Nathan,
Quality isn't everything. People vote democratic for a variety of reasons, and are knowledgable in the issues intelligent etc..but hey so are the people that run the Brookings institute and Rand. The landscape is littered with many organizations that at the time had 'good people' as their base but are now viewed as being racist sexist or ignoring class.Yet they had mass support. Clintons a quality guy, Rhodes scholar etc...but look at what he's done? Point is just because your a decent upstanding person who's intelligent doesn't mean your right. Sniping the NAACP, you'll have to supply the quotes for that one. I don't see how you can jump from defending the electorate of a broad based political group against leftist criticism to assuming the same sort of criticism against interest group organizations. To my knowledge Nader has just been silent, or when he hasn't been silent like when he addressed said group he has done his best to incorporate the interests of the group into his own worldview. Not that he's been succesful, I just don't see how you can get from not talking about identity politics that much to some reputed attacking of the concept of identity politics.
I've read all about Nader's flaws, all about keeping PIRG leaders on starvation wages and exercising his power from above, how undemocratics his org is. But has Nader fallen into a power vacuum? Probably but the Assoc. of state Green parties specificaly chose him, he didn't come up with the idea and execute it on his own. They know he isn't going to win, they wanted just the kind of person to fill that power gap, only the Green party isn't, of course, Nader's operation. I don't think he has any designs about taking it over. Instead this power vaccuum occupying person functions like a celebrity as well as a candidate and subverts the system. His bid might have no popular support, and a lot of persona but I think it's come to the point where anyone progressive that can get their names in the paper and their face on t.v. a couple times ultimately contributes a lot just by that. Depending on your paper and your T.V. coverage he might get progressive politics onto tables it never was. To have someone just criticising corporations and the two parties on the news is an accomplishment period. He doesn't need mass support for that. It would be nice if he had it and it's something that people should work towards and are working towards, building up a progressive network as we speak.It's not very likely that the Green party will be running district level races and buying the election through campaign donations from rich white males as you kind of imply it would do. Plus who's to say that a movement *started* by white males can never change. I think that Nader attracting white males isn't just Nader attracting white males it's Nader attracting warm bodies, the things that political movements start with.
I wonder, your obviously a leftist, judging from your resume, and in fact your a Union organizer too so if the Democratic party has all of these good people on it's base who probably have at least mildly progressive views, how can you possibly advocate something more progressive than what 'the people' believe without implicitly criticizing 'the people'? How can you justify it? 'the people' elected Reagan twice and the people also elected Lane Kirkland and Jimmy Hoffa numerous times. Is it too much to ask to say that these choices were disastrous decisions by 'the people' and that they could have done better? I am really the last person who would go against democracy and equal power for the working class, but you know having a little rule about not criticizing the electorate or the membership totally stifles all debate. 'the people' did it therefore it must be gold. It forces one into Marxian eschatology, idealizing the people whether they be Union members or even members of the NAACP as the only true and genuine class of people, whom the destiny of the country is based on and who cannot be critcized. That might fly well for some people but I know that every union member isn't this picture of virtue and forethought. If that's elitist than everyone on this list should burn all they're lefty books, because if we should criticise the dems or the unions based on the ideas contained theiren then all of us would be guilty of elitism, and of course should be brought up on charges and possibly expelled, eh comrade? Just like postmodernism-kissing the concept of any 'truth' goodbye.
John Madziarczyk
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