Divide and Conquer is the 1%’s favorite game. By pitting one working class group against another, they can reduce the 99% to 33% for, 33% against and 33% too disgusted to even think about it any more.

Divide and Conquer enabled generations of American businessmen to keep unions out of their factories. All they had to do was whisper “The unions will bring in ____ to take your jobs.” Fill in the black with Blacks, Irish, Italian, Chinese. Workers were willing to accept less pay rather than risk losing their jobs altogether.

Divide and Conquer split the Democratic Party down the middle in 1968 with the Civil Rights side backing Humphrey and the Anti-war side backing anyone but Humphrey. MLK Jr. was conveniently assassinated because he might have made the two sides realize that their struggles were the same. The result---Richard Nixon and the Killing Fields of Cambodia.

Divide and Conquer was a favorite ploy of the Romans when they were crafting their Empire. They even had a phrase for it, divide et impera. It was used later by European colonialists around the world. Recently, we saw France pit Hutus against Tutsis in a contrived genocide in Rwanda aimed at increasing France’s access to the minerals of western Africa. Other countries have played the D&C game in the Congo too, supplying weapons to one side or the other in regional conflicts. Sometimes they supply them to BOTH sides. The result is a country without an infrastructure, incapable of supporting itself so that it becomes dependent upon the foreign buyers of its natural resources which are purchased at bargain prices.

Divide and Conquer was used in the Americas by settlers who pitted one Nation against another. The victorious but weakened winner was then massacred or escorted to a reservation.

Divide and Conquer, Muslim versus Jewish allows a handful of families to control most of the wealth in Israel. Divide and Conquer, Muslim versus Jewish, allows a handful of families to control most of the wealth in Saudi Arabia.

Divide and Conquer pitted minority rights groups against women’s rights groups as described by Angela Davis in her book “Women, Race and Class” the bible for those interested in Divide and Conquer politics.

Divide and Conquer is the Washington Post declaring “Pelosi Knew” about Bush’s illegal interrogations.

Divide and Conquer is the Washington Post declaring that anonymous sources report that Obama plans to slash Medicare and Social Security.

Divide and Conquer is Bush Sr.’s “Willie Horton” strategy and Pat Buchanan’s “Southern Strategy” and the Bush Jr. DOJ’s prosecution of Black celebrities and politicians.

Divide and Conquer tells gays “Blacks took away your right to marry in California.”

Divide and Conquer created the myth of the “Welfare Queen”. At the very same time, Divide and Conquer talks about “Poor white trash.”

Divide and Conquer routinely attends peaceful political rallies intent upon starting violence. D&C can be found on both the police and the protester side. D&C does not represent either group, but inevitably, one side or both are stigmatized for what D&C did. As in “All those protesters are so violent.” Or, “All those police are so brutal.”

Divide and Conquer is the guy at the protest who tries to encourage others to break the law.

Divide and Conquer is the gal who declares “All those____ are so bad!” Fill in the blank with protester, police, soldiers, teachers, parents, elderly, children, striking workers, doctors, nurse, firemen. Never, ever fill in the blanks with investment bankers, military contractors, news media executives, insurance company executives, pharmaceutical executives billionaires. We must not issue blanket condemnation of the rich and famous. That would be class warfare.

Divide and Conquer deals in generalities, not specifics. Divide and Conquer takes the specific and turns it into a generality.

Divide and Conquer often cloaks itself in righteous indignation.

Divide and Conquer is Hillary supporters calling Obama supporters sexists, and Obama supporters calling Hillary supporters racists.

Divide and Conquer created Nazi Germany. Christian Germans were pitted against Jewish Germans and Communists and gays and Roma.

Divide and Conquer whispers into the ear of a white worker “Universal healthcare will steal your insurance and give it to a Black.”

Divide and Conquer whispers into the ear of an unemployed Black “You would have a job if it wasn’t for those Mexicans.”

Divide and Conquer tells a man “You don’t share any responsibility for that child. She should have used birth control.”

Divide and Conquer tells a woman “All men are potential rapists.”

Divide and Conquer says “I am starving, because you have enough to eat.”

Divide and Conquer was denounced by the Founders of this country who declared “We must all hang together or surely we will hang separately.”

Divide and Conquer is the most common form of right wing propaganda disseminated on liberal message boards. It is the tactic used most often to disrupt threads. It is the comment that evokes a visceral sense of outrage even as a warning bell goes off in your head saying “But this isn’t right. This isn’t getting us any closer to our goal.” The arguments that Divide and Conquers crafts have only one solution----you must declare “We refuse to be Divided and Conquered”

Divide and Conquer’s mortal enemy is Solidarity.