By Owen Paine on Friday December 18, 2009 10:26 AM
Roots that grow down from corporate imperialism right in and among the working class -- here's old Lenin, taking aim (among others) at the venerable sage shown above:
"[Multinational] monopoly yields superprofits, i.e., a surplus of profits over and above the capitalist profits that are normal and customary all over the world. The capitalists can devote a part (and not a small one, at that!) of these superprofits to bribe their own workers, to create something like an alliance..."Obviously hyperbolic red agitation, eh? True only in the Biblical sense, so to speak.
But on the other hand, comrade, sometimes the literalness becomes rather sharp: note this conjuncture (reported in, of all places the best possible, the Weekly Workers Planet:
"The unemployment benefits extension the House plans to pass right away...Health-care subsidies for the jobless and food-stamp programs would also be extended. The extensions...will be combined with a $630 billion military spending bill which President Obama wants to sign into law by next week."
Comments (6)
To my eye, preventing upheaval is hardly an "alliance."
Lenin was a pretty major dunderhead, IMHO...
Posted by Michael Dawson | December 18, 2009 1:38 PM
Posted on December 18, 2009 13:38
Food stamps and police, now there's an ambitious social agenda.
Posted by Jay Taber | December 18, 2009 1:39 PM
Posted on December 18, 2009 13:39
2010 is gonna be a great year!
Posted by Son of Uncle Sam | December 18, 2009 1:40 PM
Posted on December 18, 2009 13:40
Lenin was a dunderhead? I've been studying the cat's writing for close to thirty years now I'm more surprised all the time at how penetrating the man's thought really was.
Posted by Michael Hureaux | December 18, 2009 4:10 PM
Posted on December 18, 2009 16:10
MH, what do you find penetrating in Lenin? I ask because I genuinely haven't found it myself. The imperialism stuff is cribbed from Hobson. The economics is way behind Veblen of the same era. And the political theory is Machiavelli without a prince and without even a nod to democracy, despite the 20th-century provenance.
I'm not not saying he's a dunce, and I'm not trying to reject Lenin for the sheer sake of it. But what have I missed?
Posted by Michael Dawson | December 18, 2009 6:14 PM
Posted on December 18, 2009 18:14
"been studying the cat's writing for close to thirty years now I'm more surprised all the time at how penetrating the man's thought really was. "
i agree
every re reading only sharpens
the knife more
he hardly needs my two cents thrown in
nor do either of u
i might suggest reading tons of lenin
not just the mountain tops
reading
what is to be done
state and revolution
imperialism
left wing communism
shows results not method
one needs to go into the shop with him to see the daring the focus the skill the nimbleness the pertinacity the industry etc etc
i'm not the guy to brake lances over lenin
it's like talking st paul to a jesuit
Posted by op | December 18, 2009 6:37 PM
Posted on December 18, 2009 18:37