Forwarded from Anthony (elections)

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Lou!

Please post this.

More about the elections and a possible constitutional crisis.

No doubt the people who wanted to vote for Al Gore, should have their
ballots counted for Al Gore.

And marxists should promote that right to the limit that we can support
bourgeois democracy.

And we should promote that right as far as we can to promote a crisis of
the constitutional system.

That system is a great obstacle to social revolution.

However, I think that such a crisis will come only if the bourgeoisie
itself does not close ranks, and make a backroom deal to avoid a crisis. If
they do not, the reason will be mother's milk

Howard Baker suggested that Gore and Bush get together and decide which one
will be the president. But they haven't done that.

Why not, if both parties are the same? Or so close it doesn't matter? why
not if ideologically both men are so close that it's hard to tell where one
begins and the other ends?

Money is the mother's milk of all politics.

Here are the reasons there may be a constitutional crisis.

1. Alaskan oil

2. The arms budget.

These are two issues where the two men differ substantially, not because of
ideology, but because they represent different sectors of capitalism.

At stake are $10s of billions of dollars. Who gets the cash, depends on who
occupies the White House.

3. Lots of jobs.

I wonder if anyone has recently added up the amount of money the Federal
government pays political appointees.

Starting with Cabinet secretaries, but including all appointess made by the
President and his surrogates. I bet salaries alone are well above
$10,000,000 (US). Small change to oil barons, but big bucks to political
consultants - and politicians who view such an apponitement as the road to
a seat in Congress, etc.

4. The intangibles - i.e. control of the Supreme Court.

Anthony


Louis Proyect
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