Republican Party Advances in California...

[Brad De Long]

>This pisses me off, driving me to temporarily abandon my normal attitude of
>naive realism, i.e., that by applying rational argument in discussions with
>intelligent people one can evoke not only respect but perhaps some rational
>argument in return.
>
>I replied to the lesser-of-two-evils argument before (and thus abstained
>from the current thread on the subject until now); I argued that voting for
>either of the two hegemonic political parties is what the Brits call a
>"mug's game," a game one can't win. But Brad didn't respond to my argument
>at all.
>
>Instead, he goes beyond the normal L-O-T-E argument which says "it's sad,
>but we really don't have any choice in the matter," which is what the
>"someone" said above, as far as I can tell. He goes beyond that argument to
>imply that anyone who doesn't follow the L-O-T-E argument is a follower of
>-- or at least a sympathizer to -- Nixon and Joe McCarthy. Perhaps we are
>not conscious followers of these evil creatures, but _objectively_ we are
>supporting their cause. We're crypto McCarthyites or Nixonians.
>
>This is insulting nonsense. If you're going to defend your evils, at least
>tell us how good they are (why they're "better"). Why is Barbara Boxer
>better than Matt Fong? why is Gray Davis better than Dan Lungren? Give us
>_information_, not innuendo. if these politicians are better than the
>others, what forces keep them from forgetting their campaign promises on
>election eve? is there any reason we can trust them?
>
>And, more importantly, tell us what's _wrong_ with the alternative to the
>mug's game.

Nothing's wrong with it, if you think that there was no difference between:

John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon
Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater
Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon
George McGovern and Richard Nixon
Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford (OK, you got me there)
Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan
Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan
Michael Dukakis and George Bush
Bill Clinton and George Bush (OK, you got me there)
Bill Clinton and Bob Dole

By my count the lesser evil would indeed have made a better president eight
times out of ten.

As to differences between Boxer and Fong? Boxer will vote for a higher
minimum wage and an expanded EITC. Fong will vote for tilting the
distribution of income further toward the rich.

Brad DeLong