Fed up with the bi-partisan talk?

Bush stole the Presidential elections in 2004 and 2008. As he did so he claimed to be preparing to work in unity with the Democrats in Washington. When he got in he did what he wanted, rode rough shod over the Democrats.

Obama won a big mandate in the elections and now when he has got in he is bending over backwards to try and boot lick the Republicans into working with him. The Republicans are spitting in his face. What is going on?

To answer this we have to look at the bigger issue of US politics and we have to see how it is class that lies at the heart of this. The differences between the Republicans and Democrats are entirely secondary to the class issues.

Both the Republicans and the Democrats unconditionally support the capitalist system. And there is little if any difference between them in terms of which wing of capitalism they support. So they fight elections and they rule in order to keep capitalism in power and keep it strong. This is the most important thing to keep in mind.

But the Republicans and Democrats have their own apparatus and their own ambitions. They want as much goodies as possible for their own Party. So while propping up capitalism the Republicans try to stay in power through building a base by mobilizing the Christian right and others they can whip into fear such as the gun lobby. The Democrats on the other hand try to build a base by claiming that they will give more to the poor and stand against racism and sexism. And of course be the best advocates of bi-partisanship and nice people who want to work together. These are just images. When it comes to actual policies the two parties are virtually indistinguishable.

Look at the bail out of finance capital. Hundreds of billions of working class people's taxes have have been handed over. What are the differences been the two parties on this? They both agree on the need to bail out finance capitalism with working class tax payers money. No disagreement there. The only disagreement is how much. So it is keep capitalism in power, bail it out, but by how much. The argument over bi-partisanship is not over the system but over how much and at the root of this is how each Party can portray itself in the coming elections with the best chance of getting elected.

We do not agree with bailing out finance capitalism. We believe in ending it. Our policy is to nationalize all the banks and finance houses under workers control and management. This would mean that the finances of the country would no longer be privately owner but would be nationalized and be centralized and under workers control and management. This would allow democratically elected bodies of working class people to decide what would be done with this wealth, how these finances would be used. It would end the dictatorship of big business which was on display last week at Congress where the heads of the finance houses were being questioned by Congress. And do not be fooled. They were all let leave that room with their ownership and control of their finances intact. Congress was just trying to be seen as doing something about the scandal of the greatest financial in history. In reality they are doing nothing but bailing out the swindlers.

Then Democrats and Republicans are working in bi-partisanship on this. They are completely in bi-partisanship in propping up capitalism with working class tax payers money. What the complaints are about is that each party wants the little details more in line with their policies, to suit their base, and in this way to help them get elected in two years time.