Adolph Reed on "stupidity"

[Katha Pollitt]

Well, I can certainly see a working class person (or anyone else)
deciding not to vote for the Democrats -- I agree with Jeff there. But
then Jeff (sorry I lost yr post, hope I get this right) steps over into
wishful thinking, which is to see voting for the Republicans as some
kind of radical protest, or fuck-you to the establishment.  As if the
Repubs were not ALSO the  establishment, a party of corporate
capitalism, environmental despoliation, huge military buildup,
intrusions on civil liberties and everything Jeff  hate the Dems for.
After all, the Repubs have had the Presidency for most of the postwar
era,control many states etc --  they have a very long track record of
doing awful things, and are hardly a party of proletarian protest! 

  So when working class people vote Republican, I, like Adolph, find it
hard to see them as voting their interests in ANY WAY. and so naturally,
one looks around for explanations for this curious behavior: the zeal of
the Republican party to roll back every gain of the civil rights
movement, from affirmative action to fair housing laws, does come to
mind, as also their opposition to equality for women, plus their
jingoism, xenophobia, pandering to religious bigotry and resistance to
just about every social-benefit program ever invented -- including, as
max, points out, food stamps!  

  The logical position would be not to vote for either major party --
and this, I believe, is indeed the majority working class position. As
the parties converge, the electorate shrinks. But romanticizing  working
class support for one set of reactionary politicians as some kind of
protest against reactionary views in the other set -- I just don't see
it. 

  But then I don't think Ron Paul is the people's hero, either. 

Katha