[lbo-talk] Illinois as model for Democratic agenda

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Mon Feb 13 16:57:04 PST 2006


jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net wrote:
>
> On 13 Feb 2006 at 17:22, Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> > Some attributions aside, I'm not an ultraleftist.
>
> Where do you separate ultra-left from left?
> I'm sure Bill O'Reilly would consider you an ultra-leftist but what does
> that designation mean to you in terms of what you support or oppose?
> I hope this doesn't look like a snide question because it isn't intended to be.

I think one should drop the terms "opportunist" and "ultra-leftist" because their impact tends to be moralistic. Instead, discuss the judgment which grounds either. (Note: It would be plain metaphysics to claim that any given position was right on the dot center! Each person at any given moment is either one or the other to some degree.)

Overestimation of the strength of the capitalist class and/or overestimation of the strength of the working class leads to "left" errors.

Underestimation of the strength of the capitalist class and overestimation of the strength of the working class leads to "right" errors.

I claim, for example, that belief in the "recovery" of the DP for left purposes exhibits a gross underestimation of capitalist cultural and political strength. If (and only if) the capitalist class is so weak that its party, the DP, can be moved to the left I am "ultra-left." Et cetera.

Carrol



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