The Language of Betrayal

Nathan Newman nathan at newman.org
Thu Nov 16 11:42:51 PST 2000


----- Original Message ----- From: "Max Sawicky" <sawicky at epinet.org>
>I agree that if you're going to call the Dems
>slime, you should not be surprised to be slimed
>in return. If you're somewhere on the left,
>however, it does seem wrong to treat a left
>critique of the Democratic leadership as
>parallel to the premise that the anti-Dems
>have betrayed left ideals. Nor does it
>seem right to take the side of the corporate
>Dem leadership vis-a-vis folks whose ideas
>you basically agree with.

The question is not the attack on Gore or DLC types, but the attacks on the integrity of the progressives who supported Gore. As Leo has noted, folks like Cornel West have been attacked on this list in the past when they were on the "wrong" side of a political question, but since he supported Nader, he is now an authentic leader as opposed to the innumerable local and national black leaders who stuck with Gore. Same with Ehrenreich, who I believe was trashed for her association with DSA during the Kosovo intervention.

I remember when John Halle attacked Gore supporters and I noted "A lot of folks want to say, hey Ralph is better than the union leaders for union members, better than the NAACP for blacks, better than MALDEF for latinos, better than NOW for feminists, and so on. And that comes off not just as criticism of those leaders but as basically saying that the members of those groups have been retarded for voting for those leaders and sending them checks."

John replied "Precisely. The leadership has consistently sold the interests of the rank and file down the river of any number of these organizations. You know the specifics as well as I do."

Doug in attacking NOW and the NAACP questioned whether they should be considered democratic organizations because he erroneously thought their leadership was not elected by their membership.

At a more sophisticated level, you have Yoshie attacking the NAACP and NOW as the "Talented Tenth" as if working class blacks through a whole range of organizations have not supported Gore.

I think there is plenty of reasons to disagree with other progressive-minded groups on strategy and priorities, but the attacks on the integrity of folks who have struggled for social change for years is really not pretty and, as Casey notes, gets real old quick when those making those attacks complain about return fire.

I have serious strategic disagreements with both Nader and Patricia Ireland and Kweisi Mfume and John Sweeney in different areas. And I will argue my perspective strongly. But arguing that people are choosing the wrong strategy is very different from saying they have "sold the interests" of their members or making all sorts of other attacks on their integrity.

-- Nathan Newman



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