Tragedy in Arizona
THE ATTACK on Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of
six people is a warning to working people about the serious political
danger involved in the rise of the extreme right wing. Commenting on
Jared Loughner’s assassination attempt against Congresswoman Giffords on
8 January, when he seriously injured her, killed six others and injured
another 13 people, Andrew Sullivan, a conservative blogger wrote: "There
is no way to understand the politics of this without Palin. She has long
been the leader of the movement that drapes itself in military garb,
that marinates in violent rhetoric, that worships gun culture, that has
particular ferocity in the state of Arizona, and that never ever
apologises for anything" (Guardian, 11 January)
Since January 2009, when Barack Obama took the oath
of office, there have been (excluding this attack) at least seven
separate cases of political murder and dozens of attacks by unhinged
right-wingers. The reason why there have been so many killing sprees can
be attributed to the deep economic crisis, as well as the rise of
extremist right-wing rhetoric in the mass media. It is important to note
that during the recent midterm elections, sections of the Tea Party
movement and at least one Republican senatorial candidate called
publicly for a ‘Second Amendment solution’ to the political issues: the
use of firearms.
It should also be noted that the killing spree took
place in Arizona, site of the extreme right-wing, ‘deport them all’
immigration bill, SB 1070. This law would target not only immigrants but
also those who looked ‘suspicious’ of being undocumented. This
contributed to the atmosphere of racism and tension in this state.
In a period of unprecedented economic crisis and
mass unemployment, right-wing demagogues like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck,
Bill O’Reilly and Michael Savage, among many others, have used Rupert
Murdoch’s Fox News and the vast right-wing network of corporate-funded
radio programmes and blogs to target immigrants, homosexuals,
socialists, public-sector workers, unions and progressive activists.
The New York Times and Fox News both reported that
22-year-old Loughner may have links to a white supremacist website
(Suspect’s Odd Behaviour Caused Growing Alarm, NYT, 10 January). Other
evidence points to connections between Loughner and extreme right-wing
influences, including references to "treasonous" laws by the government,
currencies not backed by gold, the "second" US constitution, government
mind control, etc.
It is true that many of Loughner’s ideas are
delusional and deranged, more laced with conspiracy theories than
overtly political. But that is not the whole story. Crucial to
understanding these events is the political climate. Giffords, a Jewish,
conservative Democrat, had just won a close election against a
right-wing extremist, Tea Party candidate. According to the New York
Times, there had been threats of violence, including smashing the
plate-glass window of her Tucson office last March, because Giffords
supported Obama’s healthcare bill, and opposed Arizona’s racist
anti-immigrant profiling law. Due to these threats, Giffords had said
that she was armed and would defend herself if attacked.
At his first press conference, the sheriff of Pima
County, Clarence Dupnik, spoke openly of the "the vitriol and rhetoric
that we hear day in and day out from the people in the radio business
and some people in the TV business," which he said was related to the
attack. Referring to racist measures against immigrants, he said that
the state of Arizona has "become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry".
The sheriff was referring to the anti-immigrant hysteria and the
activities of armed vigilantes along the border with Mexico. The
response of the state’s right-wing media to Dupnik’s comments was to
brazenly denounce him and call for his resignation!
The New York Times commented that, while it would be
"a mistake" to attribute Loughner’s actions to Republicans or the Tea
Party, "it is legitimate to hold Republicans and particularly their most
virulent supporters in the media responsible for the gale of anger that
has produced the vast majority of these threats, setting the nation on
edge".
Commenting on the massacre, Murdoch’s Wall Street
Journal wrote in an editorial that Loughner was "mentally disturbed",
"confused" and had targeted Giffords simply because she was "prominent".
Fox News, which has been at the forefront of inciting demagogic, hateful
and inflammatory rhetoric, denied any responsibility for the massacre.
It even demanded that Obama denounce those who want to blame anyone
other than Loughner for the violence, as if he had acted in a vacuum.
In its editorial, the New York Times (9 January)
wrote that Loughner "is very much a part of a widespread squall of fear,
anger and intolerance that has produced violent threats against scores
of politicians and infected the political mainstream with violent
imagery". This has given rise to a populist, right-wing phenomenon
within the Republican Party, as was shown in the gains it made in the
midterm elections on the basis of demagogic attacks. The right-wing
propaganda by Fox News, the Tea Party, candidates like Michele Bachman
and Sarah Palin against immigrants and unions has escalated as sections
of the ruling class strive to deflect blame for the crisis, create
scapegoats and try to forestall united struggles of the working class.
While Obama and the Democrats call for unity and
make appeals against violence, they are sending drones to kill civilians
in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are called on to salute the ‘bravery’ of
all politicians. Meanwhile, they slash education and child care and
oversee a system that offers little hope for a decent future for people
or the environment. Corporate domination and their political puppets are
all to blame for a sick culture that creates isolation, alienation,
violence and fear.
According to the FBI, there was a 300% increase in
threats against members of Congress in 2010, and over 1,000 death
threats a month against Obama. In 2009, the Department of Homeland
Security warned that "right-wing extremism" was increasing because of
the economic downturn and the election of the first African American
president. It pointed to the recruitment of returning vets into
right-wing extremist organisations.
The bigoted, hysterical, anti-Muslim attacks are now
in the mainstream media and the Republican establishment, as could be
seen just before 11 September last year when there were several
instances of arson, bombings and vandalism against mosques in Tennessee,
Texas and Florida, as well as the stabbing of a Muslim cabdriver in New
York City. Hate crimes against Latinos increased 53% from 2003 to 2009
as right-wing demagogues like Lou Dobbs and Bill O’Reilly lied about the
"illegal alien crime wave" and conspiracy theories about plans from
Mexico to take over parts of the US.
The Tucson shooting was not a random event. It is a
warning to working people about the serious political danger involved in
the rise of the extreme right-wing and the need to challenge its racist,
militarist and anti-worker propaganda. Because of the massive
disappointment with the policies of the Democrats, there is a serious
danger that the pro-corporate, well-organised, billionaire-funded Tea
Party will continue to build its forces across the country. Although the
far-right will be undermined by this event, initially, it will become a
battering ram against the interests of working-class people who have
suffered the most from the economic crisis.
The Democrats and the liberal left have shown that
they are incapable of solving the problems like mass unemployment and
cuts in services which are fueling the "squall of anger". Furthermore,
the Democrats are incapable of taking on the Tea Party by exposing its
corporate backing because they are also funded by the same corporate
system.
Serious workers and young people recognise the
danger that the rise of the Tea Party represents and the need to
confront its ideas. The Democrats cannot do it. It is urgent to call on
unions, immigrant workers’ organisations, anti-war groups, anti-cuts
coalitions and socialists to organise rallies and demonstrations against
the Tea Party, exposing its true backers and their racist, militaristic,
pro-corporate propaganda.
This should go hand-in-hand with mass campaigns to
oppose the avalanche of budget cuts in education, healthcare and
services coming on the state and city level. We need to prepare to run
left candidates to put forward an independent, working-class, fighting
programme of good jobs, full benefits and an end to wars and racist
scapegoating. In this way, we can start to deal with the real source of
the enormous social discontent that is increasing in the US because of
the devastation in the lives of tens of millions of ordinary people as a
result of the crisis of capitalism.
Alan Jones,
