Why the Left Crys even When We Win (Re: Gingrich falls

Peter Kilander peterk at enteract.com
Sun Nov 8 05:51:34 PST 1998


Sure, House Democrats are keeping the system from full-blown anarchy, but I think you would agree if people want progress they need to do more than vote Democratic and even more than the Sisyphean task of moving the party to the left. Your logic seems analagous to the old "we must vote for Clinton b/c of the Supreme Court" line. And I don't buy the argument that Republicans "forced" Clinton and Democrats to pass the '94 crime bill and the '96 Orwellian-titled "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act." As has been pointed out on this list recently, Clinton and his Dem cohorts have been horrible on the environment - which is inexcusable seeing as the U.S. has been the sole superpower since '91. Just recently, a giant ice shelf in Antartica melted and went crashing into the sea; Italian scientists say we won't be able to save the rain forests.

Clinton's contempt for decency has been demonstrated in a number of ways. There was the hiring of consultants Dan Gergen and Dick Morris. The sacking of Loni Gunier and Jocelyn Elders. And who can doubt the Clinton sent a racist campaign signal by singling out and attacking Sister Soulja? His "dialogue on race" concluded that the more things change, the more they stay the same. His tearful eulogy at Nixon's funeral? Do I need to remind you of Nixon's crimes? And one must never forget Clinton's kneeling before the altar of neo-liberalism by keeping Greenspan on. As Clinton said once his campaign promise of an investment plan had been nixed - because "the bond market woudn't like it" - in the beginning of his first term, he's an Eisenhower Republican. Remember: sole superpower. I've heard Clinton's Wag the Dog Missile Attack cost more than the entire Starr investigation. Now there's a lot of money wasted because of Clinton's penchant for skirt-chasing.

Maybe you didn't catch the front page, above-the-fold story in the NYT on 10/27 about how House leaders were screaming over Clinton's and the DNC's distribution of campaign funds; they were hoarding it for Gore. Convential wisdom is that candidate Gore would have liked Republicans to have gained seats and is probably sorry Newt is gone for then he could campaign against letting the crazies take over all wings of the asylum. Speaking of Wag the Dog, I can't imagine a better way to motivate the "core constituencies" to vote than kill a young gay man in Wyoming, kill an abortion doctor in Buffalo, and drag a black man to death in Texas. I know, I know, I've seen one too many X-files episodes.

Peter



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