Samantha Moyers: Malcolm, the idea of a left president of the U.S. is hard for me to grasp. Isn’t President of the United States by definition an authoritarian position – albeit not dictator – and hasn’t every single one before you become what the office entails, a guardian of wealth and power and practitioner of violence and hypocrisy?
Yes, on all counts. What you say is true, or has been true. The questions that follow, I hope you will agree, are first, can I do better, and second, can I even challenge all that you indicate and be part of the process of changing it, working along with the rest of RPS, but aiding it in important ways otherwise unavailable?
For the first question given my views, ties, and history, it seems to me it would be hard to not be less bad. If you disagree on that, I am not sure what I could say to affect your view.
The second question is different. Can I be in office, have the inordinate amount of power that the office still currently conveys, and yet act in ways that combat that power and the nature of the office until now, and constantly put the interests of the public and of revolutionizing society ahead of all else? I think I did that while Senator. I think it is possible to do even as President. But, I don’t take it for granted. Which is why my administration is full of people who agree with you about the dangers and who are committed not primarily to aiding me, much less defending me, but instead to ensuring that I toe the line of revolutionary commitments and concerns.
I guess we will see how that goes. I can only say, it is absolutely what I want.