Nathan wrote:
>I largely supported Kerry in the primaries and I ripped into him
>multiple times on my blog. That's what primaries are for, to have a
>debate on the direction of the party.
-What is striking about the 2004 elections is that, both inside and -outside the Democratic Party, leftists are more divided and can -exercise even less power than before.
Depends on how you define "the left." If you define it at the tiny number of self-identified Marxist grouplets, it may be divided. If you define "the left" more broadly as those fighting against inequality and for a just world order in unions, environmental, feminist and other groups, leftists are incredibly united to working to defeat Bush. Look at the hundreds of millions raised in small donations, look at the massive rallies -- 100,000 in Philadelphia alone yesterday -- look at the massive mobilization to travel to swing states.
What's sad is how much the left sects have made themselves irrelevant to progressive political culture. They have no significant troops and no significant media outlets. They are just largely irrelevant at this point.
Nathan wrote:
>That is why I am so excited about ACT and other 527-type
>groups that are de facto taking over the grassroots infrastructure
>of the Democratic Party and building a national progressive
>organization.
Yoshie replied -ACT and other 527s are not controlled by rank-and-file Democrats on -the left at all. Unlike trade unions and traditional liberal -interest groups that are at least nominally membership organizations, -they cannot even potentially be democratically controlled by the rank -and file.
The organizations who have representatives on the 527 steering committees are largely membership organizations, representing 17 million people, so I'm not sure what you mean. If the left mobilized within the unions and other groups who control the major 527s, they can control the 527 decision-making.
Contrast that with your favorite group, ANSWER, whose steering committee is made up of tiny groups, without a significant mass membership group on their leadership body. The 527s are models of mass democracy compared to various left "coalitions."
--- Nathan Newman