[lbo-talk] Re: A 'Progressive Conference'

Brad Mayer Bradley.Mayer at Sun.COM
Mon May 24 09:39:55 PDT 2004


You can be sure I've done plenty over the years, and without the benefit of the Internet, which BTW, is suspect (and overrated) as a means of mobilization . As for MoveOn (to get back to the subject) it's no great shakes to "mobilize millions" into the Democratic Party. The left has been trained like Pavlov's dog to salivate for the Democrats for decades, after all, and MoveOn relies on this conservative reflex to do most of the work for it.

The status quo mobilizes millions every day to buy consumer junk they don't need. It doesn't really take that much thought or effort. MoveOn does no differently.

If they can get a billion bucks out of Soros pocket, then I'd be impressed.

Otherwise, the American left sucks. I'll pay them more attention and respect when they change their act.

A test: If the upcoming June 5th demos don't bring out MONSTER crowds - at least as big as the pre-invasion marches - then this pessimistic view is both confirmed and deepened. In that case I'd guess you'd call it "Lying Low For Kerry", with belly to the ground, mouth shoved in the dirt, and Kerry's Iraqi jackboot bearing down on the nape of your neck.

Let me guess the line:, "Don't want to give the Repubs images of 'radical', 'unpatriotic', crowds to use against Kerry" (We know how much American culture despises large groups of people utilizing public space). When events are moving in our direction, as they are now, that's the time to mobilize and be visible. But the American left has thrown its lot in with a force that deliberately seeks to counter and reverse this flow of events. Really, it's political treason. Unconscionable.

A large, nasty antiwar demo in Boston would alter my view.

-Brad Mayer Brad Mayer wrote:


>Another NoveOn farce

THeir politics kinda suck, but they've literally mobilized millions of people. What have you done?

Doug



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