AngryDems.com

[Gordon Fitch]

"Wojtek Sokolowski" <sokol at jhu.edu>
> >I do not think it is the issue of leadership or at least leadership
> >alone.  It is the question of the majoritarian system that favors the
> >lowest common denominator approach to public policy and effectively
> >excludes minority interest representation.
> >Republicans have been very successful in tying their narrow pro-business
> >agenda to those issues of personal concen (security, quality of life,
> >economic prosperity etc.) - the only personal concern issue that they
> >did not exploit so well was reproductive freedom.

Nathan Newman:
> Plenty of minorites get their views heard in our politics-- the Christian
> Right is a minority but get representation through the GOP.  Pluralism
> allows all sorts of bargaining by different factions, so I don't buy that as
> an answer.
> ...

The fundamental principles of the Left are freedom and equality;
those of the Right are power, authority, order and class.
Clearly, the second set of principles is far more conducive
to narrow agendas, coherent political campaigns, and leadership
so-called.  To the extent that the Democratic Party is a
leftist party it will be at a disadvantage in the sort of
Kaiserreich[1] which America is developing into.  Has developed
into.

As an example, consider the way in which the Christian Right
was commanded to lie low by the Republican leaders until after
the elections in 2000.

-- Gordon

[1]http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/webpages/Die_Deutschen_Schutzgebiete_-_Das_Deutsche_Kaiserreich_-_Die_Kaiserliche_Marine.gif