> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Doug Henwood
> >As if a hitpiece by THE NEW REPUBLIC is anything but an attempt to
> >take out one
> >of the only avowed socialists who gets a regular hearing in the public media.
>
> What's an "avowed socialist" doing campaigning for Bill Bradley?
> Among his many sins, Bradley voted for contra aid at a rather crucial
> time, if I'm remembering correctly.
Yes and he voted for chunks of Reaganomics. That said, out of the four people likely to be President, it is reasonable to argue that he is probably the best of the bunch. Bradley did vote against the Welfare Deform bill and had a pretty good voting record on labor and environmental issues. And he is promoting universal coverage of health reform (however moderate his proposal) which Gore refuses even to do at this point.
To the extent you have not convinced me or a bunch of left folks to jump to Nader in order to help elect Bush, the reality is that a large number of "avowed socialists" will be voting for Bradley for all the usual strategic reasons.
It is pathetic to even suggest voting for a left candidate like Nader who has not even announced his candidacy by now. It's just not a serious campaign just like in 1996. I don't think third party efforts make much sense and I'd rather see someone left run in the Dem primary, so there would be a real alternative to Nader. But it didn't happen, so we are stuck with the choices we have. And Bradley is probably the best of the lot.
And Justin wrote:
>[West] prefers sound
>bites and always moves to the respectable and incoherent center, letting
>himself be defined by what sells rather than where his premises might take
>him.
One more reason to like West. At least someone on the Left cares about sound bites and denouncing racist colonialists like Churchill in ways that reach millions of people on TV, rather than feeling all virtuous in writing "the truth" for a handful of people. As I said, I respect West not for his writing but for his engagement with the public discourse.
We do need pure theoretical thinkers and hard partisan writers but we also need folks who play in that "incoherent center" because that's where a lot of ears and eyes we need to reach are. Handing out newspapers on the street and even writing in hip alternative newspapers still only reaches so many folks. Hard workplace and community organizing is always the best way to reach people -- which requires a lot of quick "sound bites" for initial recruitment as well -- but going after the public discourse is a worthy task. West may not be perfect but if you can name someone better with his degree of success, I would be surprised.
-- Nathan Newman