On 1 March, one year into his presidency, Joe Biden’s State of the Union address ripped up what was left of his 2020 election campaign’s progressive façade. With inflation out of control and Covid-19 unchecked, the president used war in Europe as chauvinistic cover for the failure of his party and presidency to meet working class demands.
Pandemic pain
The Covid-19 pandemic thrust capitalism further into crisis. Biden continues to put profit above public health and has lost control of the virus. Mask mandates and social distancing orders are gone. Eviction moratoriums are ending, unemployment benefits are being cut, and the US Postal Service has only provided eight free lateral flow tests per household as the country passes one million total deaths. Without public health measures or economic support for families to stay safe, more people have died of the virus under Biden’s presidency than Donald Trump’s.
Inflation is skyrocketing, fuelled by the public money needed to save the capitalist system during the pandemic. Inflation, driven by rising food costs (up 8.6%) and energy prices (up 25.6%), hit 7.9% in the year ending February 2022. Incomes cannot keep pace. Real weekly earnings fell 2.3% in the same period. 56% of households could not cover a $1,000 emergency without taking on debt.
Progressive dreams deferred
The social forces behind the Black Lives Matter protests which exploded under Trump have been demobilised, funnelled to the ballot box by Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Consequently, there is no popular movement to ensure that Biden’s more progressive campaign promises are delivered. The Democrats control the House, Senate, and Presidency, and the US ruling class calls the shots, unimpeded by Sanders or the DSA-endorsed ‘Squad’ of progressive Democratic politicians.
Biden’s promises of free community college, 12 weeks paid family leave and measures to address the climate crisis were destroyed in the Senate. These were originally introduced as part of an infrastructure spending bill, but after significant lobbying from firms such as ExxonMobil, the measures were separated from infrastructure spending and put into the ‘Build Back Better’ bill. The Build Back Better bill was blocked by right-wing Democrat Joe Manchin over concerns about public spending. Meanwhile new infrastructure spending was increased from $712bn to $1.2 trillion. Other bills dead in the water because of the Democrats include the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have ensured nationwide rights to access and perform abortions, and a bill guaranteeing online voter registration and protections against gerrymandering.
A clear demand of Black Lives Matter, confronting policing systems that systematically murder black people, was to ‘Defund the Police’. In case there was any doubt who’s side he is on, Biden used his 1 March address to demand, ‘fund the police’ – to applause from Congress.
Unrestrained reaction
As we point out in Women’s oppression under capitalism (2021), during deepening economic crisis the capitalist state leverages bigotry to reinforce the patriarchal family and justify attacks on living standards. The Republican party and its Trumpist base have legislated a deepening of repressive conformity:
- Texas’ 2021 abortion ban enforces pregnancy after six weeks and awards a $10,000 bounty to any private citizen who mounts a successful lawsuit against anyone suspected of obtaining or helping someone to obtain an abortion after that point. On 11 March 2022, the majority Republican-appointed Supreme Court blocked lawsuits against Texas officials over the ban. Backed by the Supreme Court, states passed more than 100 bills restricting abortion access in 2021.
- ‘Critical Race Theory’ has come under fire in states like Iowa, where legislation prohibits teaching ‘the US or state of Iowa is fundamentally or systemically racist or sexist’. Eight states have passed similar bills. These bills construct the narrative that the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests were the result of ‘discriminatory indoctrination’ in schools rather than struggle against real oppression.
- Florida’s proposed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill would ban discussion of ‘LGBT topics’ in schools, joining 20 similar laws around the country.
- On 21 February the Texas Attorney General and Governor proposed classifying gender-affirming treatment for trans youths as ‘child abuse’. Under Texas law, anyone failing to report abuse faces up to a year in jail, rising to two years for ‘licensed professionals’ such as teachers and doctors.
With the November midterm elections approaching, the Republicans rely on disenfranchising black and working-class voters. One Arizona proposal demonstrates the full toolkit: House Bill 2743 would end early voting, restrict mail-in voting, ban counties from providing drop sites for mail-in ballots, eliminate emergency voting centres, restrict the ID accepted for voting, and prohibit mask and vaccine mandates for voting centre staff.
The Voting Rights Lab identifies 25 states with proposals to restrict voter registration, 27 to toughen ID requirements, and 17 each to cut drop boxes and restrict absentee ballots. These measures complement extensive gerrymandering, triggered by the 2020 Census. Only one of Texas’s 38 redrawn districts is classified as ‘competitive’, down from six, according to polling analysts FiveThirtyEight. Alabama eliminated all black-majority districts. A lower court ruled this racially motivated, but the Supreme Court reinstated the map until its eventual ruling, expected after the midterms.
Defending empire
While balking at basic working class demands, Democrats unify to defend US imperialism. Over $1bn of weaponry has gone to Ukraine in the past year. The ‘defence’ budget has increased by $60bn over two years. US airstrikes continue from Syria to Somalia. Biden attacks workers around the world to pursue economic war against Russia, China, and Cuba. Sanctions and conflict lock up 28% of global wheat and 12% of crude oil as prices rise. Gasoline hit $4.33/gallon on 11 March, breaking the 2008 record of $4.10.
The Democrats have proven themselves to be the Party of Wall Street and the enemy of the working class. People need to take to the streets to oppose the rotten Biden administration.
Nate Simons
