[lbo-talk] Nader and His Detractors/Kerry

[Michael Dawson]

I'm not voting for Kerry (and I resisted doing that for quite a while)
because I buy the idea that the left will turn on him on November 3 and
somehow gain a toehold in making policies.  Personally, I'm doing it because
of the FDR gamble.  FDR was elected on a promise to balance the budget, and
wound up reacting to deepening trouble with quite a bit of decency and
institutional progress, excluding, of course, his shameful imprisonment of
Japanese-Americans and his inattention to the demands of African-Americans.
I'm not saying Kerry is as likely to turn decent as FDR was, but at least
it's an imaginable possibility, and world events are certainly unlikely to
go down a smooth path.

I also think it's important to show the world that we won't tolerate Bush.

Personally, I don't think the left will regain strength until world events
(war, economy, and/or ecology) force people to think things through.  We
should be preparing for those possibilities, not expecting access to Kerry.
IMHO.

-----Original Message-----
From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
On Behalf Of Joseph Wanzala
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 4:06 PM
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Nader and His Detractors/Kerry

What the right would do were Kerry to win shows why he would have to be 
accomodative to the right, not to progressives. People seem to forget that 
Clinton spent eight years in office not under pressure from the left (he 
dealt with the left by cooptation and when that failed, saxophone lullabies 
did the trick), but from the right (to the extent they actually had to exert

any pressure).  Remember the Contract On America and all that - that was 
'Clintontime'. Kerry will 'suffer' the same fate, and again, instead of 
pressuring a Pres. Kerry, the left will be too busy defending him from 'the 
right'. So much for the ABB strategy of electing Kerry, then getting to work

keeping his feet to the fire.

Joe W.

___________________________________
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk