<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2>i quite agree.   there's a strong need for a third party on what americans mistakenly tern "the left."   the question is: is the american people so politically ignorant, propagandized, and ignorant about history that no third party will ever have a chance.   a third party that's not built on the grass roots will fail just as the greens are failing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2>interesting sidelight:  i volunteered to work with the greens about 12 years ago.   the woman i spoke with regarding the party was all excited about a recent visit from the german greens.  but chagrined that the german greens said the US greens were a waste of time until they got organized and developed grass roots support.   the germans weren't going to get involved with the US greens until they showed some promise.   </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2>the US greens have improved somewhat, but still lack organization and support needed to make a difference.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2>as DRR says, the might of the left wing in europe is built on union activism and support.   in the US, almost all unions are busted and ineffectual.   so much for the US left until it learns how to mobilize grass roots, working class activism to compliment its currently white middle class dominated, largely inadequate activism.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode" color=#008000 size=2>R</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #008000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=dredmond@efn.org href="mailto:dredmond@efn.org">dredmond@efn.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org href="mailto:lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org">lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, May 29, 2003 1:47 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [lbo-talk] Profiles In Spinelessness</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>Quoting Doug Henwood <<A href="mailto:dhenwood@panix.com">dhenwood@panix.com</A>>:<BR><BR>> I'm coming around to Nathan's argument that "progressives" should run <BR>> in Dem primaries and in general try to hijack the party, just as the <BR>> right did with the Republicans. What's to lose? The Greens seem more <BR>> & more like a doomed fantasy.<BR><BR>The US *does* need a Green Party, or something like it, to push the Dems to the<BR>left and agitate for a 20th century welfare state and a 21st century electoral<BR>system. But no political party is going to change much without an active, feisty<BR>labor movement. The strength of the Euroleft is based on the might of the<BR>Euro-unions. <BR><BR>-- DRR<BR>___________________________________<BR><A href="http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk">http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk</A><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>