Marvin Gandall wrote:
>
>
> What basis is there for believing that a Kerry victory would, in effect,
> mean "dissolving" the antiwar movement into "the pro-war mainstream", even
> if this were the direction in which a new DP administration wished to go?
No, a Kerry victory will not of course dissolve the anti-war movement into the pro-war movement. It is the _campaign_ that does that by absorbing people, energy, and time. As to winning, I suppose the prize many of us want to gain (and have been striving after for decades) is to create a situation where political activity does not come to an abrupt halt every four years. I don't see how supporting Kerry contributes to that end. If I thought that campaigning for Kerry would increase the attendance at anti-war meetings in February-August of 2008 I would join the ABB contingent myself. But I think the best way for me to make a difference in 2008 is to keep gently reminding other members of the BNCPJ that I am casting a blank ballot -- I have several years to explain the rationale for that, so I avoid triggering any debate on it at this time.
Besides, with the exception of Justin, the ABBs on this list simply aren't serious. If they were they would find something better to do than examine the entrails of birds (trace the polls) or whine about the moral character of their opponents. Neither of those activities is going to add a single vote for Kerry. It seems to me, therefore, that (again with the exception of Justin) the ABBs on the list are utterly unintested in making a political difference, but are merely expressing the purity of their souls.
Carrol