adam's notes

The 2016 Election – “The ‘Logistical Moment’ In Which We Americans Find Ourselves”

About

The 2016 election can be seen as a microcosm of a persistent conflict in American history between populist and elitist politics. Bernie Sanders attempts to represent the egalitarian, idealist, democratic socialist strain of US politics with a campaign based on economic justice for average Americans. Donald Trump chooses to appeal to nostalgia, xenophobia and anti­government sentiment amongst the electorate with a campaign based on “restoring” America to glory of its imperialist past. Trump and Sanders occupy opposite ends of the political spectrum in a nation that is highly divided.

Readings:

  1. G. William Domhoff, Who Rules America?McGraw­Hill, 2011, Chapters 1­3
  2. G. William Domhoff, Power in America: “Wealth, Income and Power”
  3. Loften, The Deep State, pp.107­-122; 123­-139;

Notes

Course Introduction and Administrative Details:

  1. Course Information:

    • Title: Rulers of the Realm / Trajectory of Justice in America (CAL 126)
    • Instructor: Danny Sheehan
    • Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00 PM to 5:45 PM
    • Discussion sessions: Thursdays, 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM in Porter College 148
    • Previously taught 3 times, content changes each time
    • Focuses on current status of politics and legal matters in US history

  2. Course Availability and Credit:

    • Authorized for full credit towards majors in:
      • History
      • Politics
      • Legal studies
      • Sociology
      • Philosophy
      • Community studies (added during class)
    • Students must file a petition with their department for major credit
    • Agreements made with department heads after catalog publication

  3. Enrollment Goals:

    • Instructor encourages students to bring two friends to next class
    • Aims for 36-50 students (currently around a dozen)
    • Seeks diversity of opinion for more energetic discussions

  4. Grading Structure:
    a) Final Mini-Thesis (50% of grade):

    • 15-20 pages long
    • Due at end of exam week
    • Preparatory for potential graduate work
    • 40% for paper, 10% for initial outline
      b) Two Interim Essays (30% of grade):
    • 5-8 pages each
    • Due at end of 3rd and 6th weeks
    • Can build towards final thesis
      c) Attendance and Participation (20% of grade)
    • No final exam

  5. Course Materials:

    • Most readings available as hyperlinks on internet
    • Printed syllabus provided, also available online with interactive links
    • Some books on reserve in library (e.g., Howard Zinn’s “People’s History of the United States”)
    • Supplementary video lectures from previous courses available

  6. Additional Features:

    • All lectures videotaped with two-camera shoot, including Q&A
    • Long-time learners allowed to attend but not participate in discussions
    • Students encouraged to ask questions related to their worldviews

  7. Academic Integrity:

    • Warning against submitting papers prepared for other classes
    • No credit given for such submissions

Course Content and Themes:

  1. Current Political Landscape (2016 Presidential Election):
    a) Bernie Sanders:

    • Represents idealist, egalitarian, social democratic worldview
    • Recent primary wins: 70% in Utah, 75% in Washington, 82% in Alaska
    • Challenges: Needs to win remaining primaries by 70-30 margin to catch Clinton
    • Strategy: Appealing to superdelegates based on stronger polling vs. Trump

    b) Donald Trump:

    • Represents egotistical, personality-driven approach
    • Advocates for empowering major corporations and business people
    • Xenophobic and racist tendencies
    • Polling: Losing to Clinton 40-60, worse against Sanders

    c) Hillary Clinton:

    • Represents compromise between idealism and corporate interests
    • Leading in delegates, including superdelegates
    • Potential to become first woman president
    • Viewed by some Republicans as more reliable than Trump
    • Criticized for being “half Republican” due to Democratic Leadership Conference ties

    d) Electoral Process:

    • Primary voting doesn’t directly elect the president
    • People vote for electors who then vote in the Electoral College
    • Electors legally free to vote for anyone they choose
    • Attempts to stop Trump’s nomination:
      • Delegates can potentially vote for others at convention
      • Example of Kasich hoping for delegate support
    • Democratic Party superdelegates:
      • 726 total, not elected by voters
      • Include governors, senators, congressmen
      • Clinton has 478 superdelegates committed
      • Sanders needs to beat Clinton by 476 elected delegates to tie
    • Convention rules:
      • Each convention makes its own rules
      • Possibility of changing rules to allow free voting
    • Current polling (as of lecture date):
      • Clinton beats Trump by 11 points (55-45)
      • Sanders beats Trump by 20 points
    • General election considerations:
      • Winner-take-all system in most states
      • Importance of swing states

  2. Historical Context of Power Elites:
    a) Robber Baron Era (1868-1898):

    • Creation of American corporation in 1868
    • New business vehicle allowing owners to have no legal liability
    • Management and board of directors also immunized from liability
    • Corporation only liable up to its own resources
    • Led to interlocking boards of directors controlling major industries:
      • Steel
      • Railway
      • Shipping
      • Food
      • Agriculture
    • Resulted in manipulation of US foreign and domestic policies

    b) Key Historical Figures and Their Connections:

    • Alexander Hamilton:

      • Lawyer for major mercantilists, bankers, financial institutions
      • Influential in writing US Constitution
      • Prevented constitution from being truly liberal, natural law-inspired document
      • Advocated for indirect election of president and senators
      • People vote for state legislators, who then choose senators
      • People vote for electors, who then choose the president
      • Married daughter of Philip Schuyler, wealthy NY governor

    • John W. Foster:

      • Secretary of State in 1893
      • Oversaw overthrow of Hawaiian Islands, Guam, Marshall Islands
      • Planned overthrow of Cuba (executed in 1898)
      • Grandfather of Alan and John Foster Dulles
      • Bought retreat center on Great Lakes after retirement
      • Tutored grandsons on imperialist worldview

    • Robert Lansing:

      • Son-in-law of John W. Foster
      • Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson
      • Joined Foster in tutoring Dulles brothers

    • Alan Dulles and John Foster Dulles:

      • Raised by grandfather (Foster) and uncle (Lansing)
      • Alan wrote pro-imperialist essay at age 8 supporting Boers in South Africa
      • Drafted reparations requirements in Versailles Treaty
      • Alan became lawyer for Germany to negotiate reparation loans
      • Senior partners at Sullivan and Cromwell law firm
      • Represented Brown Brothers Harriman
      • On January 3, 1933, authorized Hitler to become Chancellor of Germany
      • John Foster became Secretary of State, Alan first civilian CIA director

    • George Herbert Walker:

      • CEO of Brown Brothers Harriman
      • Grandfather of George H.W. Bush
      • Set up Union Bank of New York

    • Prescott Bush:

      • Son-in-law of George Herbert Walker
      • Took over as CEO of Brown Brothers Harriman in 1924

  3. Progressive Movements and Reactions:
    a) Chautauqua Movement (1874-1920s):

    • Started by National Board of Homeland Ministries of United Methodist Church
    • 1874: Invited Sunday school teachers to Lake Chautauqua retreat
      • Trained on Christian social doctrine vs. robber baron practices
    • 1878: Invited all US social studies teachers for free summer retreat
    • Overflow of attendees led to community support (likened to “original Woodstock”)
    • By 1879, six regional Chautauqua gatherings
    • Eventually over 20,000 sessions held, attended by 40 million people
    • Developed into the Progressive Era

    b) Outcomes of Progressive Era:

    • Women’s suffrage: 19th Amendment passed in 1919
    • American labor movement growth
    • Public education system development (influenced by John Dewey)
    • Early environmental movement emergence
    • Anti-child labor legislation passed

    c) Retaliation Against Progressive Movements:

    • Establishment of Federal Bureau of Investigation
    • Palmer Raids in 1920s:
      • Led by Attorney General Palmer
      • Targeted homes of labor union members
      • Accused union members of being communists
    • 1934: Attempted military coup against Franklin Roosevelt
      • Organized by power elite
      • Tried to recruit commandant of US Marine Corps
      • Plan to kill Roosevelt and take over government

  4. World Wars and Interwar Period:
    a) World War I Aftermath:

    • Versailles Treaty reparations drafted by Dulles brothers
    • Alan Dulles became lawyer for Germany to negotiate loans
    • Represented Brown Brothers Harriman, who were owed reparations
    • Loans given by other Brown Brothers Harriman clients

    b) Rise of Nazi Germany:

    • January 3, 1933: Dulles brothers authorized Hitler as Chancellor
      • Condition: Hitler had to recognize and agree to pay previous loans
    • Brown Brothers Harriman (under George Herbert Walker) financed Union Bank of New York
    • Union Bank, through Dutch subsidiary Bank of Shipping and Commerce, financed Nazi headquarters
    • Loans arranged by Alan Dulles rebuilt German war machine
    • Aim: Create bulwark against Bolshevism in Europe

  5. Post-World War II Era:
    a) Creation and Role of CIA:

    • Alan Dulles became first civilian director
    • Engaged in criminal covert operations worldwide
    • Officially prohibited from domestic operations, but allegedly still active in US
    • Connected to power elite, causing fear among politicians and academics

    b) Cold War Period (1917-1991):

    • Began with Bolshevik Revolution and US intervention in Russia
    • Constant threat of nuclear exchange between US and Soviet Union
    • Cuban Missile Crisis (October 18-19, 1962): Brink of thermonuclear war
    • Ended with Gorbachev signing decrees dissolving Soviet Union (Dec 31, 1991)

    c) Post-Cold War Developments:

    • January 1992: Paul Wolfowitz convened meeting to draft new defense policy
      • Attendees: David Addington, Scooter Libby, Elliot Abrams, others
    • 1992 US Defense Department policy planning guidance document:
      • Advocated increasing US military budget despite Cold War’s end
      • Aimed to establish full spectrum dominance over the planet
      • Ensure privileged access to strategic raw materials for Northern Industrial Alliance
    • Led to Project for the New American Century
      • Marco Rubio as primary candidate (mentioned “new American century” in campaign)

  6. Specific Cases and Events Mentioned:

    • Pentagon Papers case: Sheehan was attorney for New York Times
    • Watergate: Sheehan worked in F. Lee Bailey’s office, represented James McCord
    • Iran-Contra case: Sheehan was lead counsel
    • Karen Silkwood case: Revealed plutonium smuggling, led to Supreme Court decision on nuclear facility liability
    • JFK Assassination: Detailed analysis available from previous course
    • Zapruder film: Frames reversed in Life magazine to alter perception of shot direction

  7. Importance of Understanding This History:

    • Reveals true workings of American government and power structures
    • Necessary for effecting real change in the system
    • Encourages critical thinking about current political processes
    • Prepares students to challenge and expose power structures

The instructor emphasizes that while this information may be disturbing or controversial, it’s crucial for students to understand the true nature of power in America. He encourages students to maintain faith in the country’s ideals while working to address its shortcomings, armed with a more complete understanding of its history and power structures.

Additional Reading Materials Mentioned:

  1. “People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn
    • Discusses aspects of US history often omitted from traditional textbooks
    • Specific sections assigned about the robber baron era and the rise of major tycoons
    • Details their influence on US policies through bribing senators and congressmen
  2. “The Nazi Hydra in America” (author not mentioned)
    • Described as an “extraordinary book”
    • Multiple reading assignments from this book throughout the course
    • Likely discusses Nazi influence and connections in the United States
  3. “The People’s Advocate” by Daniel Sheehan
    • First book in a trilogy requested by Counterpoint Press (Berkeley, California)
    • Covers various cases Sheehan was involved in, many reaching the Supreme Court
    • Provides background on issues and how Sheehan became involved in these cases
  4. Upcoming book by Sheehan on JFK assassination (in progress)
    • Based on detailed lectures from previous course on JFK assassination
    • Will provide comprehensive analysis of the event

These books are mentioned as supplementary materials that provide deeper insight into the topics covered in the course. The instructor suggests that students might want to access full versions of these books, particularly “The Nazi Hydra in America,” due to its relevance to multiple topics in the course.

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