1/ Let’s take a break from refreshing Twitter and refresh ourselves on the experiences of this historic year thusfar: pandemic, police violence, protests and all. Thread below. #Recap2020 
2/ 2020 opened with the Trump administration’s assassination of Gen. Qassem Suleimani and the threat of all-out US war against Iran (over twice the population of Iraq).
In Trump’s State of the Union Address in February, both Democrats and Republicans applauded the assassination:
In Trump’s State of the Union Address in February, both Democrats and Republicans applauded the assassination:
3/ For years prior, world powers had been ever-more openly preparing for world war and nuclear conflict.
While global arms spending topped $1.9 trillion in 2019, health agencies were systematically starved of funds (in the US, by both Democratic and Republican administations).
While global arms spending topped $1.9 trillion in 2019, health agencies were systematically starved of funds (in the US, by both Democratic and Republican administations).
4/ In late March, after the outbreak became undeniable in the US, Trump claimed the pandemic was “unforeseen.”
Experts had been warning of the potential for a pandemic for years. (Image below from the US National Intelligence Council in 2008, p. 75: atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/upl…)
Experts had been warning of the potential for a pandemic for years. (Image below from the US National Intelligence Council in 2008, p. 75: atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/upl…)
5/ On March 27, the CARES Act gave banks and corporations a ~$1.2 trillion bailout. (For reference, the 2008 bailout was $700 billion.)
It’s even bigger than it sounds, because $454 billion of it was designed to be leveraged by the Fed into ~$4.5 trillion in loans and subsidies.
It’s even bigger than it sounds, because $454 billion of it was designed to be leveraged by the Fed into ~$4.5 trillion in loans and subsidies.
6/ Like 2008, the bailout was bipartisan. @BernieSanders voted for it in the Senate and @AOC and @RashidaTlaib did nothing to seriously oppose it in the House.
This was also around the time Sanders began to pack in his “political revolution” and pivot to supporting Joe Biden.
This was also around the time Sanders began to pack in his “political revolution” and pivot to supporting Joe Biden.
7/ To the ruling class, the pandemic was merely a financial crisis. After bailouts, all that was left was to get workers back to work.
Forget mass testing or contact tracing. Some factories would not have even closed had workers themselves not intervened: wsws.org/en/articles/20…
Forget mass testing or contact tracing. Some factories would not have even closed had workers themselves not intervened: wsws.org/en/articles/20…
8/ Fast-forward through two months of quarantine to Memorial Day 2020, the day police murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Within days, an unprecedented wave of multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-national protests had begun to sweep the globe. (Thread of videos below.)
Within days, an unprecedented wave of multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-national protests had begun to sweep the globe. (Thread of videos below.)
9/ Videos documenting a #PoliceRiot against protesters and journalists took over social media, leading many to create Twitter accounts for the first time.
Trump, whose fascistic Minneapolis rally was attended by hundreds of cops in October, incited and encouraged the violence.
Trump, whose fascistic Minneapolis rally was attended by hundreds of cops in October, incited and encouraged the violence.
10/ A week after Floyd’s murder, the Trump administration attempted to overthrow the US Constitution and establish a presidential dictatorship with the support of the military and the police.
Troops deployed in Washington, D.C., and Trump threatened to deploy them in the states.
Troops deployed in Washington, D.C., and Trump threatened to deploy them in the states.
11/ The effort collapsed, but not under opposition from the Democrats or the media. Rather, opposition came from within the military, which was not sufficiently prepared for a domestic invasion.
Sanders made no comment except to retweet the statements of top military figures.
Sanders made no comment except to retweet the statements of top military figures.
12/ Unable to transition to authoritarian rule, the US ruling class shifted strategy to containing to protests within #BlackLivesMatter through the promotion of racialist politics, designed to obscure the class character, and international character, of police violence.
13/ The pandemic was likewise international. Global anger over the lack of effective response played a significant role in the protests’ unprecedented scale.
But the protests have yet to expand their scope from police murder to opposing mass death as a matter of state policy.
But the protests have yet to expand their scope from police murder to opposing mass death as a matter of state policy.
14/ What is the way forward? Protests aren’t going away any sooner than police violence or the pandemic are going away.
Opposition to a return to in-person schooling, key to the back-to-work drive, is building among teachers and parents. (#notmykid #KeepSchoolsClosed)
Opposition to a return to in-person schooling, key to the back-to-work drive, is building among teachers and parents. (#notmykid #KeepSchoolsClosed)
15/ If I may, here at the end, offer the perspective of @WSWS_Updates (for which I write news articles and arts reviews):
The protests must develop into an international movement of the working class against capitalism and for socialism. wsws.org/en/articles/20…
The protests must develop into an international movement of the working class against capitalism and for socialism. wsws.org/en/articles/20…
16/ So much more could be said, but Twitter is a difficult medium. Some further reading from the archives:
1. “The decade of socialist revolution begins”: wsws.org/en/articles/20…
2. “Bernie Sanders draws his campaign to an end: The political lessons”: wsws.org/en/articles/20…
1. “The decade of socialist revolution begins”: wsws.org/en/articles/20…
2. “Bernie Sanders draws his campaign to an end: The political lessons”: wsws.org/en/articles/20…
17/ (cont.)
3. “Democrats unite with Trump to enact massive corporate bailout” (on CARES): wsws.org/en/articles/20…
4. “Coup d’état in Washington: Trump declares war on the Constitution”: wsws.org/en/articles/20… 🍄
3. “Democrats unite with Trump to enact massive corporate bailout” (on CARES): wsws.org/en/articles/20…
4. “Coup d’état in Washington: Trump declares war on the Constitution”: wsws.org/en/articles/20… 🍄
