Kali Akuno: The focus on accelerationism in the debates about the threat of Trump’s continued rule I think is misplaced. The surprising movement that we have now, with all of its faults and contradictions stems from the clarity provided by the Trump regime. This I think is beyond a doubt. But, more point of fact tactically, is the reality that Trump is dead set on staying in power by one means or another. Even an overwhelming vote against him, which is being rendered physically impossible as we speak, isn’t a guaranteed protective or preventative measure. If he decides to stay, something else will be needed. To that end, all those really concerned about the continuation of even basic bourgeois rights better start preparing to engage in some serious mass action to stop production, distribution, and consumption to beat back the slow motion coup and the full on Jacksonian order that will come with it. With a quickness.
However, the revolutionary forces within that mix best have their eyes also fixed on the Democrats and how they will relate to this mass motion. To the degree that this mass uprising only focuses on removing Trump from the white house they will support it. Should this movement go further then that, and start really challenging capital and the state, which I think large segments of it will, then it will need to be prepared to confront the containment measures of the liberals – who are not adverse to the restoration of order, which if anything is the main focus of Biden’s campaign.
The good thing about the Floyd rebellion is that considerable elements of it have insisted on political independence and autonomy from the liberals and the Democratic Party machine. The consolidation of this on a mass level could be a real break through. With the understand that as it now stands, it would be a necessary, but insufficient force and that it would have to convince larger and deeper sectors of the multi-national working class to move the needle.
The Floyd rebellion, the economic crisis, and the pandemic have changed the equation. More austerity is on the way, regardless. The neoliberals don’t have many cards left to play at the end of the day as a result. In real time, they are busy trying to buy the Movement for Black Lives off, playing up the “good protester, bad protester” narrative up to the hilt, and sowing clear seeds of division between liberals and all of the forces to their left in the process. On top of that, they have been just as engaged in rounding folks up to the tune of several thousand for engaging in acts of confrontation with the police and the institutions of capital. Biden said to expect more. Kamala is his demonstrated commitment to restoring “law and order’. So, we need to be preparing to fight on two fronts at once, as hard as this might be given the motley nature of the resistance that “we” pose.