See below:
> From: "Michael Dawson" <MDawson at pdx.edu>
> To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> Subject: RE: [lbo-talk] 1994 Progressive Statement speaks to
> 2004 Election
> Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 11:14:58 -0800
>
> Personally, I don't think it speaks to the concerns at all.
> It reads like left-wonk boilerplate. You can't undermine
> Bush's support by calling it an "ominous rightwing backlash."
> You have to attack it by talking about what's ethical in a
> new and expanded way. You have to attract people with honey,
> not vinegar.
>
There are two important tasks.
One is to get away from the Inside the Beltway frame of the Christian Right being ignorant "religious political extremists," -- a contentless DLC spin label that demonizes a large and motivated constitutency that makes up a significant portion of the elctorate. This requires developing a narrative that appeals to moral concerns without abandoning the demand for equal human rights for all.
PRA has been saying this for ten years. Here is a paragraph from our flyer "Ground Rules and Tips for Challenging the Right."
"Be careful to respect people's right to hold opinions and religious beliefs that you may find offensive. Everyone has an absolute right to seek redress of their grievances. This is equally true when those grievances are based on religious beliefs. In an open and democratic society, it is important to listen to the grievances of all members of society and take them seriously, even when we might be vehemently opposed to them. They do not, however, have a right to impose those beliefs on others."
http://www.publiceye.org/ark/tips.html
But the other task is to rebuild a progressive movement that sees the connections among issues. That is the audience to which the Blue Mountain Statement is addressed. We need to see the complexity of the right-wing backlash movement and not oversimplify what is happening, but also recognize that it is antidemocratic. This means a progressive movement that stands distinct from the Democratic Party yet helps drag it to the left.
These have to happen together. It is not one or the other.
Chip Berlet