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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The Christian Zionist Caucus Marches On

The US is a melting pot alright.Very Diverse. Where's the Plumber, the Truck Driver, the Clerk, the Nurse
by Richard Mellor
Afscme Local 444,retired

So the right wing Christian Zionists blocked Trumpcare, the Predator in Chief's health care bill. One of the major obstacles for them was the provision in Obamacare that prevented insurance companies from refusing coverage to people who have existing conditions. Trumpcare left it in and they wanted it out. Let's be clear what that language means, because language is complicated as we know as the Freedom Caucus is not a freedom caucus at all as far as workers, the poor women, people of color and mother nature are concerned.

What it means is that the Right Wing Christian Capitalist's Caucus believes, with much support from Jesus apparently, that if you are a sick person, lets say you have a really harsh auto immune disease, they don't believe the private sector, insurance companies, should cover you and Obamacare is some sort of communist Muslim plot for including such an unfree clause. That doesn't mean they don't believe you should get medical care bless them, they just believe the taxpayer, should pay the tab and to ensure that tab is not too high, they will cut taxpayer contributions that would assist the uninsured.

This even upset the Wall Street Journal editorial board, the main voice of US capitalism that said of the Christian Zionists that "By insisting on the impossible over the achievable, these self-styled guardians of conservative purity could become the worst friends conservative ideas and free markets have had in decades."  "The Freedom-From-Reality Caucus" WSJ Ed 3-24-17

The political crisis of US capitalism gets deeper and deeper.  The Wall Street Journal, and the dominant sections of the US bourgeois that are getting close to the end of their tether with this political crisis are afraid that the next crisis on the horizon, that will join the economic and political one is social upheaval. The WSJ is concerned that Keeping Up With the Kardashians and March Madness won't keep the masses distracted forever. In the last analysis, consciousness is determined by material conditions and the serious, more sober US bourgeois know this.

The Christian Zionist Caucus is a different kettle of fish though. They are capitalists pretty much all of them, lawyers, doctors, businessmen (practically all men and all white with a couple exceptions.) they are the enemies of all workers. But they are different in that they are ideologically driven. They base their Middle East policy for example on some 2000 year old texts we know as the New Testament. they're a sort of US Taliban.  The conflict in the Middle East, and indeed all conflict throughout the world, is the result of the struggle between this chap Lucifer and the other supernatural creature that they believe created the universe, one is good, one is evil. Given the power of God I cannot understand why he, it is a he, didn't get rid of this Lucifer guy ages ago.

The members of the Freedom Caucus are created after this creator's image and it is their job to protect its dogma if they have to destroy the rest of the world to do it. As with Islam and all religions, the Cristian God is the only true God and is said to reserve a nice place for followers in heaven.

The Republican Party, unlike their colleagues in the other capitalist party, didn't really have an army of foot soldiers that they could use during the election cycles. Universal Suffrage was a concession the capitalist class were forced to concede soften the pressure from the working class over time. After all, they have both parties so the capitalist candidate always wins. With the politically and socially disenfranchised, workers/unions, black folks, environmentalists, gays, etc., having no party at all, the Democratic Party, became the go-to alternative. Organized Labor alone provide thousands of people that campaign for Democratic candidates, walking precincts, phone banking etc.

To counter this, the Republicans drew in the more backward Christian fundamentalists who know how to organize. Many have taken political office and the rest are conned by the preachers. Also, if on the economic issues which really are the most important, both parties are pretty much the same, why not vote along moral and religious lines?

Now the old school conservatives, the WSJ and others wished to hell the Freedom Caucus would actually go there. For them, making money is primary, the capitalist system, bourgeois democracy  and the interests of the class as a whole are paramount.  Religion and the Book of Revelations, a fantasmagorical tale of demons, cherubs and who knows what else is for the masses might be entertaining reading, but for Wall Street, profit is god.

It is hard to tell where this crisis will lead. It could lead to some real positive changes but the movement that can accomplish that is not yet present, is at best in its early stages. The force that is responsible for the rise of Trump and ascendancy of this gang below, the heads of organized labor, well, they're nowhere to be found, the Dogs that Don't Bark. is an appropriate title for them. Trump's administration is in crisis and unless he can build a coalition with Democrats and moderate republicans who knows what might happen. He has just released his plan to cut $18 billion from social programs. As we say often, sometimes the working class needs the whip of the counterrevolution to wake us from our stupor.

We must not forget that in Trump's first two years, if he lasts that long it is likely there will be another major recession or slump, that will increase tensions.  There are big storms up ahead.

Here is the Freedom Caucus, from Wikepedia. One of them,  is a professor, a Professor, of Preaching if there is such a thing. I also thought there was a woman among them but she must have legged it. After all, to lead is a man's job, to honor and obey, a woman's.
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