Michael Pollak wrote:
>
> On Sat, 31 Dec 2005, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>
> > And what is the best we can hope for in this world of freedom of plenty?
> > That Democrats may make some progress in the midterm elections, which is a
> > very big if anyway?
>
> An extremely big if, thanks to the enormous advances in gerrymandering that
> computers have made possible in the last 10 years. There was a short blurb
> on this subject in yesterday's FT's predictions for 2006 article. The last
> paragraph is a killer. If the Dems do as well as the Repugs did in 1994 --
> the well-oiled "Contract With America" campaign" -- they'll only get a
> fifth as many as seats.
I think this is a happy prognostication. It will take this or worse even to begin to break the death grip of the DP on the US left. I've never been an advocate of "the worse the better," but in this case it might hold. If the entrenchment of the RP in national power becomes overwhelming, then more and more leftists will have no choice but to commit themselves to the building of a _non-electoral_ mass movement, and only such a movement can lead even to minor reforms, let alone the major changes that are so desparately needed.
Carrol