Obama’s jobs plan: Republicans are calling it class warfare, Obama is defending it as simple math. Well I never thought I’d say it, but on this one I might have to side with the Republicans. I know, Paul Ryan’s opposition to the plan is reactionary and hysterical nonsense. But when it comes to naming the situation, at least he’s honest.
The problem that I have with Obama’s ‘it’s not about class’ defense is that it confuses his approach to the issue of economic inequality. It is discouraging to watch him carry on such an outspoken campaign for economic justice and refer to himself as a ‘warrior for the middle class,’ to then hear him contradict himself in his own defense and deny this initiative a place in his economic strategy. Rather than strengthening his position on economic inequality, Obama’s appeal to objective calculations actually detracts from what is otherwise a commendable attempt at reconfiguring class politics at a federal level.
In my frustration, I find the Republican approach rather refreshing simply in that it calls attention the issue of class politics in Obama’s budget plan. Of course, it is no surprise that this affected Republican outcry has left out an enormous piece of the story, conveniently distracting attention away from their own stakes in an ongoing struggle. As Anthropologist David Graeber recently commented on Democracy Now!: “generally speaking, when you hear a Republican talk about class warfare, you know they’re waging it.”
The truth is that class warfare is being waged every day on behalf of America’s wealthy. We just don’t see it because it is otherwise invisible, ingrained in our political and economic system. It is not a mistake that the federal tax system favors the highest earning individuals and corporations, nor can the promise of reinvestment and corporate expansion be used to defend these tax breaks as an economic necessity.
I think that Obama’s plan has the potential to correct for policies which have historically buttressed economic injustice. I applaud the plan for calling attention to some of America’s worst institutionalized economic discrepancies, and I can also applaud the Republicans for naming class as a political issue in this debate. I just wish Obama would stop being so afraid to join in the conversation.
