[lbo-talk] Tariq Ali Endorses Kerry . . . for the BattlegroundStates

[T Fast]

Getting Yoshie to concede a point is about as likely as getting GBJ to admit 
he was doing coke or Kerry to admit he is a timely opportunist.  The point 
is Ralph did not restrict himself to safe states.  Hence, if Ralphy tips the 
balance I hope Yoshie will be as willing to rise above the din and take some 
responsibility.  But like the social democratic version, Naomi Kline, I am 
sure Yoshie will disavow any responsibility for the result. Here today gone 
tomorrow.

Travis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yoshie Furuhashi" <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu>
To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>; <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu>
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 10:37 AM
Subject: [lbo-talk] Tariq Ali Endorses Kerry . . . for the 
BattlegroundStates


> Travis wrote:
>
>>Yoshie Wrote:
>>>  For instance, suppose that Bush narrowly wins the electoral college 
>>> with
>>>  only 40% of the popular vote, with 21% of the popular vote going to 
>>> Nader
>>>  and other candidates on the left and 39%, going to Kerry --
>>>  that will be a far more symbolically powerful way of denying Bush and
>>
>>Yoshie is this a mistype:
>>"with 21% of the popular vote going to Nader and 39% to Kerry --"
>>
>>I suppose hypothetical can involve the use of any numbers you like but 
>>some referent to a possible reality for this election and not some numbers 
>>for your fantasy election of the future would be good. All these fantasy 
>>numbers of yours serve to do is to obviscate the real strategic bind that 
>>those of left find themselves.
>
> I'm saying that there is NO bind whatsoever for voters on the left who 
> live in one-party states like New York, California, and Texas -- 
> except in Oklahoma (where Bush is winning a whopping 61% and Kerry, only 
> 28% in the latest poll, according to <http://www.electoral-vote.com/>), 
> where there is literally NO presidential candidate other than Bush and 
> Gore on the ballot and write-in candidacy is not allowed.
>
>>Far better to get Kerry elected and then have the spectacle of the Dems 
>>unleashing the hounds and thugs on the anti-war, anti-poverty, anti-racist 
>>and anti-capitalist left.  Surely this will make your case for the need 
>>for a third party stronger.  With Bush in office you will simply bolster 
>>the case against any third party and have succeeded in strengthening two 
>>party dominance!
>
> If leftists want to use their votes to make marginal contributions to 
> electing Kerry, their votes will matter only in the battleground states 
> like Ohio.
>
> Will Kerry 2004 supporters on the left like Doug and Tariq Ali be 
> supporting a third-party presidential candidate in 2008 or will they be 
> supporting Kerry again, because he is "the lesser evil" compared to the 
> 2008 Republican presidential candidate (whoever it is) and a Green Party 
> or any other third-party candidate is not likely to win the electoral 
> college contest?  I have no idea what they will do, but leftists who will 
> support Kerry in 2008 will have to spin more furiously than they have in 
> 2004.  After all, they won't be able to tap into anti-incumbent sentiments 
> fueled by Kerry's wars, occupations, and fiscal austerity.
> -- 
> Yoshie
>
> * Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/>
> * Greens for Nader: <http://greensfornader.net/>
> * Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/>
> * OSU-GESO: <http://www.osu-geso.org/>
> * Calendars of Events in Columbus: 
> <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>, 
> <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/>
> * Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/>
> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/>
> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio>
> * Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>
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