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I've been instructed by Noam Chomsky and others that if I fail to support the Democrats' nominee for president, I will be casting a vote for the Fascist government of the most dangerous man in human history, Donald Trump. Chomsky is convinced--or at least he argues strenuously--that, to a certainty, the nation will fare worse under Trump than under a Democrat, presumably, the prior vice-president Joseph Biden.
Lots of people, including me, have been in agreement with most of what Chomsky has said about events and conditions, mindful always of our obligation to act in consonance with principle. Conviction may be the only value that unites all Chomsky acolytes. That's why his advice won't have much practical effect on us. For most, a vote for Biden is an offense against principle.
Biden's problem is sociopathy. His personal conduct and his record on matters of public policy tell us he is conscienceless. Dishonest, ambitious, self-serving, vain, and predatory, he projects as villainous a public image as any stereotype of fiction. On questions of war and peace, social justice, and business regulation, he has repeatedly taken the side of profiteers and dismissed the concerns of the general public.
Biden's case is exemplary. Some might say he has risen to exalted positions of authority despite his disposition to lie and cheat. More likely is that his facility with lying and cheating helped him rise. If we ask what characteristics and personal advantages contribute to political success, two qualities stand out: the ability to tell people what they want to hear and a desire for power over others. Politics is something felons can do instead of street crime. Personal integrity is a burden few political figures bear for long.
Biden is the model for Democrats, just as Trump is the model for Republicans. If the latest voice vote on the six-trillion-dollar transfer payment to rich people is any guide, our central government is a racketeering outfit, and every senator, every representative, every aide, every bureaucrat, every lobbyist, and every political reporter is culpable. That may be why Biden garners so much support among public officials and the press. Buck the authority figures in this racket, and you will pay a price. Just ask any Sanders voter.
Does Chomsky really believe what he's saying? He knows it's fatuous to predict disaster or its opposite or anything in between. He can't be certain a Trump victory won't energize the forces of social justice and bring about a quicker resolution of the property question: who owns what. Biden might be able to buy time for the USA to continue trashing the rest of the world, while Trump's re-election could prompt a worldwide rejection of US hegemony. Neither Trump nor Biden (nor any other political figure, for that matter) is capable of managing the chaos that is now driving private enterprise and public policy. With Trump in charge, maybe for life, might the rest of the world decide to unload dollars and cause an interruption of the international cash flow to rich people?
Chomsky must know that when your entire organization is run by mobsters, it makes little difference which mobster sits at the head of the table, and that's why his advice is silly. Certainly, there are differences between one crime family and another, but, in this case, neither is capable of responsible government. The entire structure, legislative, judicial, executive and commercial, is corrupt to the core. Chomsky should concede that the greater of two evils may be preferable in this case, because the greater evil is more likely to get knocked off.
Chomsky's dream of a mass movement toward peace and social justice can't be realized by people who follow his electoral advice. Principle, after all, may be the only bond uniting any such movement, and we abandon principle if we allow ourselves to be terrorized by Democrats and Noam Chomsky.