Make no mistake, the election of the far right wing, racist, xenophobic simpleton Donald Trump is a defeat. And like all defeats, it is a bit demoralizing. This is showing already in the recriminations that are already floating around – recriminations against Jill Stein and the Greens for splitting the vote, recriminations against white male voters… More bitterness is certain to come.

None of that matters anymore. All that matters is how to organize to resist, how to fight back. And one thing we have to admit: While the resistance to the ravages of capitalism has made some positive steps, overall we have to reassess what we’ve done. We have to think about what to do differently.

Racism, Xenophobia and Class Appeal
Yes, racism and xenophobia were a major part of Trump’s campaign and he wouldn’t have won without it. But in an ironic way, so was his class appeal – all his talk about job losses and his promises to bring those good paying jobs back home. And the fact that it’s been largely lacking in the resistance so far has left that field wide open to Trump.

Unions
That brings us to the union movement and its leadership, which is strangling that movement. Anytime a resistance builds, the union leadership will do its best to either strangle or tame that resistance. So the resistance has to involve the struggle to change the unions. It’s impossible to fight to change the unions’ position on, for instance, Standing Rock, without linking that to the leadership’s role in betraying the membership every day on the job. The reason is that the change in the bigger policies can’t be won without an upsurge from below, and the great majority of union members won’t get involved in their union unless they see something in it for them in a very direct way, meaning unless they see a chance that they can make their union fight the boss for them. Simple as that.

“The Prospect of Hanging…”
As they say, the prospect of hanging helps concentrate the mind wonderfully.

So today, Wednesday Nov. 9, is Day One. From Day One we have to organize to fight back, building (let’s hope) into one massive, general day of resistance on January 20, inauguration day. Make it nation-wide and in fact international. Let’s build the resistance beyond just the “usual suspects” — get out into the working class communities, the community colleges and high schools and build a movement that can shut down the country. And then go on from there. Bring all the issues together. Bring the movement together.

One nationwide, in fact one international movement, against racism, xenophobia, sexism and economic exploitation. In other words, one international movement against capitalism.