[lbo-talk] MWM, take 2

[?????????]

This exchange and a bit of research convinced me to plan on attending  
the MWM, despite being "pessimistic on America" and despite its not well 
thought out name.  It will be interesting to see who is willing to swim 
against a powerful reactionary current at full tide, as it always is at 
Election time, thanks to the decades of work put in by the N.N.s of the 
world. Speaking of which, anything N.N. disses has got to be good.

 >Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
 >
 >>Is it just Max, Mark Pavlick, and me from the list?  The Million
 >>Worker March will not be as big as the August 29, 2004 "World Says
 >>No to the Bush Agenda" march organized by UfPJ, much less worldwide
 >>mobilization against the invasion of Iraq on February 15, 2003.
 >>The social composition of main organizers and likely participants
 >>of the Million Worker March -- both in terms of class and race --
 >>is, however, far more critical to the future of independent
 >>political action on the electoral and movement fronts than the
 >>march on August 29.
 >
 >I don't agree with the "more important" part, but it is sad that the
 >MWM isn't getting more attention and support than it is. The impact
 >of having a large, multiracial, class-centered march in DC could be
 >enormous. What's the problem? Too black? Too working class? Too
 >diffuse a message? Bad timing?
 >
 >Doug

 >N.N. Ridiculous timing.  It is idiotic to expect labor leaders and 
activists to
 >devote twelve to eighteen hours of travel to DC, when that same time would
 >be better spent mobilizing for get out the vote among poor and 
multi-racial
 >communities.

Not if it keeps trade union activists and leftists from working to elect 
another RIGHT WING politician to the US Presidency.  Then it is a good 
and positive thing.

 >If Yoshie goes there, rather than spend the time turning
 >folks out for Nader, more power to her, but it's a stupid waste of her 
time
 >given the timing.

Not if it solidifies support among trade unionists for an actively 
independent electoral politics (among other things), not only for now, 
but in the future.  Remember that, the future?

 >There may be points in time when it is arguable that the time spent at a
 >rally might be more worthwhile than the same time reaching out to the
 >unconverted or mobilizing local grassroots, but a few weeks before an
 >election is when the payoff to grassroots outreach is at its peak.  The
 >opportunity cost of pending that time on a bus talking to other activists
 >is insanely high.

Depends on the character of the rally.  The NYC rally was not only a 
waste of time, it was positively harmful to the extent that it succeded 
in its intent to channel peoples' energies towards support of a RIGHT 
WING politician.  And positively reactionary to the extent that 
Camejo/Greens were greeted with a vicious chorus of boos.  A Bronx cheer 
of right wingers by definition.

How many times does it have to be said with caps locked that the 
greatest "Left meets Right" latchup in history (probably) has been the 
one where the large majority of US leftists regularly pull the lever for 
the Democrat, as they have for decades, election after election?

 >Nathan Newman

Pfffftt!  The US Left, like the US Corporation, is incapable of thinking 
past the current quarter, or the current election cycle, a cycle 
beginning of course immediately after Election Day ends the previous 
cycle.  Perhaps because they are both effectively tied to Wall Street? 

Or do you really think that on Wed., Nov. 3rd, the N.N.s will let up 
their pressure even for a moment?  Not a chance.

-Brad Mayer