PRESIDENT Obama’s State of the Union message saw the ‘lame-duck’ president, into the last period of his rule, seeking to convince US workers that the worst is behind them as far as the crisis of capitalism is concerned.
He said: ‘We are 15 years into this new century… But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before. And we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we’ve been in almost 30 years.’
He added, ‘America, for all that we have endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.’
There was not a word about the tens of millions of US workers who are now working part time and the tens of millions more who are seeking a doubling of the Minimum Wage to $15 an hour so that their children can eat and they can pay the rent.
These millions of workers are still organising mass strike actions against Walmart and throughout the fast food industry where workers continue to be superexploited.
Also, there was not a word about the police killings all over the USA and the insurrection that has been taking place in towns such as Ferguson, St Louis, against police violence and police killings.
In such places, workers compare ‘their police’ and their weaponry with the US forces that occupied Iraq and killed tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Again, there was no word about the closing down of that modern concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay where people are still being held and tortured, who have never been charged or tried, such as the UK resident, Shaker Aamer.
Instead, the man who has been in charge of the Frankenstein of US capitalism merely said: ‘It’s now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next 15 years and for decades to come . . .’
Try telling that to the one per cent – that is the bosses and the bankers who control the USA and make their millions out of the superexploitation of the US workers and the workers of the world.
He did in fact make clear that the US ruling class has already made up its mind about the future! He said: ‘And today, America is number one in oil and gas. America is number one in wind power … But as we speak, China wants to write the rules for the world’s fastest-growing region. That would put our workers and our businesses at a disadvantage. Why would we let that happen? We should write those rules. We should level the playing field. That’s why I’m asking both parties to give me trade promotion authority to protect American workers, with strong new trade deals from Asia to Europe that aren’t just free, but are also fair. It’s the right thing to do …
‘Of course, if there’s one thing this new century has taught us, it’s that we cannot separate our work here at home from challenges beyond our shores.’
This is why the USA is moving its main military forces into the Asia-Pacific region, to face up to China.
There is also the question of IS in the Middle East. Obama assured his audience: ‘We’re also supporting a moderate opposition in Syria that can help us in this effort, and assisting people everywhere who stand up to the bankrupt ideology of violent extremism … And tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorise the use of force against ISIL. We need that authority …’
And then there are the consequences of the US-organised coup in the Ukraine. On this issue, Obama was triumphal. ‘Last year, as we were doing the hard work of imposing sanctions along with our allies, as we were reinforcing our presence with frontline states, Mr Putin’s aggression, it was suggested, was a masterful display of strategy and strength. That’s what I heard from some folks. Well, today, it is America that stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated with its economy in tatters. That’s how America leads …’ Nobody at home or abroad messes with US imperialism!
However, US and world imperialism are heading for a massive fall, at the hands of the working people in the period ahead. Forward to the victory of the world socialist revolution!
