[lbo-talk] Tariq Ali endorses Kerry, denounces Nader

[Michael Dawson]

You're right about the nuance of what Nader says about "corporate
socialism," but Raimondo's piece was saying Ralph is an old conservative,
and suggesting that he somehow is attacking the DP because of the very idea
of socialism, rather than because of his special use of the term.  And Doug
piled on.

Nader is not an old conservative.  He doesn't go far enough in attacking
capitalism and never has, but that doesn't make him a conservative, old or
new.  And raising that point in this context is just scurrilous, since it's
not applied to Kerry, who's 1,000 worse on that one.

Tactical sabotage is bad, but it doesn't mean the sabotage is thoroughgoing.
Let's be honest and careful in this weird time.

-----Original Message-----
From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
On Behalf Of snit snat
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2004 8:30 PM
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org; lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
Subject: RE: [lbo-talk] Tariq Ali endorses Kerry, denounces Nader

At 12:12 AM 10/31/2004, Michael Dawson wrote:
>There's a huge difference.  Saying that RN opposes the DP because it stands
>for "corporate socialism" in the way Raimondo puts it, makes RN sound like
>he's against the DP because of the second word, not the first.  RN clearly
>is way closer to a socialist than anything close to getting steady NYT
>coverage right now, and calling him an Old Rightist is just an atrocity
>against the facts.  Two wrongs don't make a right.  RN is a man of the
left.
>Anybody who says otherwise is an obfuscator.

RN is against corporate socialism and has written an article called 
"Corporate Socialism" in which he describes how the "government of big 
business, by big business and for big business." has warped a kind of pure 
capitalism. He goes on to write:

""Corporate socialism" -- the privatization of profit and the socialization 
of risks and misconduct -- is displacing capitalist canons. This condition 
prevents an adaptable capitalism, served by equal justice under law, from 
delivering higher standards of living and enlarging its absorptive capacity 
for broader community and environmental values. Civic and political 
movements must call for a decent separation of corporation and state."

I don't see how Raimondo directs the reader to think that Nader is opposed 
to socialism. Ralph _is_ in fact opposed to corporate socialism and he is 
in fact opposed to the DP b/c it enables corporate socialism.

kelley

"We live under the Confederacy.
We're a podunk bunch of swaggering
pious hicks."

                --Bruce Sterling 

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