‘US capital rules through its twin parties. It supports both.’ – The Militant

[....] There are differences in the Republican and Democratic parties, in my opinion, though not in the sense that J.M. takes as his point of departure — that the Republicans are more “reactionary” than the Democrats. This is an illusion entertained by many workers and fostered by the bulk of the labor bureaucracy, the Social-Democrats, and the Stalinists. The Militant does well to center its fire on this illusion; this is the main point, and should be the burden of our agitation. Big capital rules through the mechanism of the two parties as far as fundamental issues are concerned, but not always directly in response to their unanimous commands.

There are deep conflicts of interest as well as differences of opinion in the ranks of the capitalists. The two parties, which are in reality two big factions of a unique two-party system united on fundamentals, and the numerous factions and cross-currents within them, reflect these conflicts and differences. The big capitalists on the whole are more class conscious than the workers, but they are by no means omniscient in judging their own political interests. They don’t always know what is best for them; and as The Militant correctly observes, they are not notably grateful to politicians who have served them best in a given situation....

‘US capital rules through its twin parties. It supports both.’ – The Militant