EDITORIAL: Happy holidays

Happy holidays

This is our last print edition for 2008. Do not fear — we will be publishing online throughout the holiday season.

But we do want to take the opportunity to send a greeting to all our readers, wishing you happy holidays and a New Year full of victories for workers and the people everywhere.

This year will go down in history. Electing the first African American president is history-making. And what it took to accomplish that is history-making too: the unity — and struggle — of millions of ordinary Americans coming together to take back our country from the reactionary corporate Republican elite. This election will be remembered as a turning point, when the people collectively said “Enough” to this elite. Enough lies, looting of public treasure, wars, trampling the Constitution, racism, immigrant-bashing and discrimination. Enough!

The Obama campaign captured that mood and turned it into the biggest grassroots political movement in our lifetime — one that will continue in 2009 and beyond to help shape and carry out the new administration’s agenda.

2008 will also go down in history as the year the second Great Depression hit. Shaking the foundations of global capitalism, the crisis was sparked by the greed-driven subprime loans (targeting Black and Latino homeowners) and financial Ponzi-schemes by the major banks with government backing. At the same time, led by the labor unions and allies, an all-people’s fightback is under way, growing out of the historic election fight.

And a good thing, because these banks and Bushites are doing everything to try to derail the new “Yes We Can” people’s politics: assembling a $200 million war chest to prevent passage of the Employee Free Choice Act; blocking aid to the auto industry in order to bust the UAW and set labor back on its heels; raising the volume on anti-gay bigotry.

But the “Yes We Can/Si Se Puede” spirit has gone deep among the people. Witness the Republic Windows and Doors workers who showed that through unity we can win.

Here’s to hope, unity and change. Here’s to “the people united will never be defeated.” Happy holidays.