United States | News & Politics

It seems self-evident that political power resides in possessing leverage within the system. Society is not monolithic with everyone sharing identical aspirations. Given our economic framework, there are two distinct classes with competing interests - business owners strive to maximize profits and minimize expenses, while workers want to secure higher pay and benefits. These classes have inherently conflicting objectives. Meanwhile, private ownership creates a power imbalance where wealthy individuals who control businesses exert substantial influence over politics due to their ability to fund campaigns, lobbying efforts, and media coverage. As such, politicians are incentivized to cater to the interests of the capital-owning class for electoral success.

Furthermore, workers lack any tangible leverage in this system. The extent of our influence is limited to casting votes, but when all viable candidates are backed by wealthy interests, we're left with a false choice. As Marx famously observed, "The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them." This reflects the harsh reality that workers face in an economic system where their voices often go unheard and interests are consistently overshadowed by those of capital owners.

Historically, workers have sought to establish leverage through collective action such as unionizing, engaging in strikes, protests, and other forms of direct action. However, today the rate of unionization is dismally low, and many existing unions struggle with issues like poor leadership and a lack of principled direction. This diminishes their capacity to effectively advocate for workers' rights and negotiate fair wages and benefits in an environment where capital owners continue to hold significant political sway.