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True, these are only my impressions from across the border, so take them for what they’re worth. But I don’t know how else to interpret a) the startling success of MM’s film in the American heartland, b) first-hand commentary about the ABB phenomenon by left activists like Carrol, Shane, Yoshie, ChuckO and others on this list, and in the left and commercial media generally, c) the lockstep relationship between Bush the incumbent’s dropping poll numbers and developments in Iraq and the 911 hearings, d) the readiness of the Democratic ranks to abandon Dean and to mobilize and unite behind a less favoured candidate in the interest of “getting Bush”, and e) the related vitriol directed at Nader, whose overall program is probably the one most in accord with their views.
Still, I don’t believe, as some do, that Kerry is a shoo-in, because the current trend can be halted by a spurt in the economy, fewer US casualities in Iraq, or a so-called “October surprise” involving bin Laden’s capture or a terrorist attack. However, to date, this has shaped up as a referendum on the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq and right-wing domestic policies, and I think it is mistaken for a part of the US left to stand aside from the mass electoral movement that has developed around this issue in favour of idealized local “movement-building” outside of it, and purely symbolic electoral activity through the Nader/Camejo campaign.
Marv Gandall