In 1869 to 1877, we had Grantism. In 2017, we have Trumpism.
The corporatization of Grantism were Black Friday in 1869, the gold speculation ring of corruption in the departments of the Navy, Justice, war, Treasury, Interior, states and U.S. Postal Service.
Does this sound like Trumpism?
Also, nepotism was rampant with more than 40 family members getting government appointments.
Does this sound like Trumpism?
Many of Grant’s cabinet members were in continual transition and were of low standard.
Trump’s cabinet members are mostly billionaires or very rich and are all white, mostly men.
Grants private secretary, Orville E. Babcock, was negotiating treaties by bypassing the State Department.
Sound like Trump’s son-in-law selling Visas for $500,000 a piece to wealthy Chinese people, and other questionable conflict of interests.
The Babcock was accused in the Whiskey Ring Scandal of 1875, was a tax revenues conspiracy involving government agents, politicians, whiskey distillers, and distributors.
Sounds like some of Trump’s people
Trump has just finished his first 100 days, and he has both the House and Senate in Republican control, he has the Justice Department, the U.S. Supreme Court, he has vilified the press, bypassed the CIA, cut the State Department budget, and he is in the process of destroying the only healthcare most people have, he’s destroying the EPA, our food safety, clean water, our schools, climate change research, and giving law enforcement a free ride on some of their behavior.
Already, in his first 100 days, Trump makes President Grant look like a saint. Trump is already looking for a second term, running advertisements and holding campaign rallies in states that heavily supported him during the last election. He only goes where he feels safe.
Yes, they are coming for us. Workers need to have one another’s backs because no one else will. Neither the broader labor movement nor the Democratic party are prepared to meet the urgency of this moment. So it’s going to fall upon the rest of us to mount a real resistance against Trump’s authoritarian takeover. We’re going to have to get our hands dirty. I don’t care if you have a good, well-paying union job and you are in the middle class now—if you see a worker being dragged out of his workplace regardless of how skilled the job and potentially taken to another country, you should be ready to be there for that worker. When I.C.E. shows up, gather around and shame them into leaving. It has worked in other places. America is sleep walking into authoritarianism, and if there’s anyone out there who is a member of a labor union that is safe—at this point— and doesn’t think this applies to them. Understand that they just haven’t gotten to you yet. They’re coming for all of us. There are ...
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