"There is a network of corporate power around the world which used to be largely U.S. but now is increasingly multinational in nature, combining with powerful State corporations like those found in Russia, China, even Brazil; and with Trump you see the possibility for the first time ever of a "New World Order" that involves an even closer than before merger between the corporation and the State; and even possibly a certain kind of coming together among Moscow, Washington and Beijing together with the Fortune 500 essentially an alliance of the strong against the weak - which has the potential to devastate the world even more than the previous eras have; especially when it comes to things like extinction, pulling off all constraints on climate change and corporate exploitation, destroying democratic institutions, crushing labor, closing open media channels and channels of dissent. If Trump and the American Republicans have their way, I think there could be a convergence towards a kind of authoritarian state capitalism on which the three big powers and the worlds corporations more or less agree..." Allan Nairn - Winner of The George Polk Award for Journalism and Magazine Reporting
This lengthy quote from Mr. Nairn stated during a recent interview seems of chief importance now that corporate power has reluctantly found its newest leader in the unlikely person of Donald Trump. In a short series of articles written during the last presidential election cycle, I questioned the selection of either Mr. Trump or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton because both in my view are merely front persons for a looming state of global affairs very likely to present our final opportunity to create a truly democratic way of life. Recently, it appears a growing number of people are also becoming concerned, with sales of George Orwell's classic "1984" surging following a new kind of “doublespeak” from the Trump Administration with terms like "alternative facts" and a new kind of White House adviser in the person of Stephen Miller, whose tendency to speak in near absolutist terms can cause one to remind oneself that 2+2 indeed equals 4 and not 5... just in case...
But the issue now isn't solely about who occupies the White House but more about what happens to world order going forward. Lest we forget, an extremely corporate Republican party is in near complete power now, both in Washington and across the country and seeks to take its corporate gloves off.
To understand where this may take us, a brief summary of where we have been seems in order.
According to M.I.T. Professor Emeritus Noam Chomsky (arguably the most quoted public intellectual in the world), there have been essentially two periods of real democratization in our American public life: the early 1930's; and the 1950's through the early 1970's. The former saw the rise of labor unions and the Socialist party and the latter the rise of civil rights/protests movements, the Great Society Programs and public interest groups like those inspired by Ralph Nader. In 1971, after the second of these periods, the US corporate sector responded with "a call to arms" aimed at permanently preventing the general public from ever "getting out of hand again". This was implemented through a series of tactics outlined in a strategy paper penned by eventual US Supreme Court Justice (then corporate attorney) Lewis Powell to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - now famously referred to as the "Powell Memo".
Although certainly not their preferred choice (as mentioned earlier) and despite his promises to the American working class, Mr. Trump is already acting to cement the goals of this memo and eradicate the vast expansion of regulatory power and consumer protections enacted during that “second period”. This expansion placed stringent restrictions on corporate practices in areas like occupational safety and the environment. In reaction, Powell wrote that “corporate strength lies in organization, in careful long- range planning and implementation, in consistency of action over an indefinite period of years, in the scale of financing available only through joint effort, and in the political power available only through united action and national organizations."
And from that point to this, corporate power has infiltrated and captured virtually every democratic institution of American life - from universities and national media to the two major political parties and the White House itself. And now, it will complete its task, beginning with Mr. Trumps recent executive order calling for the complete overhaul of the Dodd-Frank "Wall Street Reform Act" and continue the inexorable assault on public interest protections detailed in Lewis' Memo.
Moreover, if the new president doesn't manage to impeach himself, Mr. Trump will move to hyper-militarize both international and domestic spending utilizing an increase in military disbursements monetized by the lifting of the congressional budget sequester cap.
So, what can "We the People" do to stop this?
We can respond by "getting out of hand again" but this time through an implementation of a blueprint similar to the Powell Memo with twists...call it a kind of Powell Memo 4.0. Our first imperative is to educate ourselves on what the memo specifies so we can better understand what the corporate sector prioritizes . The second is to accept that this ain't the sixties and we'll need to 're-create" not "re-enact". Old school maneuvers will be met with new school ruthlessness in ways we've not even dared to imagine. So we’ll need to take our time and do this thing right. Almost simultaneously, a strategic unification of all the people into a united front must occur. One which includes: Bernie progressives, people of color, the gay and similar communities, leftists of all sorts and yes, the Trump voter, who will soon realize "The Donald's" true corporate function. Moreover, we’ll need to involve international activists fighting against other long-time oppressive regimes who are aware of tactics we are not. This global inclusion is directly proportionate to the multinational global threat we face.
While this multi-pronged approach may require more time and development than the period between now and the next election might allow, we must absolutely be careful to scrutinize and revolutionize the ways, means and priorities - including the leadership - of our response. Then initiate this or a similar unified strategy which focuses on recapturing our democratic institutions co-opted by the Powell Memo successes. If we can optimally flesh out and realize such a strategy, we may very well save ourselves from a dark and dystopian future.