On Tue, 23 May 2000, Andrew English wrote:
> The usual third party folks are in favor of big business/China PNTR?
> That's crap.
Andy...I specifically said third party folks "on this list" with you being a notable exception. Of course, a whole range of Greens and Labor Party folks are lining up with Nader and the unions in opposing the PNTR vote - imperialists all according to many on this list.
I was noting the irony (thus the smiley) that on an issue where working class forces are defying a Dem President, the DLC, the GOP leadership and the united corporate lobbying force, many of the folks on this list who call for breaking with the Dem-GOP "one party system" are siding with that elite on the PNTR vote. And they therefore are muting the calls for labor breaking with the Dems in favor of denouncing the union fight against that elite as "social imperialism", "protectionism", "chuavinism" or whatever terms are thrown out.
And the other irony is most of them agree that China entering the WTO is a bad thing, both for the Chinese workers and for American worker. Yet unions opposing the business elite deal for China to enter the WTO is itself a reactionary policy, even though the result (China not int he WTO) may be a progressive result.
The tactical and ideological circles within circles mystify me at times, but then I have a simplistic approach to politics. I support policies I think are good for working class folks in the US and globally, and oppose those policies I think will harm them. The festishization of theoretical constructs like "imperialism" and "chauvinism" that are unrelated to their specific harms to people globally just seems bankrupt to me.
The ironies pile up. Too bad the result looks to be a win for the corporate elite on the China PNTR vote.
-- Nathan Newman
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nathan Newman <nathan.newman at yale.edu>
> To: lbo talk <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
> Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 2:45 PM
> Subject: Labor Boycotts MCI Fundraising Bash (Re: UAW prez slams Gore
> onChina PNTR
>
>
> >
> >Having just started my summer job here at the Communication Workers of
> >America (CWA) legal department, I just received email informing everyone
> >that there would be no tickets for the DNC's fundraising Gala "The
> >National Tribute to President Clinton."
> >
> >Sweeney has apparently asked all labor folks to boycott the event as a
> >protest over the China trade vote.
> >
> >So folks are really pissed. Too bad most of the usual third party folks
> >on this list can't hype the Dem's betrayal of the working class, since
> >they are in the cheering section with the Wall Street Journal, the DNC and
> >the RNC for passage of the China trade deal :)
> >
> >-- Nathan Newman
> >
> >On Tue, 23 May 2000, Andrew English wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Larry Weiss <Lweiss at Americas.org>
> >> To: 'mnlabor at egroups.com' <mnlabor at egroups.com>
> >> Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 12:03 PM
> >> Subject: [mnlabor] FW: UAW president Yokich jumps all over Gore, not just
> House, on PNTR
> >>
> >>
> >> See particularly the final paragraph!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Released today:
> >>
> >> Statement by UAW President Stephen P. Yokich:
> >>
> >> President Clinton and Vice President Gore hail the U.S.-China agreement
> on
> >> WTO accession, "a hundred percent win" for America that will increase
> U.S.
> >> exports to China and create jobs for American workers. Nice words, but
> they
> >> made the very
> >> same claims for NAFTA. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now.
> >> On this issue of critical importance to working people -- one that
> could
> >> cost hundreds of thousands of American workers their jobs -- President
> >> Clinton and Vice President Gore once again have sided with multinational
> >> corporations against workers here and abroad.
> >> Over the past weeks, proponents of giving China PNTR have portrayed
> the
> >> same multinational corporations who today are exploiting the Chinese
> >> government's well-documented brutal repression of basic human and
> workers'
> >> rights to fatten profits as the champions for a more free and open
> Chinese
> >> society. Meanwhile, the labor movement's insistence that the Chinese
> >> government demonstrate progress on human and workers' rights before the
> U.S.
> >> Congress permanently gives up its power of annual review is dismissed as
> >> selfish, myopic, and worse.
> >> We are deeply disappointed that Vice President Gore has failed to
> speak
> >> out against these cynical attacks on the labor movement and our partners
> in
> >> this fight. Instead, he has tried to have it both ways on China PNTR.
> One
> >> moment, presidential candidate Gore is telling the labor movement that he
> >> believes human rights, workers' rights, and environmental protections
> >> should be included in core trade agreements; the next, Vice President
> Gore
> >> is holding hands with the profiteers of the world and singing the praises
> of
> >> the U.S.- China WTO accession agreement while lobbying for PNTR for
> China.
> >> And, obviously, we cannot turn to Republican candidate George W. Bush;
> his
> >> positions on issues of concern to working families are far worse.
> >> America's working families need and deserve a president they can
> count
> >> on to stand with them on their tough issues, not just the easy ones.
> That's
> >> why we have no choice but to actively explore alternatives to the two
> major
> >> political parties. It's time to forget about party labels and instead
> focus
> >> on supporting candidates, such as Ralph Nader, who will take a stand
> based
> >> on
> >> what is right, not what big money dictates. Supporting those who support
> us
> >> is our political agenda, not just a slogan.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> =====================================================================For
> more information on current fair trade issues, visit www.tradewatch.org If
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> >>
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> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >
>