<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <html><head><style type="text/css"></style><title>GOP donors funding Nader</title></head><body> <div>Jon writes:</div> <div><br></div> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Charcoal" color="#000000">I don't get that at all. . . when it comes to presidential campaigns, each</font></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Charcoal" color="#000000">party has to stretch both its arms out and grab as many voters on both</font></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Charcoal" color="#000000">sides as it can.</font></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Charcoal" color="#000000"><br></font></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Charcoal" color="#000000">Bush and Kerry have the same problem -- grabbing what they can to the</font></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Charcoal" color="#000000">left and right, while keeping their bases happy.</font></blockquote> <div><br></div> <div>The reason "we don't get it" is because it is false.  This is not the essential "problem" both parties face.  Rather the essential problem is to maintain access to corporate cash while doing what is necessary to appease those in leadership positions claiming to represent the base.  For the Democrats this means throwing a few subcabinet level positions to Ivy league technocrats in mainstream environmental organizations and labor unions while conferring real power on those with impeccable Wall Street credentials.  Same with Republicans except that the "base" tends to be more easily appeased by a few nods towards the religious right-e.g. opposition to gay marriage, prayer in schools etc.</div> <div><br></div> <div>I suppose its understandable that some here don't "get it" given the increasingly neo-liberal orientation of this list.</div> <div><br></div> <div>I hope everyone "gets it" now.</div> <div><br></div> <div>John</div> <x-sigsep><pre>-- </pre></x-sigsep> </body> </html>