<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=content-type content=text/html;charset=iso-8859-1> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bottomMargin=0 leftMargin=3 topMargin=0 rightMargin=3> <DIV>Jon Johanning wrote:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV><EM>Oh, I certainly would never blame Moore</EM><EM> (as for Hollywood, that's hardly a target with enough stature to bother roughing up). And I fully agree with those who argue that the Left needs to be more vigorous in stating its moral positions. One of the big mistakes of left radicals for a long time, IMHO, has been the quasi-Marxist (faux-Marxist) idea that political agitation has to eschew all moral language, and just talk about "material issues." Every progressive movement that has accomplished anything in U.S. history has been based on moral convictions, from anti-slavery agitation to early 20th century progressivism and populism, the union movement, the civil rights</EM><EM> movement, the feminist movement, etc., etc.</EM></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>[end]</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Furthermore, an economic self-interest pitch can conform to right-wing caricatures of the left as a pack of crass materialists.  Chip's slide show reminded me of this pitfall.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't know how to do this.  However, I am convinced that we have to do better at getting inside their heads.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>-- Shane</DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>