>Nathan, I just had two points to make regarding what I intended to say.
>First, to the extent that the NRA voters are progressive working-class
>people, then you get those votes with a progressive campaign, followed
>with the enactment of progressive policies, not by pandering to right-wing
>constituencies. Second, I do not believe that Bush is better than Gore.
>I think that the election is a multistage process. Kick the Democrats in
>the shins today, live with the Repugs for a bit, to make sure that the
>Democrats cease to become a mere corporate fund raising organization.
On point one, you do both if needed, because people sometimes hold two incompatible values and you may have to compromise to get their votes. I know compromise is considered evil among some leftists - "pandering" - but that's often how you cut deals and make alliances.
As for Bush, I think you are insane given the defunding of abortion groups internationally, the cancelling of ergonomics standards, his rightwing judicial nominees, and the passage of the tax cut. None of those would have happened with Gore.
And you don't ever make change by kicking someone in the shins-- you take them over. One reason the Dems are worrying about NRA voters is because the unions are forcing them to, since that is where the unions are hunting for their supporters. As I continually argue, the Democrats are not a "mere corporate fundraising" organization or actually any kind of organization at all. Each candidate is their own fundraising committee- the national committees may play a role, but so do the union PACs and volunteer armies in deciding who gets nominated. Any individual Democrat is neither the result of the corporate fundraising or the unions but usually some hybrid along the spectrum, depending on their district and how strong progressive organizing has been.
The latter we can effect as progressives and I prefer to work to move the spectrum to the progressive side, rather than hope that making things worse will somehow encourage them to get better in some mystical way - that I have rarely seen happen.
-- Nathan Newman