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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Obama the Jacobin

Obama, the American Jacobin--Robespierre, Stalin, and Dzerzhinsky

Obama has been successful in his quest for power.

His political techniques were classic, directly from the pages of revolutionary manuals.

And I don't mean the American Revolution.

His political handlers, his political career, his political rhetoric, are models of socialist/communist methods.

True Believers March to the Front

The key, the communists learned, is to never tell the truth.

All communist rhetoric was calculated to appeal to the specific circumstances of the current situation.

They never revealed their true intentions to the uninitiated, the fellow travelers, the useful idiots.

Their appeals to the unitiated were full of generalized platitudes. No mention of specific policies or plans of action after they achieve power.

Obama's generalized platitudes?



American Jacobins March to the Front

Well, Obama has now achieved power.

What could be behind his platitudes?

Let's look at some historical precedents that called for Change, Hope, or Belief.

Before we do, though, let's look back at how others have solidified their power, especially when faced with an unruly, uncooperative legislative body, or uncooperative citizens.

The best example of uncooperative legislatures, and how the "Changers" deal with them, occurred in November 1917. Nationwide elections resulted in the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) finishing second in the legislative elections. The Communists, within days, "dissolved" the legislature. Thus began several years of bloody civil war. This civil war, and the Communists' techniques of mass arrests, summary executions, internments, and repression set the template for Communist rule in Russia for the next 70 years. The founder of the KGB, Felix Dzerzhinsky, perfected his techniques during this Crisis.

Comrade Dzerzhinsky, Change Strategist

A good example of uncooperative citizens, and how they are handled by "Changers" was post-Revolutionary France. After the Revolution, led by the Jacobins, severed the heads of aristocrats, its energies turned inwards.

A series of Crises brought about counter-revolutionary purges against the revolutionaries that were even bloodier than the original anti-elite blood-letting. Robespierre, architect of Change, lost his head.

Care for Some Change Citizen Robespierre? The Changer Loses His Head

The Jacobins, intellectuals who knew what was best for other citizens, used the street fighting Sans Culottes, to bring about Change. But in the end, the Sans Culottes had their own way. Once they had a taste of it, their lust for blood knew no bounds.

Robespierre's Sans Culottes

Obama's Sans Culottes

Although there are many real-world examples in history, these two are good for our purposes.

The goal here is to look at how "Changers" deal with the reality they find once they are in power. They come to power mouthing vague platitudes that mean all things to all people.

Once in power, it is impossible to make all their followers happy. One or another faction will be dissappointed. Their dissappointment causes them to turn against the "Changers." The Changers then turn on their ex-followers. Their revenge is nasty, bloody, and violent.

In both of the examples above, the Changers were able to use a "Crisis" to rationalize their crackdowns.

Is there a parallel here to Obama and his movement?

The parallel is striking.

How will this play out?

What is the crisis that the American Jacobins will declare requires action?

Joe Biden already provided a hint when he said, "Mark my words, within 6 months, we will face a major international crisis, testing this young President."

Gird your loins, friends.

A few quotations equating Change with Revolution:


This article is about revolution in the sense of a drastic change.

Also, from the early days of New Democracy, our first flyer calling for revolution: We Can Change The World.

Real change requires that we abolish a system based on wealth and power for the few and create society based on real democracy and hope for the many.

As we near the end of the twentieth century, many people have lost hope in the future. The reason for this loss of hope is that there seems to be no alternative to the capitalist system. Communism and socialism have failed. The idea of fundamental change--the idea of revolution--has been defeated by the reality of it.
HOPE AND REVOLUTION: A New Democracy Flyer[]

Hope in the future and belief in the possibility of fundamental change "belief in the possibility of revolution" are inextricably linked. The defeat of the idea of revolution has led to an end to the belief that human beings have the capacity to create a human world.
My purpose in this book is to show that we can triumph over the system to create a truly democratic society.


All Russian Extraordinary Commission, subsequently known by its Russian initials, Cheka. This organization was responsible for enforcing obedience to party and state decisions during the early days of the Revolution.

Terror is an absolute necessity during times of revolution.

The immediate cause of the February Revolution of 1917 was the collapse of the czarist regime under the gigantic strain of World War I. The underlying cause was the backward economic condition of the country, which made it unable to sustain the war effort against powerful, industrialized Germany.

the government's policy of postponing for future determination by a constituent assembly the solution of such pressing problems as economic disorganization, the continued food crisis, industrial reforms, redistribution of land to peasants, and the growth of counterrevolutionary forces.

Lenin then appealed over the head of the assembly to the people, claiming the workers' councils (the soviets) represented "a higher form of democratic principle." By January 1918 the assembly was completely demoralized, and it ceased to function.

Karl Marx's call for a dictatorship of the proletariat at the outset of any socialist regime in order to solve problems of social change from capitalism to socialism, was realized with considerable strength after Lenin sent troops to the Constituent Assembly in January 1918 to intimidate representatives.

The closure of the Constituent Assembly by Red Army units under Bolshevik command meant the end of the enduring dream of the Russian opposition that a Constituent Assembly might settle Russia's future.


1 comment:

AcePilot101 said...

Lenin of the former Soviet Union called for an alliance between socialists and Muslim radicals in 1924. Today there are in the White House and pursue the same goal, the destruction of capitalism. Obama is familiar with classic Marxism since his mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, was a member of the CPUSA and a close personal friend of Obama's grandfather, Stanley Dunham.
Obama's visit to Pakistan in 1981 clinched the deal, and he was funded by Islamic sources when he attended Harvard.