[lbo-talk] Nothing to Discuss? was Re: (no subject)

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Wed Aug 18 09:42:13 PDT 2004


Gary? wrote:
>
> Carrol Cox wrote:
>
>[clip]
> >
> It seems the Left is missing a uniting goal, we are anti all that
> right wing stuff but we don't know what we're pro about.
> What if the Left had a clear agenda, reducing interest rates and
> crippling bank charges for the poor. [clip]

For five years or longer almost all my posts on lbo (and other lists for the most part) have stemmed from one premise: there is not much use in talking about what an army should do until after you have given some thought and action to creating an army.

Talking about what "the left" _should_ do is often interesting chat, and may eventually be of material import, but it cannot have the status of talking about how "the left" (now existent only as a huge scattering of individuals and small groups) can be brought into existence.

I'm becoming more and more puzzled about what exactly Kelley is after in this thread, but neither she nor Alinsky (in her quotes and paraphrases from him*) seem very interested in raising an army, since they simply assume the existence of such an army materializing magically out of nowhere.

Carrol

*The quotes from Alinsky seem to suggest that his approach was to wait until an army came to him begging him to be their leader.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list