The Consequences of the Loss of Leftism in American Political Life

It is almost unimaginable that I would find myself moved to write a brief blog entry on the consequences of the loss of Leftism in American political life; but, in the United States in the first decade of the 21st century, political and historical literacy has reached such a low ebb that one finds the terms "socialism" and "fascism" employed as synonyms in our popular discourse...And I doubt we've reached the bottom of the abyss of ignorance...

We must begin, then, with a definition of Leftism. Put simply: Leftism is the fundamental presumption that a primary function of a national government (if not THE primary function of such government) is to build and maintain an effective social welfare infrastructure for the benefit of its citizenry. In practice this means that it is the duty of the government to protect individuals--especially the weak and disadvantaged--from the predations of social groups.

Now, most governments around the world--including despotic ones--will at least give lip service to this notion and/or establish bureaucratic structures ostensibly designed to put it into action. And in many countries there are still active groups of citizens who advocate (even openly agitate) that their government conduct its business in accordance with this fundamental presumption.

The United States has earned the distinction of being one of the few countries on the planet where this presumption is exposed to open scorn by government officials as well as by individuals and groups in the private sector.

Today in the U.S., the fundamental presumption is that the national government's primary function is to recruit, train, and maintain a military apparatus which it deploys to protect and further the financial interests of private corporations.

Indeed, the militarized corporatocracy in the United States finances the political class which, in turn, invests a majority of the financial yield obtained from the population at large through taxation back into the corporatocracy through the military branch of the national government. It is a self-sustaining economic loop. If the weak and disadvantaged wish to benefit in some way from this economic loop, they must ally themselves in some fashion with its constituent actors.

It is not coincidental, therefore, that the economic crisis generated by the private banking sector has proved to be a boon for military recruitment.

In ancient Rome, when the Republic was replaced by the Empire, a similar socio-economic process has been observed:

"In Rome's early days the army was a militia composed of citizen-farmers who went back to their fields as soon as a campaign was over. However, the responsibilities of empire meant that soldiers could no longer be demobilized at the end of each fighting season. Standing forces were required, with soldiers on long-term contracts. [During the time of ] Cicero's childhood the great general Caius Marius supplemented and largely replaced the old conscript army with a professional body of long-service volunteers. When their contracts expired, they wanted to be granted farms [the economy of the ancient world was built upon an agrarian base whereas our modern economy is built upon an industrial one that is evolving into a post-industrial one] and where they could settle and make livings for themselves and their families. Their loyalty was to their commanders, whom they expected to make the necessary arrangements, and not to the Republic." Anthony Everitt, Cicero (Random House, 2003), p. 17.

Such are the consequences of the loss of Leftism in American political life. Republic is replaced by empire; civilian rule a mere show. We live today under the dictatorship of a militarized corporatocracy.