Ahna Kruzic and Eric Holt-Giménez | 01.21.2017
Donald Trump is monumentally disgraceful. But that’s not the point—the political and economic crisis that got him elected is the point. We’ve had plenty of those since 2008, but we need to ask: what does this crisis mean? Because a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.
This country—among the world’s first liberal democracies—was founded by a colonial elite who at first, ran the new republic themselves. With time, they turned management over to professional politicians. While the mission of the professional political class is to democratically represent the citizens of the United States, their job is to mediate the contradictions between the business interests of the country’s elites and the livelihood needs of the country’s 99.9%. The Trump presidency is a strong sign that this arrangement isn’t working anymore.
The last few decades of neoliberalism have exposed the darker side of liberal democracy, destroying not only local economies, but the social legitimacy of both Democrat and Republican parties. Into the vacuum of political leadership, one of the least politically experienced (and most financially questionable) member of the ruling class has squeaked into leadership on the basis of pure bluster. While presidential cabinets have typically been a revolving door between business and government, with a net worth larger than a third of all Americans combined, this cabinet indicates that Trump is privatizing the presidency by putting the country under direct billionaire management.
Direct billionaire management reflects the generalized global breakdown of political model that has managed capitalism for the past 200 years. The billionaire capture of the White House is not a reflection of elite power but of their weakness. Not that they can’t throw their weight around—Trump’s good at that. But Trump represents a break in the political ranks of the rich, not their consolidation. We can expect him and his crony cabinet to maintain the general mantle of neoliberalism while seeking competitive advantage against their competition—another thing they’re good at.
…(read more).
Food-Matters
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