"Yes, political activists have different (and equally important!) priorities here. However, the political mandate for "clarity" in any social theorizing--not just political pamphlets!--is a bit too Procrustean a bed for me."
Well, I can see that clarity might not always be desirable; in those cases, I would recommend encryption.
For the rest, while I agree that we need to distinguish between the work of a historian/grammarian/philologist/linguist and that of a "political activist"... the work of any of these will be improved by clarity and a willingness to share and communicate ideas.
In response to Kelly's wonderful post, I'd like to add that clarity is a quality not only of speaking but also of listening -- and you see, this whole interchange demonstrates the virtue of being clear. She expressed a crucial idea in very simple words, which would not have been any better or more authoritative in a more professional jargon. As a result, I was able to understand it, modify my own argument, and keep going forward...
I think the left is often more concerned with being right than with being understood. This is not a trivial problem.
Joanna