>And in our discussions should we assume that we (leftists) can have a
>near-future impact on the decision makers in Washington? I think not. I
>would be interested in having someone explain to me how we might have
>such an impact. IN THE NEAR FUTURE. I think I know how we might have an
>impact over a period of half a decade or so, but I really don't have the
>slightest idea how anything we think or say or do could make a
>difference in the next year. Those who think otherwise owe it to the
>rest of us to explain in some detail their reasons for so thinking and
>their plans for having that impact.
What is the point of this distinction? If you think "we" might have an impact in five years, are we supposed to keep quiet for like 50 months? One says what one thinks is right now hoping to persuade as many people as possible. You really seem to live in a world without agents or agency - we're all at the mercy of some vast historical force - Capitalistimperialism - and we just bide our time until the Abstract Controlling Entity is ready for us?
Doug