Reposted from RefuseFascism.org

From the National Refuse Fascism Team: The Stakes in the Impeachment of Donald Trump and the Struggle to Remove the Trump/Pence Regime…

January 24, 2020 | revcom.us

 

From the Refuse Fascism National Team to Refuse Fascism Chapters:

January 23, 2020

The following are key points for the next week.

[1] The Impeachment of Donald Trump is now the focal point of the struggle to remove the Trump/Pence regime. This provides the most favorable ground now to advance the program of Refuse Fascism and #OUTNOW! which is mass sustained non-violent protest in cities and towns across the country. A leaflet from the LA Chapter writes:

What’s happening with impeachment? Isn’t it a done deal?

“In December, Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives on two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for pressuring Ukraine to help rig the 2020 election and then refusing to cooperate with a legal-constitutional investigation. There is now a trial taking place in the Senate to determine whether or not Trump should be convicted and removed from office. In the Senate trial, the Republican Party is trying to ram through a sham trial and a fast acquittal – not even allowing witnesses or new evidence that has been revealed in the last few weeks. Witnesses and evidence that could not only prove Donald Trump’s guilt but also implicate Vice President Pence, Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and several others at the highest levels of this regime.”

Stop being a spectator. It’s time to show up now – when it counts!

“If this impeachment process gets shut down it will green light a fascist who claims this is nullifying his election while he has been caught red-handed rigging the next one, demolishing the separation of powers and the rule of law. It will further unleash this President who has threatened to jail his political opponents, attacks the press as the enemy, who has set up concentration camps for immigrants, openly supports white supremacists and is rallying into the streets armed mobs of his supporters calling for civil war. Trump has threatened not to leave office even if he loses the 2020 election. This is not something YOU can sit out. History will ask what you did when there was a chance to stop him.”

There are real stakes in this Senate trial of Trump. Most important is if he is acquitted, which is now the likely outcome – especially absent a mass outpouring of the people, he will feel vindicated and seek to exact revenge with a vengeance. At the same time, the attention of big sections of liberal and “progressive” people will “move-on” to the primaries and the elections, acting even more oblivious to the sharpening stakes of fascism unfolding – not only the possibility of Trump winning, but possibly refusing to leave office and the specter of a thoroughly enraged fascist base. And, undoubtedly many others will be demoralized. The point: there is a moment to seize now.

There are also stakes in the content of the impeachment beyond Trump’s “cheating” in the next election and threats against his ruling class opponents, stakes that have to do with shredding of the separation of powers – concentrating tremendous unchecked power in the fascist regime. And, the rule of law – such as it has been – will be seriously undermined with objective truth and evidence once again, shown to not matter.

Even worse, and critical to our seizing this moment to mobilize, all of the crimes of the Trump/Pence regime will be further validated and accelerated as the regime claims victory. But here is the rub – if people are called forward to act now in response to the impeachment trial to bring forward the deeply felt interests of humanity, and not only the constitutional issues that are the terms of the Democrats' impeachment indictment, and do so by getting in the streets to demand Trump’s removal for the full fascist program, that could shake things loose – including in the impeachment itself.  We should recognize that when the processes and institutions are not working, when the fascists blatantly refuse to consider evidence and even go so far as to practically announce the verdict ahead of the trial, and, on the other hand, the Democrats are arguing their focused and narrow case with vigor and facts, but concede at the same time that they will likely lose even as their political necks are on the line, and yet they still refuse to mobilize masses of people to act in the interests of humanity, then that holds the potential of a moment when it could be possible for people to break out of their complacency and complicity.

Consider what the impact would be if masses of people were gathering daily outside the Capitol in DC demanding removal for what is spoken to in the Call for #OUTNOW!:

Concentration camps on the border… environmental devastation accelerated… war, even nuclear war, threatened… white supremacist rule… fascist mobs and racist mass murderers… truth and science erased… the right to abortion near gone… the rule of law and democratic and civil rights stripped away…

If this started next week with hundreds drawing forward thousands outside the Capitol in DC where the eyes of the world will be focused on the outrageous cover up and sham trial, as the Democrats put forth more evidence – and if, at the same time, masses of people were standing up with the people’s evidence of the Trump/Pence regime’s crimes this then has the potential to light a political fire that not only swings the impeachment trial to admit evidence, witnesses etc., but can move even more masses of people into mass sustained non-violent action. And, yes, this can and should spread to cities and towns across the country, but we should recognize that the struggle is now principally focused in DC. Think about the difference it would make if the news was forced to show the crowds of people demanding that this regime be sent packing. Consider too how people here and all around the world who have been wondering what’s wrong with the people in the U.S. for going along with fascism would take heart and build even more pressure for our demand.

Yet, even as the Democrats and their mass groups (Move-On/Indivisible, etc.) have thus far not mobilized the people except to donate funds to them for advertising and to call and lobby key senators, RefuseFascism has found that masses of people at marches and in the streets have expressed broad sentiment for “Trump/Pence Out NOW!” which for many encompasses the desire for a “fair” impeachment trial so that people can hear the evidence and witnesses. There could be a moment here. It’s on us to push on it.

[2] The key focuses now are the MASS MEETINGS ON SUNDAY JANUARY 26. People should come and discuss the impeachment battle and the need for the people to act from below, now. Funds should be raised to send volunteers to DC, calls in schools, places of worship, street corners, and on the media/social media to go to DC. Funds are needed by RefuseFascism/#OUTNOW! to sustain DC efforts. Organize people right on the spot to raise the funds, and send people from their chapters to the team now in DC.

And, mass work and protests should go on all over.

 [3] MASS DAY OF PROTEST & ACTION NEXT WEEK: We will be calling for a mass protest focused in DC with actions around the country on the day before the vote for witnesses and evidence to be admitted. This will likely be either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. The team in DC will be sending out daily dispatches keeping people up on what’s happening, arousing people to come to DC and take to the streets to demand the conviction and removal of Trump, and going to demand the indictment and removal of the whole regime.

To paraphrase John Lennon, people may say we are dreamers, but we aren’t the only ones – what we are putting forward expresses the deeply felt desire of millions of people. There are no guarantees but this is the time. And, DC is a place to be.

From the National Refuse Fascism Team

 

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