>Unfortunately, I don't think that the people you know necessarily
>constitute
>a representative sample of the people who are currently
>stumping for Kerry. We need only look back to the Clinton
>Administration to see what is likely to happen if Kerry is
>elected. Clinton, as you may remember, helped to accomplish
>such feats as the passage of NAFTA, GATT, the abolition of
>AFDC, and the passage of the Antiterrorism Act in 1996 which
>constituted a serious threat to civil liberties and helped to set
>the stage for the Patriot Act under Bush. For the most
>part, barely a peep was heard from liberals and progressives
>when Clinton was doing these things, even though if they
>had been done instead under a Republican president,
>they would have screamed bloody murder.
And to what effect? What Bush initiatives have those screaming liberals been able to block? A second Bush admin would almost certainly propose deep cuts in civilian spending and the privatization of Social Security - and with a Republican Congress, they'd probably get them. Al Franken would be powerless to stop them.
I really don't know how many times I've got to say this. I don't expect much that's good from Kerry. I expect less pressure to cut civilian spending and no SS privatization. Aside that, it's capitalism as usual. I look forward to marginally better policies, a better discursive and organizing environment for radicals, and a productive disillusionment.
And, Jim, what's your alternative? Anyone who wins the American presidency is, unless things change radically, going to be a loyal servant of the bourgeoisie. You got a candidate in mind who wouldn't fit that bill? Or does it just not matter to you?
Doug