Re: Trump organizing legal version of January 6th

"Marv Gandall via groups.io" <[email protected]> Sun, 02 Aug 2026 22:19:45 -0700
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On Sun, Aug 2, 2026 at 08:53 PM, Anthony Teso wrote:

>=20
> Marv=E2=80=99s strongest point is that we still use the term "Bonapartism=
" only
> because Marx did not live long enough to describe modern fascism. But tha=
t
> idea needs a real argument, not just a mention. What makes fascism
> different is not just its extremism, but how it creates a fighting force
> outside the state=E2=80=94a mobilized petty-bourgeois group that is organ=
ized
> separately and then brought into the state, destroying the workers=E2=80=
=99
> movement first.

Hi Tony. I believe I previously drew your attention to Bonaparte's reliance=
 on a fighting force outside the state to intimidate and suppress the worke=
rs and bourgeois democrats in the wake of their 1848 revolution. His 1851 c=
oup d'etat, his unleashing of the lumpenproletarian Society of December 10 =
, his assumption of dictatorial powers as Emperor, and his suppression of a=
ll independent institutions and democratic rights associated with bourgeois=
 democracy was a striking foreshadowing of fascism, not of the Trump admini=
stration.

As I noted earlier, you strip Bonapartism of these repressive features and =
focus on=C2=A0 corruption as its core characteristic in your attempt to ide=
ntify Trump as a "patrimonial Bonapartist".=C2=A0 However, the Trump admini=
stration is not unique; it is simply a more extreme and public expression o=
f the more circumspect favouritism bestowed on friends and family members, =
wealthy donors, and corporate lobbyists by all manner of bourgeois democrat=
ic governments.

Here again is the relevant passage from Marx's Eighteenth Brumaire about Bo=
naparte's use of a fighting force outside the state:

The French bourgeoisie balked at the domination of the working proletariat;=
 it has brought the lumpen proletariat to domination, with the Chief of the=
 Society of December 10 at the head. The bourgeoisie kept France in breathl=
ess fear of the future terrors of red anarchy =E2=80=93 Bonaparte discounte=
d this future for it when, on December 4, he had the eminent bourgeois of t=
he Boulevard Montmartre and the Boulevard des Italiens shot down at their w=
indows by the drunken army of law and order. The bourgeoisie apotheosized t=
he sword; the sword rules it. It destroyed the revolutionary press; its own=
 press is destroyed. It placed popular meetings under police surveillance; =
its salons are placed under police supervision. It disbanded the democratic=
 National Guard, its own National Guard is disbanded. It imposed a state of=
 siege; a state of siege is imposed upon it. It supplanted the juries by mi=
litary commissions; its juries are supplanted by military commissions. It s=
ubjected public education to the sway of the priests; the priests subject i=
t to their own education. It jailed people without trial, it is being jaile=
d without trial. It suppressed every stirring in society by means of state =
power; every stirring in its society is suppressed by means of state power.


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<div>On Sun, Aug 2, 2026 at 08:53 PM, Anthony Teso wrote:</div>
<div>
<blockquote>Marv&rsquo;s strongest point is that we still use the term "Bon=
apartism" only because Marx did not live long enough to describe modern fas=
cism. But that idea needs a real argument, not just a mention. What makes f=
ascism different is not just its extremism, but how it creates a fighting f=
orce outside the state&mdash;a mobilized petty-bourgeois group that is orga=
nized separately and then brought into the state, destroying the workers&rs=
quo; movement first.</blockquote>
Hi Tony. I believe I previously drew your attention to Bonaparte's reliance=
 on a fighting force outside the state to intimidate and suppress the worke=
rs and bourgeois democrats in the wake of their 1848 revolution. His 1851 c=
oup d'etat, his unleashing of the lumpenproletarian Society of December 10 =
, his assumption of dictatorial powers as Emperor, and his suppression of a=
ll independent institutions and democratic rights associated with bourgeois=
 democracy was a striking foreshadowing of fascism, not of the Trump admini=
stration.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>As I noted earlier, you strip Bonapartism of these repressive features=
 and focus on&nbsp; corruption as its core characteristic in your attempt t=
o identify Trump as a "patrimonial Bonapartist".&nbsp; However, the Trump a=
dministration is not unique; it is simply a more extreme and public express=
ion of the more circumspect favouritism bestowed on friends and family memb=
ers, wealthy donors, and corporate lobbyists by all manner of bourgeois dem=
ocratic governments.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Here again is the relevant passage from Marx's Eighteenth Brumaire abo=
ut Bonaparte's use of a fighting force outside the state:&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><em>The French bourgeoisie balked at the domination of the working pro=
letariat; it has brought the lumpen proletariat to domination, with the Chi=
ef of the Society of December 10 at the head. The bourgeoisie kept France i=
n breathless fear of the future terrors of red anarchy &ndash; Bonaparte di=
scounted this future for it when, on December 4, he had the eminent bourgeo=
is of the Boulevard Montmartre and the Boulevard des Italiens shot down at =
their windows by the drunken army of law and order. The bourgeoisie apotheo=
sized the sword; the sword rules it. It destroyed the revolutionary press; =
its own press is destroyed. It placed popular meetings under police surveil=
lance; its salons are placed under police supervision. It disbanded the dem=
ocratic National Guard, its own National Guard is disbanded. It imposed a s=
tate of siege; a state of siege is imposed upon it. It supplanted the jurie=
s by military commissions; its juries are supplanted by military commission=
s. It subjected public education to the sway of the priests; the priests su=
bject it to their own education. It jailed people without trial, it is bein=
g jailed without trial. It suppressed every stirring in society by means of=
 state power; every stirring in its society is suppressed by means of state=
 power.</em></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>


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