end.
One of the many shocking developments in Trump’s early days was his “pause” on the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. We include a special report by ACORN’s research director Elliott Anderson that connects that dot to India and the charges involving mega billionaire Gautam Adani, accused under FCPA of deceiving US investors and others through $250 million in bribes in India. The other dot that’s connected is to ACORN India’s work in Dharavi in the middle of Mumbai, where under equally controversial means, Adani has won and is now trying to implement the Dharavi Redevelopment Program. ACORN members are fighting for a right-to-return, not simply a giveaway for more Adani riches. The excerpt this issue by a team of authors looks at what the solidarity economy looks like on the ground in Philadelphia, Worcester, and New York City. If only Adani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could understand how solidarity cities work, they would see in Dharavi where the same kind of solidarity is coupled with livelihood, as manifested by our women’s waste collective and informal worker associations that have proven their value there for decades.
Our columnists are also up for this challenge. Phil Mattera hits squarely at the Musk DOGE chaos and its attempt to take the heat off of the problems with contractors like Musk’s own operations and blame federal workers and programs instead. Drummond Pike pulls the string harder on the neoreactionaries, and why we need to be ready and move hard. John Anderson rues the fact that the New Democratic Party is losing at the polls, as a coalition partner to an increasingly unpopular government, despite delivering huge benefits to Canadians. Gregory Squires reminds us the diversity, equity, and inclusion is about getting the best workers, not privileging any special group.
In the United States, we’re seeing what “flooding the zone” feels like when the government is weaponized about the people, and it’s not pretty. This issue is part of preparing the pushback.
