Fact is if you can't get Brad and Leo onboard your antiwar principles, you aren't going to get a majority of the country. High profile issues like antiwar fights give the illusion of left growth because suddenly all the usual suspect drop what they were doing to join together. But that's not real growth and outreach, since it's merely shifting resources among the committed.
-- Nathan Newman
----- Original Message ----- From: "Yoshie Furuhashi" <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 3:16 PM Subject: Re: diversity
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Yoshie Furuhashi" <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu>
> >>
> >> As anti-war coalitions develop everywhere, it is likely that those
> >> who cannot bring themselves to clearly oppose the impending war on
> >> the Middle East will find little of interest on left-wing e-lists.
> >>
> >> Yoshie
> >
> >May be, and if folks like Leo and Brad who oppose the war are driven off
> >such lists, that tells you how unsuccessful such efforts will be.
> >
> >On the other hand, the real movements for peace, such as the gatherings
in
> >Union Square of families and friends of the victims, which welcome a mix
of
> >solidarity, patriotism and those asking for peace as the memorial to
their
> >dead, rather than hate and murder, are far more likely to bridge the gaps
of
> >anger in peoples hearts.
> >
> >That the "Left-wing" measures its success by how many people it
alienates
> >is a large reason why it has been so ineffectual. You should be
measuring
> >your success by how many people of a wide range of views you bring
together
> >in coalition.
> >
> >Nathan Newman
>
> I don't think Leo & Brad will oppose the war _& take public actions
> against it_, unless & until the war becomes so costly that the New
> York Times comes around to opposing it.
>
> BTW, our local coalition is growing, & we're now networking for a
> statewide action in Ohio. Those who are interested in joining us
> should contact me offlist.
>
> Yoshie
>
> P.S. Also, we need to look at the question of alliance from Leo &
> Brad's point of view. Brad's last words to the list included:
>
> At 9:48 PM -0700 9/13/01, Brad DeLong wrote:
> >I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to drop out of this list. Too many
> >ignorant fools, and its pushing me rightward into a place where I
> >don't want to be.
>
> It's reasonable to think that L & B don't want to work with those
> whom they consider to be "ignorant fools."
>