Contrary to what is constantly proclaimed by representatives of this capitalist ruling class and its media (its propaganda machinery), the people in this country don’t “govern themselves”—they are “governed,” ruled over, by a class of capitalist exploiters. What is proclaimed as the heart and essence of this so-called “great democracy”—“the right of people to choose their leaders through free and fair elections”—really just comes down to the “right” to “choose” between political parties that represent the same system of capitalism-imperialism.

Bob Avakian, Revolution #17

Nowhere is this sharper than the “choice” we are increasingly being presented with around U.S. support for the genocidal war being waged by Israel against Palestine.

The War Must Stop NOW. Period.

More and more people urgently want this war to stop, and are acting on it. This was made clear once again last Thursday in New York City, when people disrupted a huge fundraiser for Genocide Joe Biden. This fundraiser also featured ex-presidents Barack “the Drone Ranger” Obama and Bill “the Incarcerator” Clinton. Obama angrily said to one protester, “You can’t just talk and not listen”—while Obama then did exactly that, relying on the police to bum-rush the protesters out of the hall.

Protests against these mass murderers must continue and intensify, wherever they go. Biden may voice “disagreements” with how Israel is conducting the war, but he has continued to send the massive amounts of bombs, artillery shells and the other means through which Israel has been killing off tens of thousands of Palestinians—including more than 12,000 children.

And who and what is the “alternative,” according to this system of democracy? Trump—who has told Israel to “finish the job.” Trump—whose son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner praised the “very valuable” potential of “Gaza’s waterfront property” and proposed “moving the civilians out and then going in and finishing the job.” Trump—whose ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, recently implied that the Palestinians in Gaza should be sent to Egypt. 

This War Is About Fundamental Imperialist Interests

Again, from Bob Avakian, BA:

Why is this happening? Because fundamental interests of U.S. capitalism-imperialism are at stake. Because Israel plays a “special role” as a heavily armed bastion of support for U.S. imperialism in a strategically important part of the world (the “Middle East”). And Israel has been a key force in the commission of atrocities which have helped to maintain the oppressive rule of U.S. imperialism in many other parts of the world.

Biden himself has virtually admitted this not just once, but over and over—literally saying at least five different times that “Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel.” Especially at a time when the position of the U.S. faces huge challenges from its rivals, these imperialists simply cannot afford for their attack dog Israel to suffer what might be perceived as a significant military or political setback.

This is not some betrayal of the “real ideals” of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party was not designed to be, and cannot be made to serve as, an instrument for the people. Thousands have tried, and none have succeeded. The Democratic Party does serve—and has over and over served—to draw people into pouring their hopes and energies into backing this or that “reformer,” while the larger capitalist-imperialist system grinds on. This grind includes as a core feature the heartless oppression of the Palestinian people and the truly horrific genocide to which the U.S., in league with and through Israel, is now subjecting them.

In short—what the Democratic Party is doing in Palestine is not a bug, it’s a feature. Today it is happening in Palestine—yesterday it was Iraq, and the day before that it was Vietnam. And the tolerance of “voices of dissent” (within the very narrow limits the Democrats allow) is fundamentally designed to draw you into the endless, suffocating maze of their “proper channels.”

The Real Choice

At the same time, there is a real reason to look at what is shaping up in the 2024 elections—though NOT in the way people have been trained to believe. While both the MAGA-Trump fascists and the genocide-committing Democrats represent imperialism, they have very antagonistic differences over how to understand and represent those interests. These differences boiled up in and after the last election, and they could very likely boil over in the fight around the coming election. That kind of conflict, to again cite Bob Avakian, could open up 

a chance that may come only once in a lifetime—a chance to take advantage of the deep divisions among the ruling oppressors and go after their whole system, with the aim of bringing the whole thing down, and putting something much better in its place. (Revolution Number Ten)

How this could happen—how the millions could be mobilized in these next few months and how the massive forces of this system’s violent repression could be defeated and dismantled—is exactly the subject of Bob Avakian’s social media posts one through eleven. 

And think of the worldwide impact of even a serious revolutionary attempt, let alone an actual victory (!), in this country—including but not limited to the people of Palestine. Really, take one minute and just think what it would mean to have this vicious, grinding boot off the necks of billions and billions of people. How can we afford to let such a chance pass? 

And how, if you are truly serious, can you afford to not seriously grapple with what is being put forward here?