Why The

Why the Ruling Class Wants to Impeach Nixon

JAIL TO THE CHIEF!

With the revelation of the purposeful erasure of the Watergate tape and the forgery of Presidential aidv Stephen Bull's signature on the tape sign-out log, the case for the impeachment of Richard Nixon grows. Fully 80 percent of the American people have lost all confidence in Nixon 's candor -- despite the dismal flop called"Operation Candor". The list of impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors" currently being prepared by the staff of the House Judiciary Committee has grown to 15 specific charges. By this point in time, there is little doubt that the scandals of the Nixon administration reach further and deeper than comparable episode in our national history. And for only the second time in history, the impeachment of a President looms as a reality.

Frequently, in reporting Watergate and related criminal activities, the media have referred to the situation as a crisis -- a Constitutional crisis, a crisis of credibility, and so on. What is of ten overlooked is the fact that the Nixon crisis is a crisis within the ruling class. Before Nixon was allowed to go before the American electorate, he had first to gain the approval of the various, competing groups within the ruling class. In order to gain this approval, Nixon had to convince these various elements that he was "in control" -- a no-nonsense, hard-driving executive capable of managing the nation's economy with the profitability and ease expected by the ruling class. It is the Nixon who always wears his suit coat even while strolling on the beach. This is the image that appeals to ruling class interests. Nixon pushing Ron Zeigler at the press corps is a no-no. The disparity between the Nixon image and the reality of his actions has become too gross too embarrassing to the elite.

As the machinery of government moves haltingly, but relentlessly towards impeachment, Nixon is preparing a back door exit; he is setting the stage for a resignation for reasons of "ill health". This technique has been used by políticos under fire for at least a century. In keeping with the time honored tradition, Nixon "misses " his annual medical check up. More and more references to Nixon 's haggard appearance are to be found in the national media. The way is being paved in the event that Nixon 's brazen frontal attack on democracy should fail.

The following article is an analysis of just why the ruling class is out to impeach Nixon. It originally appeared in the Great Speckled Bird out of Atlanta.

There is a ruling class in this country. It is composed of those individuals and groupings who control and direct all the major institutions of our society, but most particularly the economic. They own and direct the major corporations, the major banks. They dominate the political parties, financing candidates and developing policy. They sit on the boards of the major universities. They own the major media and have a large say in determining what events are covered and what are not. However, the ruling class in the US is not a single unified whole.

The bulk of the ruling class is divided into what the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) calls "business groups." A business group is a coalition of many diverse corporations centrally coordinated and controlled through a leading commercial bank or conglomerate. Under the direction of a small number of men, the group seeks, through financial relations, to expand its national and international power, maximize profits, and generate and maintain a climate of opinion favorable to its interests." Chief among these groups are the giants of the urban northeast and particularly New York City - The Rockefeller-Chase Manhattan Chemical Bank group, Morgan Guaranty Trust, First National City Bank, Harriman-Newmont, Manufacturers Hanover, Lehman-Goldman Sachs, etc. There are also older secondary groups built around control of a regional market- Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh (Mellon-Hanna), Minneapolis, etc. And finally, there are new groups which have emerged since WWII - the so called "Southern Rim" running from California, to Texas to Florida- relying heavily on government spending i in defense and aerospace as well as oil and real estate. This does not mean that everything is controlled by these business groups or by the whole ruling class, but merely that they hold the overwhelming preponderance of power in the American system and that the decisions which they make and implement, by and large, determine the course of society.

During the Robber Baron days the major business groups, led by the Rockefellers, recognized that open competition between them was both wasteful and dangerous. A fight for control of a single Corporation, for instance, was enough to precipitate a major depression in the late 1800's.So they created a mechanism to regulate and mediate between the various groups and interests. That mechanism was the modern corporate state. Rather than fight their battles out in the economy which could have been disastrous enough to bring about calls for a new order (socialism) the various groups agreed to compete with one another in the realm of politics; in the halls and back rooms of Congress and the various executive departments and, only on rare occasions, in the public arena.

At the same time, the state has come to play a much larger role in the whole economy. The state now serves to regulate, stabilize and stimulate the economy. The Depression of the 30's graphically demonstrated to the ruling class that capitalism left by itself could not stand. So, an elaborate apparatus was created to control it, to regulate it, to mitigate its abuses (social security, unemployment, national labor laws, etc.) and to stimulate private production through massive governmental spending on defense and aerospace. All of this has raised the stakes of political activity. Control of the state apparatus by a sector of the ruling class means increased profits and power for that sector. The examples of how this works have been numerous in recent years. A governmental regulatory commission raises the price of milk and the dairy industry makes $500-$700 million more profit. The President de-regulates the price of natural gas and the price (and profits) skyrocket. The decision as to which specific corporations or business groupings get governmental contracts, running into billions of dollars, can often determine the fate of whole sectors of the economy.

Politicians are the vehicles through which the various business groups make sure that their interests are served by the state apparatus. Generally, they are heavily tied to one or more groups within the ruling class. (To rise in power they must win the support of other groups within the ruling class.) The politician is a broker who attempts to build a political coalition within the ruling class to propel him to power. Only after that do the people figure into the scheme. They just elect him, they don't control him (or her).

Nixon arose in the late 40's as the representative of the small, but growing, Southern California group. His successes and failures have hinged on his ability to expand his base of support to include other business groupings and particularly the Eastern primary groups. After his defeats in 1960 and 1962, Nixon began building coalitions of interests. By 1968 he had been able to enlarge his base of support (in part by moving to New York and joining a prestigious law firm with ties to the major business groups) and was able to beat Hubert Humphrey.

In 1972 Nixon was able to build the biggest coalition of ruling class groups in recent history, sweeping him to a massive victory over GeorgeMcGovern, who had only minimal support from the powerful centers of the ruling class (with the exception of the Harriman group in New York). Nixon built his coalition with a multi-faceted campaign. He won the support of the major Eastern groups by adopting policies they favored (even though he had always opposed them) such as the detente with Russia, the opening of the China "market," the appearance of ending the war ("Peace is at

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The politician is a broker who attempts to build a political coalition within the ruling class to propel him to power. Only after that do the people figure into the scheme. They just elect him, they don 't control him (or her).