Trump’s State of the Union against socialism, women, immigrants

This 6 February 2019 video from the USA is called Senator Bernie Sanders delivers a response to President Donald Trump‘s 2019 State of the Union address.

SANDERS FACT-CHECKS TRUMP’S SPEECH Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) delivered his own rebuttal with a 30-minute speech that meticulously picked apart what the president got wrong. “I hate to say this, but not everything Donald Trump said tonight was true or accurate,” Sanders said, noting that the president did not mention climate change, Medicare, voter suppression or Social Security ― issues that the senator said all Americans, not just Trump’s “billionaire friends,” face. [HuffPost]

By Patrick Martin in the USA:

State of Fear: Trump unleashes tirade against socialism

6 February 2019

Amidst the cynical and hypocritical charade of Trump’s State of the Union address last night—the hosannas, standing ovations and chants of “USA!, USA!” from the assembled senators and representatives—the president made a remarkable statement that says a great deal about the state of American politics and the real concerns of the ruling elite.

For the first time in American history, a president of the United States, in a nationwide television address, denounced the growing popular support for socialism. “We are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country,” Trump declared. He pledged, “Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.” His audience, Democrats and Republicans alike, registered their approval with applause.

Behind all the bombast and the inevitable declaration that “the state of the union is strong”, Trump’s remarks had the character of a speech from the bunker. The ruling class fears not only the mounting challenges to its global position, but, even more significantly, the signs of growing social discontent and the renewal of strike activity.

…

This is not only an American phenomenon. The past year has been characterized by a growth of the class struggle internationally.

The latest edition of the French newspaper, Le Monde Diplomatique, under the headline, “France’s class wars”, warns: “France’s elites have not felt such fear in half a century, and it’s not the usual fear of losing an election, failing to ‘reform’ or seeing their shares slide on the stock market, but fear of insurrection, revolt, and loss of power. The [yellow vest] street protests on 1 December 2018 caused some to feel a sudden chill.”

The newspaper cites comments from a pro-business journalist who said that big industrial group chiefs “were really scared for the first time that their heads would end up on stakes.” A polling organization representative reported that “top bosses were ‘actually very worried’ and said that the atmosphere reminded him of similar events in 1936 and 1968.”

What is true of France is true of the United States. Trump’s declaration gives a glimpse of the profound crisis of American capitalism and the real driving force of the political upheavals in Washington. It is the only thing that history will remember of his speech, which otherwise, consisted of the usual empty display of official pomp and ceremony, an endless and tedious barrage of lies and platitudes from the speaker, along with crass exploitation of victims of tragedies like the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

In the State of the Union speeches under previous administrations, the anti-socialist nightmares of the ruling elite were focused on the Soviet Union, China or another foreign country. Under Trump, these fears were directed against an internal enemy, radicalized American workers and youth.

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As Trump’s blunt declaration suggests, the capitalist ruling class is not responding passively to the growing challenge from below. It is building up the police and military forces, as well as seeking to mobilize fascistic elements like those attracted to Trump’s nationalism and anti-immigrant racism.

Trump’s demand for a wall on the US-Mexico border has become a symbol of his efforts to develop an openly fascistic movement in the United States, which will mobilize the police, the military and gangs of thugs against the working class. In the week leading up to the State of the Union, Trump repeatedly hinted that if Congress refuses to fund the border wall by the deadline of February 15, he will declare a national emergency and order the Pentagon to build the wall without legislative authorization.

The Democratic Party adheres to a more traditional approach to the suppression of the class struggle … Democratic representatives demonstrated this during the State of the Union, rising to applaud every mention of the US military and police. While the Republicans chanted “USA! USA!” in response to Trump’s initial references to the economic “miracle”, the Democrats replied with the same nationalistic chant when Trump made reference to the record number of women now seated in Congress.

The representatives of both parties applauded Trump’s pledge to accelerate trade warfare with China, his denunciations of the NAFTA trade deal, and his boasts about imposing a new government in Venezuela, where he has made repeated threats of military intervention.

No speech by Trump will reverse the deepening crisis of American and world capitalism, and the consequent shift in political sentiments among American working people. Significantly, a CNN poll released the day before the State of the Union found 70 percent believed that the Trump administration was performing badly, with 43 percent saying it was the “worst in their lifetimes.” Other polls consistently show growing support for socialism and hostility to capitalism.

Socialism is resurging because capitalism has failed. The class struggle, long suppressed, is beginning to burst into the open. The great task is to provide this objective class movement with a program, perspective and political leadership, to put an end to capitalism and the danger of economic catastrophe, dictatorship and war.

This 5 February 2019 from the United States Congress is called Trump pushes anti-abortion agenda.

From United States women’s organisation Ultra Violet Action today:

What you just heard is a president declaring war on women’s reproductive freedom.

President Trump’s disgusting lies and vicious attacks on abortion rights tonight were designed to serve only one purpose: to provide political cover for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The Supreme Court could start chipping away at Roe v. Wade as soon as THIS WEEK. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. Will you donate $5 to help save abortion rights?

Yes, I’ll chip in $5 to help fight back against Trump’s war on legal abortion.

Trump knows that 7 in 10 Americans support legal abortion, so he’s trying to manufacture outrage with lies about the decisions women face–and it’s all part of a coordinated wave of attacks from the far-right.¹

It started when they attacked the reproductive health acts in New York and Virginia–bills that codified the protections of Roe v. Wade.² These bills are widely supported by voters, so the anti-choice right is using wildly inflammatory and dishonest rhetoric to score political points.

What they really want to do is to criminalize abortion, shut down clinics, and throw women in jail.

In Idaho and Colorado, anti-choice politicians are pushing bills that would ban abortion, punishable with life in prison or even the death penalty. In Kentucky, there’s just one abortion clinic left, and the anti-choice governor is pushing legislation to shut that clinic down.³

By the end of this week, the Supreme Court could dramatically scale back Roe v. Wade by upholding a Louisiana clinic shutdown law almost identical to a Texas law struck down just two and half years ago.⁴

Remember: This is the president who said that “there must be some form of punishment” for women who choose abortion.⁵ That’s what this is about, and we will fight back.

Thank you for joining in.

–Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Holly, Kathy, Susan, Anathea, Audine, Emma, Pilar, Natalie, Melody, Lindsay, Pam, Ryan, and Sonja, the UltraViolet Action team

Sources:

1. About seven-in-ten Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, Pew Research Center, January 28, 2019

2. New York leads the way again on abortion policy, The Hill, January 31, 2019

3. Legislative Lowlights: Total Abortion Bans Proposed in Colorado, Indiana, and Texas Last Week, Rewire, January 22, 2019

4. How the Supreme Court’s Inaction Could Decide the Future of Abortion, The New York Times, January 31, 2019

5. Trump: ‘Punish’ Women for Abortions, The Daily Beast, May 30, 2016

TRUMP GETS ABORTION BILL WRONG Trump railed against recent abortion legislation, using graphic imagery to mischaracterize scenarios in which the procedure would be performed. “Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth,” Trump said. In reality, the bill expands access to abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy to women carrying a fetus that cannot live outside the womb. [HuffPost]

STATES SUE TRUMP OVER ABORTION ‘GAG RULE’ Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over a new “gag rule” that would stop family planning clinics that provide abortions or referrals from receiving federal funds. [HuffPost]

ANOTHER TRUMP NOMINEE SETS OFF ALARM Women’s rights groups do not like President Donald Trump’s nominee to head a key federal agency charged with reducing violence against women. Advocates say Shannon Lee Goessling has limited experience working in the domestic violence field, and has a history of opposing rights for LGBTQ people and immigrants. [HuffPost]

When a woman in a #MeToo hat wearing a T-shirt with a middle finger on it snuck into an empty pen near the stage at his campaign rally, Trump ordered security to eject her. The guard tried to do so without touching the woman, which led to Trump taunting him. [HuffPost]

This 2 February 2019 video from the USA is called Leaked Memo Reveals Trump INTENDED to Traumatize Migrant Children.

By Cristóbal Alex, President, Latino Victory today:

Trump just walked off the stage after giving his version of the state of our union. It’s no surprise that after bragging about his so-called accomplishments, he used the spotlight to spew more hatred and division.

In the middle of his speech, Trump stereotyped immigrants, pushed false facts, and announced he’s sending more than 3,000 additional troops to the “very dangerous” border to prepare for the “tremendous onslaught” of “large, organized caravans”. It was fear-mongering at its worst.

And after he riled up his base with these ugly attacks, painting immigrants as the #1 enemy of our country, he declared he will build his wall.

The real state of our union is that this administration has caused endless chaos, pain, and destruction. Trump has repeatedly ignored facts that don’t fit neatly into his right-wing agenda; he has cruelly ripped families apart at the border, leaving thousands of children in limbo; and he continues to dehumanize immigrants every chance he gets.

This 6 February 2019 video from the USA is called “Liar-in-Chief”: Representative Ilhan Omar Slams Trump’s SOTU Remarks on Border, Venezuela, Israel & More.