>Yet I am pro Democrat, anti Pacifica management, pro-intervention in Kosovo,
>have a Free Mumia t-shirt, and am at least moderately pro-Palestinian on the
>Israel issue. Not exactly a clear line of division.
Well, I guess that makes one a typical individualistic, unorganized American leftist who fancies they can pick and choose willy-nilly where they stand on issues without any concern for internal coherence. It is then quite understandable and predictable that rightward moving left liberals will resent a 'clear drawing of lines' that would restrict their ability to maneuver and continue their work of sowing incoherence, disorder and disorganization among U.S. leftists, keeping them weak and demoralized. That kind of behavior is exactly what we need to bring an end to.
The fact is that US left liberals form a distinct and compact political bloc. I am reminded of a Peace & Freedom convention many years ago, where about 1/4th of the delegates consisted of self-described 'independents', i.e., those with no other organizational affiliation outside the P&FP. When someone proposed a method of 'bloc' voting, all of the 'independents' - in a scene straight out of "Life of Brian" - rose in unison against this proposal, angrily shouting, "We are independent"! Left liberals are exactly like that as is most clearly shown in every election.
The number one problem facing american leftists is summed in a phrase: political organization. The typical american leftist is under the influence of the ideology of american individualism, which devalues, if not completely dissolves from sight, the idea that social relation can be a reality independent of individual will. It, like Margaret Thatcher, would have us believe that "there is no society". Hence the relative immaturity of american political culture and, therefore, american leftists. The resultant problem is that american leftists pragmatically see organization as always, purely, a means to an end, and not - at some point, but not at all points - as a question of political principle.
For this reason it is natural, predictable, for left liberals to not see the importance of organization and therefore lend their support to an _organization_ (believing they are 'proDemocrat, and simultaneously organizationally unattached), by projecting (a very american cultural habit) their own individual ideology onto the organization, erasing the latter from view in their own minds' eye.
It is likewise a natural, logical conclusion for left liberals, therefore, to confuse the rhetorical, ideological act of 'drawing a clear line' with the _organizational_ act of 'splitting'. But in fact it is the left liberal supporters of the conservative, procapitalist Democratic Party that are splitting from the rest of american leftists while at the same time they want to continue the rhetoric of representing themselves as our political "friends". This disorganizing tactic must be refused.
So you see, some of us are hip to your game. In the present period of reaction, left liberals a welcome to _join with us_ (because that is what it is organizationally, joining us, not us joining you) where we agree, such as with Mumia or Pacifica, but you will be held accountable (off agenda, of course) for your other positions in these forums. When the present situation is reversed, left liberals will come running towards our positions _en bloc_ (i.e., they will move left) and, if we have been organizationally successful we will can call the tune for them.
For now, we can only take left liberals at their word, which is what 'drawing the line' is all about.
-Brad Mayer Oakland, CA