It does seem West has become a Civil Society type; I thought he was pretty good when he first came on the scene. I think for Pollitt this is part of a wider battle waged against an apparent backsliding on identity politics issues on the part of liberal and leftist males. I don't want to open a can of worms, but here in Illinois you had the example of Poshard (pro-union, pro-family, anti-woman and anti-gay) running for governor on the Democratic ticket and then there was the Senatorial race between Fitzgerald (a raging right-winger) and Mosley-Braun.
>I haven't read the West book, but from my experience
>w/Ms. P I would counsel all to take her comments with
>a bucket of salt. She seems to have difficulty fairly
>and accurately characterizing arguments with which she
>disagrees. Anyone interested in the West book should
>seek more diverse advice, not the least of which would
>be to find out for themselves. What I heard about it
>did not interest me enough to buy it, but that could
>have been a mistake.
>
>mbs