> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Jeffrey St. Clair
>
> [We've just learned that Nader plans to appoint that well-known police
> informant Mike Dolan as his campaign manager, thus erasing any residual
> impulse one might have had to vote for him. We received this letter from
> Joel a few days ago and I thought would share it with you. If I lived in
> CA, he'd have my vote. [Well, Joel or Jello Biafra.] You will note that
> another notorious police-informant, Medea Benjamin, intends to run for
> congress on the green party ticket.--jsc]
Well, us leftwing Democratic hacks seem to have nothing to fear from fringe third party activists since the really loony fringe seems set to to destroy anyone who steps up to bat. Since anyone who attempts the overwhelming task of fighting the first-past-the-post two-party system of election laws is already giving up a heck of lot of political protection as it is, we can rest assured that no third party has a chance given the savage cannabilism of character assassination on the far left.
If labor folks or Democratic activists used terms like "police informant" or other slurs, St. Clair would be the first to decry it, yet he uses this kind of language against long-term activists who have done far more in their lives for social justice than he ever will.
I don't agree with Green Party strategies generally, but I will step to the front of the line to denounce any Democrat who tried to red-bait or denigrate one of their candidates as a strategy to destroy their challenge.
I also wonder why with all the discussion of left alternatives there is no discussion of the Socialist Party and David McReynolds campaign, since he will probably be on the ballot in a number of states (unlike Kovel who I suspect will not defeat Nader.)
-- Nathan Newman