As I rode the bus downtown I hoped that this rally would be different than the million other gatherings I have attended in my life. A turnout of what seemed to be near a thousand people lifted my spirits but any joy I felt was quickly dashed by the speaking program. The familiar and general platitudes about “fighting back” followed by the urgent call to “vote” and hold elected officials “accountable” if they do not support the piece of legislation that happens to be the topic of discussion (Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA) (H5787/S0267). A majority of the speakers themselves were elected officials – some of whom are on the docket this year for Governor or Congress.

The audience was reminded that every two years is an election cycle in Rhode Island; and that this particular cycle is a big one! I know I was not the only one whose eyes rolled at the prospect of wrapping my political involvement around another tiresome electoral cycle. I know I was not the only one who, for the entire duration of the rally, could not help but think of the things that none of the speakers cared to mention. So what was missing then? 

For one, the actions of the Supreme Court are not just simply about choice or even healthcare. The leaked draft opinion represents the power of the State and its ability to exert that power when it chooses to. The conservative movement has the power both in the street and official bodies of government to implement their demands. As some of the other speakers mentioned, this latest attack on bodily autonomy is the culmination of a full-frontal assault the ruling classes have been waging against us for as long as any of us can remember! 

Dhoruba Bin Wahad, veteran member of the Black Panther Party, Black Liberation Army, and former political prisoner reminds us that “All politics are local.” The conservative attacks against critical race theory, LGTBQ+ literature, and the trans community in particular are not confined to Southern states like Texas and Florida like many obnoxious and pretentious liberals love to claim.

How about Representative Patricia Morgan’s half-baked attempt to ban discussions on race, gender dysphoria, and sexual identity in Rhode Island schools? Or the fanatical attacks against school boards, teachers, and students in South Kingstown and North Providence with regards to critical race theory? Or Bishop Tobin’s longstanding opposition to abortion rights? How about the fact that the head of the gender and women’s studies program in Rhode Island’s largest post-secondary institution is a TERF? Not a word! The lone socialist speaker did not even mention capitalism! 

Adam and Eve had a better chance trusting the snake in the garden than Rhode Islanders do with the Democratic Party. They have sold us out time and time again, what makes this election cycle any different? Electoralism, that is, the practice of centering the vote as your sole political weapon is at best, naïve, and at worst, detrimental to the effort in building mass revolutionary movement to topple capitalism domination and White supremacy. The Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin, they represent different faces of the ruling class!

To be clear I am not dismissing the act of voting. Go vote, but understand that it simply is not enough. We cannot rely on the State to defend abortion, to expand access to healthcare, or to stem the rising tide of authoritarian fascism in this country. This rising fascism is different than the democratic fascism we currently live under – it will do away with the façade of representative democracy. We need to dream bigger than the Democratic party and simple mobilizations towards legislation. We need militant organizations willing to use any means necessary to force the State to recognize and fulfill our demands without compromise. Defense is not enough to win; we need to organize and stage an offensive! 

Lastly, we should continue to express our solidarity by attending these demonstrations, but must they be so stiff? So devoid of passionate rage, so empty of militant fervor? 

Free and legal abortion! Abolish the Supreme Court! 

Missak Manouchian is a local abolitionist and revolutionary socialist organizer. He can be found wondering parks in Providence, scrupulously combing archives, and agitating for revolution.