Re: [Marxism] Re: [PEN-L] The Jesus Factor

[Gary MacLennan <g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Michael,

I have been giving some thought to Bush (not like most of the
world).  Frankly I call him stupid at every public opportunity. Strictly
speaking, though, he is not stupid. As Joyce would have put it he is "cute
like a shithouse rat".   In somewhat more complex terms he has no symbolic
or cultural capital.  He mangles the language in a clinically interesting
way.  Given the state of anti-intellectualism in America, that has proved a
plus for him.  He reads nothing and knows nothing - another positive in the
Land of the Free.

But outside America, as the success of Michael Moore's film at Cannes
shows, it has been very effective to point out his symbolic and cultural
shortcomings.

Given, however, that the dominant ideological program of the Bush
Administration has been what is called unilateralism or full spectrum
dominance the international shortcomings of Bush have not mattered.  The
neo-cons have believed that they do not need keys to open doors.  They can
simply knock them down.

But Iraq shows that there are real limits to this strategy and that is why
doubts about Bush are growing.

Now I have said Bush has no cultural capital, and a business degree proves
that more than not.  But strictly speaking again, he does tap into a fairly
powerful reserve of traditional non-rational cultural capital and that is
the "Jesus thaang". It is tactically wrong to underestimate the power and
reach of the non-rational within the dialectics of capitalist modernity As
Weber pointed out the more rational modernity drains the world of magic,
the more the Old Gods keep ascending.

I have no doubt that Bush's "faith" provides him with the motivation to
keep going.  He may be a total hypocrite about it all. Most evangelical
types are in my experience.  But his presidency stands or falls now on his
links to the far right Christian base.   He would be flat out praying to
his saviour. Well at any rate he should be.

I doubt if the American ruling class worried about that as long as things
appeared to be proceeding smoothly.  They could snigger about George and
his Jesus complex behind his back.

But things are not proceeding smoothly.  Abu Ghraib demoralised the
Christians and provided endless propaganda for those of us who have always
maintained that the "moral foreign policy" stance was a total sham. More
seriously the specter of military defeat in Iraq, now haunts the American
ruling class and they do not know what to do to avoid it.  They need 500,
0000 troops in Iraq to guarantee the safety of the Allawi government.  that
means a draft and that is politically unacceptable at present. Maybe the UN
will provide a fig leaf.  With a lot of foreign help, Allawi may morph into
a pro-Western strong man like Mobutu in the Congo did.  But before that
happens the insurgency must be decisively defeated and there are no signs
that such a defeat is close.

So back to George.  Some months ago Rupert Murdoch  assured him he would be
easily elected.  Kerry was almost tailor made to be the eminently
defeatable candidate.  But things have changed and George is under enormous
pressure on a number of fronts. He is no longer so electable, and it is
worth remembering here that he never was in the first place!  So will the
ruling class go with Kerry?  I am inclined to think yes, and that his
priority will be to safe guard the American military from defeat.

regards

Gary

Dr Gary MacLennan
Lecturer
Film & Television Discipline
Creative Industries Faculty
Gardens Point Campus
QUT
Brisbane 4001


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