Doug Henwood wrote:
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> I know you're not big on agency, but why would people devote
> themselves to careers in which they're guaranteed to lose?
An overwhelming proportion of the human species at any given time sets limits on what they will do to achieve their 'goals in life.' How many people would commit murder (even assuming they could get away with it) in order to pay off the mortgage of their home. Millions of people have risked or 'given' their lives for their country or their family or for their personal sense of honor. Why should ruling class figures or servants be any different?
Sure the DP leaders want to win, and I don't doubt that they would at least wink at murder to win* -- but they have limits to, namely the protection of _their_ country, which involves not challenging imperialist policies or actively opposing repression of dissent.
Carrol
*There is no way the DP could win in Illinois without the efforts of the nearly century-old Daley machine in Chicago. (Back in the '30s and '40s it was called the Kelley-Nash machine.) There's no way that machine could have operated so successfully for nearly a century without winking at murder (and probably at times engaging in it). Carter must have known that his refusal to respond to Bishop Romero's letter was a death sentence! He must have known what bloodshed his policies would unleash in East Timor. All politicians want to win and will usually go to ALMOST any length to win. But all politicians have their own limits which they will not go beyond.