Words often fail to capture the various moods and conditions of man. Often times, certain writers see fit to create their own terms or labels to make sense of a wide range of events, some seeming to be senseless, others having obvious profound implications.
When it comes to the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election, in Black Label Detroit's opinion, this outcome is one of those events that is a mix between those two extremes. This publication can suggest this controversial opinion because, upon further analysis, it is a repeat of historical events that have been scrutinized and analyzed for both as long as the modern nation-state has existed and the recent initial rise of "Global Trumpism" to quote Scottish political economist Mark Blyth that occurred in the mid 2010s. The undying specter of Reactionary politics sees fit to rear it's ugly head when we least expect it, and, when it does appear in obvious form, it often becomes too late to do anything to halt it's march into power.
The first obvious comparison to the result of this election is the 2016 Presidential Election, where, being caught off guard by a "shy Trumper" effect and numerous polls forecasting a landslide win, a man who had no history within political office somehow triumphed over one of the most "qualified" political insiders that the American system of government had ever created, Hillary Clinton. Now, Donald Trump has reshaped the political landscape of America forever.
The next political event that deserves a comparison to Trump's victory in this election, is a deep cut, but this publication promises that it provides a valuable insight to what has just happened: the rise to power of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte and his overthrow of the Second French Republic in 1851. The point of this comparison isn't to suggest that Donald Trump will, like Louis Napoleon, throw away the established democratic norms of elected office, instead, it is to illustrate just how many different competing factions in American society either impishly failed to stop Trump's rise to power, or, directly enabled him to seemingly "come out of nowhere" and win office with the cards stacked against him.
Louis Napoleon was the first president elected by a popular vote in modern history, there exists a book, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, that details how this unassuming man who was thought to be weak and a political pushover would, over a short period of time, would use the perceptions against him to craft a coup that would end the Second French Republic before it got to start. The book in question that catalogues this political transformation was written by the infamous political theoretician Karl Marx. You don't have to subscribe to totally be lock-step in line with Marx's views about revolutionary classes or their failure to stop Louis Napoleon from ascending to power, however, Marx does put his analysis of class conflict into a useful frame which allows the reader to see just what went wrong with all of the various factions vying for control of the state and what exactly allowed Louis Napoleon to successfully crown himself as the new emperor of the French.
It's only after reading The Eighteenth Brumaire where one could gain a lucid understanding of the factions within American democracy that floundered and made way for Trump's victory: the Republican party impishly attempted to find an "electable" alternative to him and during the Republican primary, almost every single candidate attempted to "out-Trump" Donald Trump himself, only to face humiliation, defeat, and capitulation towards Trump, lending their insignificant support only after it was plainly obvious that he would win the Republican primary in a landslide. Never Trump Republicans used the laws of the United States government as a weapon to delegitimize Trump within the eyes of the public by making him a first-time felon, which only added to his status as an underdog. The news media unceasingly covered every single action, gaffe, and word that came out of Trump's mouth in a paradoxical effort to silence his groundswell of support. And, the Democratic party spent millions of dollars and campaign resources to amplify whatever Trump was saying or doing in order to pick an "easy battle to win" and yet, ended up enabling the exact same man they sought to defeat.
It would serve the readers of this publication well to point out that Trump's victory will trigger a broader shift within American society. That isn't to say that this shift will make more disenchanted voters side with radicals in the future, as the route towards Leftist Radicalism isn't a clearcut and defined line, instead, this shift that Black Label Detroit is forecasting will instill the same type of apathy and skepticism towards American institutions like elections that's present on the political Right. Trump's second term in office will almost assuredly mark the waning of his popularity, so, with both wings of the American political system disengaged and underserved, it represents a key opportunity for Radicals to come up with ways to instill support for Revolutionary Democracy within the decrepit and sclerotic state.
Cities such as Detroit will be on the "front line" within these supposed "battleground" states when it comes to rejuvenating civic engagement and developing new institutions. That work will be needed in order to avoid a terminal decline in support for democratic politics. While Trump's first election victory in 2016 shocked the creator of Black Label Detroit and sent them down a path of political radicalization through those years in the political wilderness, his 2024 victory will only solidify the lessons that needed to be learned from his past administration.
The specific reforms and policies that must be presented to the people are various and complex, however, once in place, politics will be sure to change for the better for as long as the Republic exists. And changing the Republic into a true Democracy should be the goal of all Radicals and Revolutionaries. That's why, from this day forward, Black Label Detroit will be focusing it's efforts on Municipal Parliaments and their potential to change politics from the ground up.
We live to fight another day.
in solidarity🫡,
Black Label Detroit.
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