Introduction
American Theocracy is a treatise against the political order inspire by Philips. He faces disillusionments on America’s leadership class including the present political status. Phillips’ has offered a sequence of interlocking criticisms as regards trends by the party of Republican. American Theocracy broadly analyses his previous arguments into a coherent whole and mixes historical analysis with political polemic. Phillips identifies tri-central, unifying planks in the Republican coalition- oil, radical religion and the unprecedented levels of national and consumer debt.
Rules for Radicals by community organizer -Saul D. Alinsky-attempting to impart his theory and organization methods to the existing generation of youthful activists, squarely based on self experiences. He urges that the generation should change the world from what it is to what it should be. The Prince, by Machiavelli, was written for the Haves on how to stick to power.
The Changing American Electorate brief overview
Based on reputable statistic –in 1980, 32 % of the electorate was white Democrats. In 2008, 32 % were white Obama voters. However in 1980, approximately 9 % of the electorate were nonwhite Carter voters, 21% of the electorate are noted to be nonwhite Obama voters, 2008. Hence Carter defeated widely, while Obama defeated John McCain by a strong margin, Nate Silver. The American electorate is viewed as two contrasting electorates; one partisan (Democrats vs. Republicans), the other non-partisan. The former are extremely politically attentive/ involved, and have progressive voting behavior as compared to nonpartisans. Observers have suggested the polarization of the American electorate, a fact denied by others.
Introduction to Economic and Political Class warfare
The working masses which include the working class and working peasants are producers of all social wealth- intellectual and manual labor forming the crown of all societies. Political class of the products is being controlled by ownership of the minority, by supervisory strata, renowned military politician’s officials of the state. The other side of this domineering and/or exploitative rule of the bosses bears the misery and suppression of the laborers. Most people suffer various degrees as regards denial whilst the small minority enjoys all the pleasures and treasures of this world.
Class struggle and what it implies
Capitalism and the State rely on the exploitation of the majority of humanity. The class exploitation creates class warfare between the exploiters and those exploited. It occurs both at work and in the community, and may have resulted from ideological differences including nationalist, religious, feminist ideologies of which have a substantial variation from Anarchism. To terminate the class system, Anarchist/Syndicalists rely on the working class revolution.
Revolution would take place either for black or white, intransigent or progressive despite of the ruling class which the citizens belongs to. The revolutions have been done through training which was done in a class system where citizens were being trained about their rights. The revolution will help to destroy capitalism, the State and other forms of oppression, generating a new self- managed society relying on worker and community councils and needs assessment distribution (Phillips, 2006). The coercive authority, exploitation, and oppression entrenches political and economic class warfare and should be avoided.
Consequently, it will most likely disintegrate before and during the revolution of those in support of the bosses against those in support of the working class. Despite this, it is crucial to lay emphasis on the middle class people joining the workers’ movement to join as comrades with their abilities and interests at the mercy of the masses, instead of pausing as experts and leaders who give the orders.
Capitalism and the modern State generate various other oppressive relationships including imperialism, homophobia, sexism, racism and environmental degradation which are believed to be responsible for super-exploitation of socially weaker sections of the working class by the capitalists creating divisions of the working masses through ideological manipulation with evident inequality of rights. They are core to class struggle which does not ignore sexism, racism among others as far as most of people affected by them are working class, so long as these oppressions are evident in the capitalist system, and also if the working class can be united and mobilized with regards to opposing all oppression, these issues remain class issues. Mobilization of a working class calls on dealing with all the issues affect them. Hence an economic and political class struggle succeeds where it is anti-racist, anti-sexist etc.
Non- united, disintegrated, non- internationalist class struggle politics will be another cause of class warfare. None of the sections of the working classes can attain freedom on their own; it calls for unity and internationalism-because no revolution can suffice a success in an individual country.
The fight against racism will soon generate class warfare. The fight against racism is seen that against capitalism and the State. Because these structures are beaten through class struggle where no careful handling is shown, it creates political and economic warfare. Most of the citizens of different groupings felt that they are marginalized because the law was not protecting them like other groups have been protected by the law. This has necessitated the parliament to explore opportunities in which groups which felt that they are marginalized like women, less privilege of black Americans and homosexual’s privileges are addressed by legislation of law.
The working masses are powerful and carry society on their shoulders through their labor. They therefore have real power, which can be harnessed to halt and defeat the class enemy. Strikes in excesses will generate economic and political class warfare as they can injure the boss class. The ruling class which is mainly in parliament during revolutionary period did important concessions by being pressurized of mass action which was demonstrated by the citizens who needed change. The citizens experienced warfare which was as a result of control over resources such as mines, land and factories to be controlled by workers associations instead of bosses. This is in deed a crunch to the economy and political stability of a nation.
Elections should not be seen as a form of class struggle. America categorically is in support and defense of the right to vote, inclusive of the other civil and political rights that accompany it in a democracy that is bourgeois and capitalistic (Alinsky, 1998). However, these rights were only won and defended by working class struggle. Use of neutrality by the state was used for the disposal of the majority which is used by bosses as weapons which controls operations of the boardrooms and decisions being made by the companies, military and state bureaucracy and not in the parliament. It was decided that 400 people will be elected in parliament to represent the entire population of 40 million citizens and make decisions on their behalf. This generates warfare since all power must be exercised by the working class wholesomely through grassroots worker and community councils with the unions and the civic associations as reliance of these councils.
Concerning how it will spread to the south, Philip argues insinuates the American South successfully repositioning itself at the forefront of culture in U.S. society just the country faces a number of deep-rooted energy, geopolitical, and financial crises. United stated devised the most appropriate means of governance during the period of revolution. They therefore opted to have American electorate who were empowered to control the economy and activity of the state in religion, oil sectors and other sectors of the economy.
Conclusion
Phillips says that fundamentalism experienced an upsurge in audience and played a vibrant role in shaping the parameters of public discourse. In the southern there was decline of cultural issues, social polarizations as it had been realized in Britain and Spain when it was undergoing revolution. Christianity played a major role in revolution as it provides the guidelines to the ruling community and provided boundaries which the state manifested on and improved to prepare their laws which governed the operations of the government and addressed the social problems of American.
The dilemma of concern in America, as asserted by Philips, doesn’t underlie moral ramifications of sexual norms and/or abortion practices, but on the mushrooming financialization as regards the national economy. With a focus on decline of American manufacturing sector and later expansions of national liability, concluded that United States is rapidly treading towards economic wreck which will spread even to the south.
References
Alinsky, S. (1998). Rules for Radicals. Lincolnshire: Vintage.
Phillips, K. (2006). American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury. New York: Viking Adult.