Study Notes on 'Trump in the White House' by Foster

Trump in the White House by Foster - Notes

Foreword by Robert W. McChesney

  • Context: McChesney attended college with Foster in the 1970s.
  • Historical Reference:
    • 1950s: Paul Sweezy characterized fascism as the antonym of liberal democracy.
    • Concept of "Zombie Fascism": The notion that many did not recognize the threat of fascism in the U.S. and Europe.
  • Neoliberal Movement:
    • Focused on altering the court system and changing the Constitution to reduce effective majority rule, leading to public apathy.
    • Neoliberalism and Libertarianism effectively achieved the goals of fascist movements by dismantling democratic systems and concentrating control with capital.
    • The degradation of journalism undermined democratic discourse, enabling propaganda that played a role in Trump's rise.
  • Republican Party Dynamics:
    • Any potential Republican departure from Trump is based on electoral fortunes rather than principled stances.
  • Trump's Presidency:
    • His administration serves the upper-class interests, politically and financially.

Neo-Fascism in the White House

  • Targets of Attack: Often directed at minority groups that are vulnerable and unable to defend themselves, motivated by profit.
  • Public Sentiment:
    • Voter base: Individuals who perceive terrorism as a primary threat.
    • Critical support for figures like Hitler and Trump comes from the lower middle class, rather than the very rich or very poor.
    • Liberal democracy is perceived as being in danger from fascist ideologies seeking to exert control and discipline.
  • Transparency and Control:
    • Actions of fascist movements are often kept private to conceal the damage inflicted, focusing power among the capitalist elite.

Synchronization of Institutions and Ideology (Gleichschaltung)

  • Definition: Gleichschaltung refers to the Nazi policy aimed at aligning all aspects of society under Nazi control through legal measures, propaganda, and suppression of opposition.
  • Key Principles:
    1. Removal of Non-Aryans: Targeting of non-Aryans from public life to establish a 'racially pure' society.
    2. Führerprinzip: Principle that the leader's authority is absolute and demands unquestioning obedience.
  • Carl Schmitt's Role:
    • Promoted concepts like sovereign decisionism and political theology, justifying the consolidation of authoritarian power under Nazi rule.
    • Advocated for the extermination of ideological and racial diversity.

Stages of Gleichschaltung in Germany

  1. Initial Stage (1933):
    • Post Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor, the Reichstag fire justified constitutional violations via executive decrees.
    • Enabling Act (March 1933): Allowed Hitler to bypass parliamentary procedures, establishing dictatorial powers.
    • Initiated purges against political opponents, targeting communists and social democrats.
    • Civil service purges were formalized through the Law for the Restoration of the Civil Service, leading up to the elimination of all political parties except the Nazi Party by July 1933.
  2. Control over Military and Social Institutions:
    • Military Control: Introduced political commissars and shifted the oath of allegiance from the constitution to Hitler.
    • The Blomberg-Fritsch Affair (1938): Purged high-ranking officers to reinforce Nazi influence in the military.
    • Cultural Influence: Education and youth organizations, such as the Hitler Youth, were mandated to indoctrinate the youth with Nazi ideology.
    • Labor Control: Abolished trade unions, replacing them with the German Labor Front (DAF).
    • Controlled cultural aspects through the Reich Chamber of Culture, enforcing censorship and promoting propaganda across all cultural mediums.

Hegemonic Liberal Approach: Populism and Political Theory

  • Hegemonic Liberal View: Emerging from changes since the Cold War, seeing populism as aligning with totalitarianism as indicated by Hannah Arendt.
  • Liberal Democracy and Capitalism:
    • Defines society's democracy as restricted to the boundaries of liberal democracy, promoting rights that support capitalist frameworks.
    • Paul Baran and Paul Sweezy’s idea of Monopoly Capital suggests a system can be democratic in form yet plutocratic in content.
    • Movements with mass appeal that challenge the status quo are broadly termed populist.
  • Post-Soviet Union Ideological Shift:
    • Liberal democracy seen as the definitive defense against totalitarianism after the Soviet Union collapse.
    • Criticism of the left's acquiescence to basic liberal democratic values indicating a defeat for radical opposition.
    • Current narratives frame populism as anti-democratic extremism, opposing traditional liberal democracy.

Distinction Between Leftist and Rightist Populism

  • Populistic Revolts:
    • Left vs. right populism have fundamentally different goals; fascism seeks to restructure liberal democracy while socialism opposes capitalism.
    • Many in left circles deem populism as incoherent or totalitarian, aligning with hegemonic liberal consensus to avoid critique.
  • Critique of Right-Wing Populism:
    • Andrea Mammone warns against utilizing the label populist for the radical right, viewing it as legitimizing extremism and reinforcing the stability of liberal democracy.
  • Terminological Confusion:
    • Walter Laqueur criticizes the label "populist" for complicating distinction-making between political movements, favoring terms like neo-fascism for specific right-wing trends.

Lower-Middle-Class Dynamics

  • Class Base of Fascism:
    • Derived from the lower-middle-class demographic (managers, working class) comprising about one-third of the U.S. population, with average earnings of around $70,000.
    • Their ideology mingles nationalism with critiques of the elite, while simultaneously backing corporate interests.
    • Engaged in palingenetic ultra-nationalism, longing for a return to past ideological values.

The Concept of a Legal Revolution

  • Historical Context of Populism:
    • Populism's adaptability is showcased in historical instances like Hitler's rise, termed a "legal revolution".
    • Both Hitler and Mussolini leveraged national legal systems to stabilize their regimes, presenting their control as constitutional.
    • Hitler manipulated Weimar norms and utilized Article 48 for emergency powers to consolidate executive control through Gleichschaltung.

State and Economy Relations Under Fascism

  • Interdependent Dynamics: Classic fascism had a complex relationship with the economy, allowing for monopolistic practices while maintaining private property.
  • Totalitarianism and Welfare States: Despite their totalitarian nature, fascist regimes expanded welfare only for ‘racially pure’ citizens while repressing dissent.
  • Repressive Legitimacy: Although Nazi Germany maintained an image of legality, it was marked by severe repression defining a legal-terroristic framework.

Neo-Fascism and Its Modern Implications

  • Modern Movements:
    • Today's neo-fascism builds on past fascist methodologies, promising nationalistic growth amidst economic crises while disguising autocratic practices behind legality.
    • Julius Evola's influence within neo-fascist thought demonstrates a linking ideology to historical fascism.
    • The American alt-right reflects elements of European neo-fascism intertwined with white supremacy and extremist religious views.
  • Trump's Political Phenomenon:
    • His support base stems from lower-middle-class factions and marginalized working-class sectors, channeling radical right ideologies responding to contemporary fears and pressures.
    • Strategic influence by figures like Steve Bannon highlighted a merging of grassroots discontent with higher political ambitions.

Economic Policy and the Crisis of Political Economy

  • Response to Neoliberal Stagnation:
    • Trump’s movement is seen as a neo-fascist reaction to stagnation inherent within neoliberal frameworks.
    • As America experiences declining capitalist prosperity, the administration exploits economic disparities to reinforce big business's power.
    • Primary Strategies: Emphasis on tax cuts for the wealthy and deregulation, with risks of deepening existing socio-economic inequalities.

Resistance in Post-Truth Society

  • Post-Truth Dynamics:
    • The notion of "post-truth" describes a climate where emotion and belief overshadow factual discussions.
    • Brecht notes that contemporary resistance requires a critical engagement with truth, especially against fascist ideologies.
  • Necessity of Class Analysis:
    • Effective resistance against neo-fascism requires class analysis and organized action against systemic problems.

The Crisis of the Anthropocene

  • Defining Crisis:
    • A significant anthropogenic imbalance reflects our interaction with the environment, demonstrating human impacts that characterize the Anthropocene epoch.

Capitalism Versus the Climate

  • Scientific Perspectives:
    • Scientific findings indicate rapid climate change due to human activities, jeopardizing planetary sustainability.
  • Importance of Social Science:
    • The exploration of social science is vital for unpacking societal factors contributing to climate change and potential responses.
    • Social sciences often exhibit ideological constraints, leading to frameworks that reaffirm capitalist structures, dissuading challenges to foundational capitalism.
  • Critical Analysis of Capitalism:
    • Critical examinations outside mainstream economics pose the most relevant insights regarding climate crises.
    • An escalating conflict exists between the relentless capital accumulation and the environment's limits.

The Nature of Capital Accumulation

  • Definition: Capitalism is focused on continuous capital accumulation, perceived as an unending growth process.
  • Global Impact: Capitalism disrupts Earth's biogeochemical processes, contributing mainly to climate change.
  • Transition towards Renewables: Although possible, transitioning faces obstacles due to capitalism's short-term profit focus.

Historical Context and Monopoly-Finance Capital

  • Evolution of Capitalism:
    • Since Karl Marx's "Capital", dynamics of capital accumulation have evolved, with monopoly-finance capital emerging as a contemporary hallmark.
    • Characterized by global economic concentration and neoliberal policies culminating in extreme wealth inequality and a novel imperialism.

Geopolitical Implications

  • Decline of U.S. Hegemony:
    • Notable shifts signal the decline of U.S. global dominance alongside the rise of China, with ongoing imperial leverage from the triad of U.S., Europe, and Japan.
  • Ruling Class Dynamics: Figures like Trump signify attempts to consolidate power utilizing fossil fuels, military expansion, and social repression.

The Limits of Reform: Economic and Ecological Crisis

  • Ineffectiveness of Traditional Reforms:
    • The current era marks profound crises that traditional reforms struggle to address without sustaining conditions favorable for capital accumulation.
    • Significant climate reforms perceived as threats to capitalism encounter resistance from established interests.
  • Environmental Reform Failures:
    • Inadequate reforms face robust opposition particularly from fossil fuel industries, with established parties failing to recognize capitalism's harmful role in climate politics.
    • Naomi Klein highlights that the right interprets the conflict wrongly as "capitalism vs. climate."

The Failure of Carbon Reform

  • Establishment Climate Policy Goals:
    • Aimed at ecological modernization of capitalism, leading to nonbinding agreements like the Paris Climate Agreement, thus raising concerns over efficacy.
  • Clean Power Plan (CPP):
    • Targeted a 26-28% reduction in U.S. carbon emissions by 2025, using a baseline from 2005 indicative of peak emissions.
    • Actual expected reductions calculated against the 1990 Kyoto baseline were only projected at 7%.
  • Critique of Market Mechanisms:
    • Critiques of centrist responses leverage market approaches like carbon trading that historically yielded inadequate results.
    • The 2017 Economic Report highlighted superficial engagement with climate issues that lacked significant ethical responses.

Resistance to Climate Policies

  • Opposition to Minimal Efforts:
    • Initial measures under agreements like the Paris Agreement and CPP faced strong resistance from fossil fuel interests.
  • Impact of Trump's Administration:
    • Trump's administration advanced an anti-science agenda, dismissing climate change as a hoax with a cabinet filled with climate-change deniers.
    • Key appointments undermined credible climate science, emphasizing interests favorable to fossil fuel industries.

Summary of Climate Crisis

  • Conflict between Capitalism and Ecology:
    • The climate crisis constitutes a fundamental clash between contemporary capitalist systems and ecological sustainability.
    • Attempts at climate policy reform have largely faltered, hindered by entrenched capital interests.
    • A radical transformation towards new political and economic structures is vital to effectively address climate change.

Key Concepts of the Ecological Revolution

  • Proposed Actions:
    • Block coal and unconventional fossil fuel usage to combat climate change.
    • Implement carbon-fee-and-dividend strategies, as proposed by James Hansen, to increase fossil fuel costs and redistribute collected funds.
    • Engage in direct actions to close coal plants and prevent tar sands oil extraction.
  • Critique of Mainstream Strategies:
    • Emphasis on carbon pricing may fail to address wealthy carbon footprints sufficiently.
    • Calls for stringent maximum-emission standards enforced through government regulation.
    • Need to confront systematic political and economic hegemony, particularly biases within neoclassical economic thought.

Two-Stage Ecological Revolution

  • Stage 1: Form broad coalitions aimed at challenging the fossil-fuel-financial complex.
  • Stage 2: Tackle systemic issues inherent in capitalism, advocating for a transition towards socialism emphasizing equality and earth preservation for future generations.

Neo-Fascism and Political Realities

  • Trumpism: Characterized as a new political order emerging from lower-middle-class discontent.
  • Connections to Historical Movements: Links between Trumpism and neo-fascist ideologies, notably Steve Bannon's influence reflecting vulnerabilities in U.S. politics akin to those seen in Weimar Germany.
  • Class-Based Struggles:
    • Bernie Sanders’s campaign illustrated a revival of socialist sentiments against neoliberal backdrops.

Conclusion on Revolutionary Action

  • Necessary Movement: The only effective strategy against ecological and social crises necessitates a revolutionary move toward socialism.
  • Global Socialism: Advocating for an ecological sustainable and equitable society emerges as essential for human liberation.