> In a message dated 11/3/05 11:40:01 AM, lbo-talk-request at lbo-
> talk.org writes:
>
> >I continue to be shocked that activists on the Supreme Court
> nomination
> >fight think leading with abortion is the best way to fight the
> rightwing.
> >
> >It's not that I'd back away from the abortion issue in politics,
> but even
> >strong liberal activists unfettered by that corporate money still
> downplay
> >the clear rightwing economics of these judges in favor of
> highlighting
> >social issues where progressive majorities are marginal at best.
> >
> >Yet the fact that Alito struck down applying minimum wage and
> safety laws
> >for a range of workers gets barely mentioned-- a position that
> would frame
> >his politics in a negative way for a far larger number of the voters.
> >So the focus away from economic issues is not just a result of
> corporate
> >money but of a cultural ballast within the overall progressive
> movement
> >as well.
> >
> >Nathan
>
> Hmm, so basically feminism is just a boat anchor. Cut it loose and
> suddenly working class consciousness and unity will appear on the
> horizon. Except, uh, for women who are, as we know, an
> insignificant majority. Some opposition to abortion could be
> "cultural" but abortion itself is decidedly economic, as in
> production, who does it, when, and under what conditions.
>
> I agree in general that Alito's pro-business, anti-worker positions
> need to be emphasized more, but for a motivated base, you can't
> beat abortion rights activists.
Besides, isn't it more unions' job than NARAL's and Planned Parenthood's (which are more liberal single-issue orgs than populist multi-issue ones) to point out elite economic biases of SC nominees? John Sweeney did weigh in on this through a press release <http:// www.commondreams.org/news2005/1031-19.htm>, but apparently no one (not just the corporate media but even Nathan) paid attention. What does it say about organized labor today? :->
Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org> * Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: <http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/07/mahmoud- ahmadinejads-face.html>; <http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/07/chvez- congratulates-ahmadinejad.html>; <http://montages.blogspot.com/ 2005/06/iranian-working-class-rejects.html>