>>> Michael Pugliese <debsian at pacbell.net> 06/02/00 02:51PM >>>
You should see the elections in Detroit :>0.
CB
The elections, that gave Detroit and the Congress, a Marxist judge, Justin Ravitz, a councilman that emerged from DRUM, Ken Cockrel, Rep. Conyers, Maryann Mahaffey, another Cockrel (wife of daughter of Ken?), another Congressman whose name escapes me, served in Congress for decades, represented clients like the late Mayor, Coleman Young, when he was subpoened by HCUA when he was a miltant in the UAW in the 40's. George Crockett, right? All politicians on the left- though, I'd like to know how and why, Coleman Young cozied up to Henry Ford. Maybe the Thomas Segrue book on Urbab Crisis and Detroit, that Charles mentioned a while back would be worth a summary, in regards to the various political and economic forces in play. From the outside, it looks like the Detroit left is doing better, with electing lefties to office, than the San Francisco or Berkeley left!
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CB: So , what is that ? A total of 5 good people elected out of hundreds of positions over the time period you speak of ? Not a very good proof of the election process in Detroit. And all of the above have been forced into extreme compromise or ineffectiveness . Conyers is the greatest member of Congress, but he can't get anything passed of significance. Crockett got even less passed in his few years there.
Soviet process gave us Lenin , who is equal to maybe all the above put together, but it also gave us plenty of other great communists.
Didn't see a lot of Marxist judging by Justin Ravitz, though he is ok. How do you Marxist judge in a capitalist legal system ?
Can't comment on Sheila Cockrel , who is on Council now, but I don't think she would mind if I said she is NOT a Marxist, but a true neo-liberal.
By the way, Detroit city elections are non-partisan , which is essentially equivalent to "one party". And otherwise, Detroit is one party system , because only Democrats have a chance. So, Detroit that you think has such good elections has a one party system.
On Coleman Young, read his autobio, _Hardstuff_.
Yea, we badder than SF and Berkeley. We are more like Oakland.
$$$$ still rules Detroit elections. Ed Vaughn ran as "unbought , unbossed" last time and lost 82% to 18% to $$$$$$$bags Archer.
As CP leader James Jackson said when Coleman Young had to become a bourgeois master (burghermeister) "Lenin said you can build socialism in one country, but not in one city "
CB