http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/3376
....Therein lies the problem of Nader's candidacy. Even those to whom his message is most relevant are not sure whether to "throw away" their votes on him. That problem persists, however, only under two assumptions -- that Bush is much worse than Gore, and that a vote for Nader is trivial. Perhaps those in the "sewage" of America have been up to their ears in it for so long because the two-party system inhibits real change. And while a Bush administration may mean four more years of trouble, a Gore administration might usher in four more years of promises unfulfilled, conservatives masquerading in Democratic disguises, and increasing frustration.
The conundrum of the 2000 campaign nevertheless exists: For those with the most to lose, to those who need robust health care, social security, and child-care to survive, a vote for Nader may be too much to risk. It is painfully obvious that a vote for him could help elect Bush. So goes the logic, and it is difficult to disprove. But while Americans -- and especially the most marginalized of voters -- often vote their fears, every once in a while a small miracle might occur in the voting booth, and more than a few people vote their hopes. While the legitimate fear is that a vote against Gore will submerge those in America's "sewage" ever deeper, Nader represents the best hope of beginning the long ascent out of it.
>From: "Michael Dawson -PSU" <mdawson at pdx.edu>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
>Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Booing Manning Marable
>Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 14:28:45 -0800
>
> > So long as 9 out of 10 black voters vote Democrat, any candidate who
> > effaces the differences so obvious to them discredits himself, loosing
> > this constituency. Certainly, there is no monolithic Black Community,
> > but when you get a chorus this clear and this consistent, it's best for
> > white leftists to stop and consider. That's Doug's point, *not* that
>the
> > Dems are the vanguard of anti-racism.
>
>Duh and duh. I didn't and don't say a) that black perceptions and
>preferences should be ignored, or b) that Doug thinks the DP is awesome.
>But the DP has undeniably failed to do anything to help African-Americans
>since LBJ, and even what he did was mostly a flawed sop for the Vietnam
>meatgrinder. If most blacks still think their best answer lies in
>"re"claiming the DP, that's a respectable judgement call. But so is the
>proposition that it's time for a third party to the left of the DP.
>Working
>toward that goal is not racist, and may ultimately put the lie to the ABB
>party line. Keeping Jack the Ripper out of your neighborhood is great, but
>how long do you keep hiring crack dealers to do the job?
>
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