>John Kerry's defeat -- against the least popular incumbent since
>Richard Nixon -- should make US leftists realize that refusing to
>challenge the Democratic Party electorally runs the SAME RISK of
>increasing the chance of electing Republicans as running candidates
>to the left of Democrats
etc
Justin is right that we shouldn't rehash this again, but there is something that deserves discussion: just what are the possibilities for more radical politics in the US right now. I don't see them as brimming with promise. You contort yourself into odd shapes trying to deny that a substantial portion of the U.S. pop - I never said "most," and don't believe that - is in the grip of some kind of authoritarianism, symbolized by extreme religious orthodoxy and adoration of the military. The right is energized and organized, and we have nothing remotely comparable to it. We don't have the ideological or organizational infrastructure necessary to "challenge the Democratic Party." We don't have much of a base among Democratic primary voters, even, where Kucinich and Sharpton combined could get out of the low single digits. I don't think it's hopeless, or I would have gotten out of this gruesome racket long ago. But it's imperative to see things as they really are, and not through pink- or green-tinted lenses.
Doug