Wojtek
Editor:
Katha Pollitt is, as usually, right that the outcome of the November election reflects the collective will of the majority of voters rather than the purported failure of Democratic leadership (November 22). Unlike 2000, this year's election was a choice between the track record of President Bush and pledges of Senator Kerry, and nobody can claim being fooled by sugary promises of "compassionate conservatism." "The people" chose the hard core track record.
This choice is a death blow to the populist myth, lingering on the Left since the Great Depression, that "the people" will always chose a progressive agenda if given a chance, but the leadership seldom gives them that chance. There is no shred of evidence to support that contention. In fact, evidence points in the other direction. The civil rights movement, undeniably the brightest feather in the progressive cap, succeeded only because "Northern elites" were willing to dispatch federal troops to suppress the popular will to deny Blacks equal rights.
However, Pollitt's despair "where does that leave us" also may lead into the same populist fallacy. There is no such thing as "the people," only various interest groups pursuing different agendas. In fact, almost half of the voting population aligned itself with the progressive agenda of Senator Kerry.
"Where does it leave us?" Progressives and liberals should abandon their bankrupt populist delusions and develop a new strategy maximizing their political clout as a minority. That invariably involves some sort of proportionality of interest representation, ranging from Instant Runoff Voting, to true proportional representation on state and national assemblies, and yes, embracing the doctrine of "state rights" and vigorous pursuit of a liberal/progressive agenda in the "blue" states that offer most promising implementation opportunities.