[lbo-talk] Re: Tariq Ali Reiterates

[kjkhoo at softhome.net]

At 10:14 am -0500 2/11/04, Doug Henwood wrote:
>Kinda. The U.S. elite started moving seriously to the right in the 
>mid-1970s, as profit rates fell, wildcat strikes rose, and bond 
>returns were persistently negative. The Republican party shed its 
>northeastern and midwestern moderate base for a hard-right southern 
>and western base (and the southerners left the DP for the RP). I'm 
>not sure foreigners, and even a few American leftists, appreciate 
>what a toxically reactionary and ruthless formation the RP is.
>
>And for all those who complain about how far right the DP has moved 
>- yeah, if your base of comparison is 1972. But no, not if your base 
>is 1952. What's really moved right in U.S. politics is the RP.

I think I understand how toxic the RP is in relation to domestic US. 
Except that until recently, it seemed that as far as the rest of the 
world was concerned, it didn't make that much of a difference.

As for whether the DP has moved much further to the right, isn't it 
the case that since the 1980s, particularly, the whole spectrum has 
shifted rightwards, including in Europe? And the defeat -- it's 
beginning to look that way -- this time, will definitely shift the 
spectrum even further to the right. Doesn't look like even the 
popular vote is going to be razor thin.

Worse, I don't think there are any rationalisations for this. It was 
a referendum on Bush, and he romped home.

All too depressing for words.

By the way and just sheer curiosity: how did red come to be RP and 
blue DP? In the UK, blue would be tory.

kj