As the president of the Tulane chapter of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, I strongly disagree with the assertion made by Sarah Simon that the flagging support for Hillary Clinton is due to her gender. Rather, Clinton is widely reviled because she is seen by workers and youth as a defender of social privilege and a personification of the hated status quo.

Clinton has spent all of her energies during her campaign courting the super-wealthy, sections of the Republican Party and the military on the basis that Donald Trump is “too erratic” to serve as commander-in-chief, that is, to direct the predatory operations of American imperialism.*

During last week’s debate, Clinton declared that drone assassinations, which have already killed thousands under President Barack Obama, would be an “organizing principle” of her administration’s foreign policy. She attacked Trump for expressing reservations about intervening along with NATO on behalf of the Baltic states, which are headed by unstable, right-wing regimes, in the event of a conflict with Russia.

In other words, she attacked the fascistic Trump from the right on the grounds that he is not willing to go to war with Russia, a nuclear power.

No matter who wins the November elections, the coming months portend a massive escalation of austerity, domestic repression and war, worked out entirely behind the backs of the American people.

Last month, the Atlantic Council, a leading United States geopolitical think tank, published a study, “The Future of the Army,” which declared that the US military must be prepared to fight “major and deadly” wars, with heavy causalities, against other “great powers.” Against a backdrop of “[the magnification of] today’s world of haves and have-nots,” the authors, one of which is the former head of US forces in Afghanistan, foresees “the large-scale disruption of civil order” in the US, which “would almost certainly engage much of the Army in providing extensive support to civil authorities throughout the country.” The report also concludes that the reinstatement of the draft will become a military necessity.

There is enormous opposition to war and social inequality, but the greatest danger is the gap between the advanced character of the ruling elite’s plans and the presently low level of popular knowledge and understanding.

Next Monday, the IYSSE will be hosting a talk by Jerry White, the Socialist Equality Party’s candidate for US president, titled “Socialism and the 2016 elections.”

White is running to provide workers and youth with the necessary political perspective for the social struggles which are to come. Against the capitalist program of war, austerity and repression, we advance the program of socialism.

-Tom Agnew

President, International Youth and Students for Social Equality at Tulane

This submission has been edited by The Hullabaloo staff for clarity and AP Style.

*An earlier version of this paragraph misstated the authors opinion. This paragraph has been changed for clarity.