Purer Than Thou (Was Re: [lbo-talk] Obama 'was educated in madrassa')

[andie nachgeborenen]

I'm not sure I am a principled leftist anymore. I'd
like some victories. I'll do the things you say, not
that they've worked so well, but I can't think of
anything better. But it's really time to get off our
high horse about how it's evil and immoral to, for
example, put some effort into supporting a moderate
Democrat, as long as we don't expect too much from
him/her -- I did, after all, list it as the one social
science certainty that the Dems will cave when the
crucial moment comes. And as long as we don't abandon
whatever independent activities we are involved in
too. 

And don't tell me that "every four years the whole
left abandons independent activities to support the
Democrats," I have not seen this. The electorally
focused people do what they always do. The movement
focused people mainly stick with that. The election
gets people involved --most of whom don't stay
involved -- in both. And there's a lot of activity
that is essential but hard to classify as either, like
lobbying. 

The fact is that purist protest politics are just a
feelgood self indulgence if that's all that happens,
except in the rare times when they catch fire and
become movements. And then the results, if any, of
those movements have to be institutionalized, which
means electoral politics. 

And, in fact, outside of a small circle of places
where Greens and such can get only city council or win
assembly seats, or independents like Saunders can
leverage local progressivism, charisma, and
constituent service into real positions of power, that
means Democratic Party politics. The places where that
is possible are few and far between. As Dab Lazare and
other have explained, the system is rigged.

Maybe if you can't stomach that you should be doing
something else, we need people doing all sorts of
things, but please let's avoid the more-pure, more
principled, and more radical than thou debate this
time around? Futile hope.


> 
> On 1/20/07, andie nachgeborenen
> <andie_nachgeborenen at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > So absolutism works so well? Don't vote, vote for
> the
> > Socialist Party or Nader. Let McCain win. That
> worked
> > so well too. We are faced with ugly and unappy
> > choices. I have been on both sides of this --
> yours
> > for 15 years. I don't know the right answer. Are
> you
> > sure you do?
> 
> I thought principled leftists did the obvious thing:
> assume the game
> is rigged (which it is) and act strategically.
> (Bringing out important
> issues during the primaries, doing whatever tactical
> voting thing,
> etc.)
> 
> 
> Tayssir
> ___________________________________
>
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