Some on the left, including too many communists, fail to understand that the struggle against Trump and Trumpism (MAGA) is the main form of the class struggle for the foreseeable future. It’s not a detour nor a retreat from class.

More to the point, the defeat of Trump and MAGA will not only open new opportunities to defend and expand democracy. It will also shift class relations in favor of the working class, deepen the pivotal class-democratic alliance of labor with its strategic allies, and give depth and complexity to class politics and consciousness. Not to see this dialectic, this mutual inter-dependency reveals a dogmatic cast of mind, a simplification of class and class dynamics, and a misunderstanding of marxism, including the theoretical and political insights of Lenin.

It is hard not to like the Western Conference Champion Denver Nuggets who swept the Lakers. But it is also hard not to appreciate the sustained greatness of 38 year old LeBron James. Last night he played all 48 minutes in a game 7 loss and registered these stats – 40 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals in the 20th year of his career. What other basketball player does that at that age? Two decades into their careers? If you’re answer is no one, you’re right! Even Kareem didn’t quite reach these lofty heights in his storied and long career.

I agree with Ezra Klein. I don’t think the Supreme Court will rule in favor of Biden if he chooses that option to resolve the present impasse over lifting the debt ceiling. Don’t kid yourself that the right wing majority will have a light bulb moment and, acting contrary to character, see the righteousness of Biden’s position on the one hand and the duplicity of the Republicans in Congress on the other.

Politics anytime, but, especially at this moment and in this era, when our democratic institutions, rights, and values are under unprecedented assault, when the MAGA crowd is itching to take us into the dungeon of extreme authoritarian rule, requires utmost political sobriety and tactical flexibility, an absence of wishful thinking, the limitations imposed on our side due to divided government, and, not least, an ability to control and frame the narrative in a language that millions easily understand.

At a concert last night featuring 3 amazing guitarists – Jim Weider, GE Smith, and Larry Campbell. The set list combined classical and jazz styles and arrangements into a rock and blues motif. Every song in the nearly 3 hour concert was a joy to listen to. Some included vocals, but ‘even where they did, the vocals didn’t dominate the piece. One without vocals was Sam Cooke’s, “A Change is Gonna Come.” The 3 guitarists were accompanied by a young and high energy drummer and a bass player.

Driving home I thought to myself that my $50 ticket was a steal.

Dogma is a tenacious thing, especially when reinforced by institutional pressures, favors, and sanctions. It discourages, even penalizes, independent thinking and inquiry beyond prescribed boundaries. In a changing world, like ours, in which new phenomena, patterns, challenges, and experiences are everywhere apparent, such a habit of mind and organization are obviously counterproductive.