> Do we really need N. to
> know that the class struggle is a power struggle ? Seems we could figure tht
> out without N. When we make N. the source of our theory of power struggle,
> we bring in all his pro-aristocratic ideas. It just seems simpler to
> understand the class struggle as a power struggle without bringing in all of
> N's other baggage.
I agree with you 100% that we don't need Nietzsche to know that the class struggle is a power struggle. Where N. comes in handy, however, is in explaining the disadvantages and damage that can be caused by engaging in a political project with an essentially _moral_ focus rather than one that is concerned with the working class seizing and exercising power.
My impression is that left politics in the U.S. is far more morally oriented than it ought to be. To illustrate morally-based left politics, consider the Catholic Worker movement. The CWs are responsible for a lot of good shit. Here in N.C., the CWs are very active in the anti-death penalty movement -- they get arrested for civil disobedience at all the executions, they provide housing for the families of death row inmates when they're visiting, etc. Unimpeachable, IMO.
_That said_ the CW movement is very much a political movement rooted in morality and a "left" interpretation of the gospels: their political action is motivated by strong moral convictions rather than a desire to empower the working class. Basically, the CWs take very seriously the Catholic doctrine that poverty is a sacred condition -- you should serve the poor and live amongst them, embrace 'voluntary poverty,' etc.
In the class struggle -- perhaps with the notable exceptions of abortion and gay rights amongst _some_ CWs -- the CW's are very much our comrades: Their politics are great and many of them have sacrificed much more than many of us for our shared political agenda.
The CWs have plenty of secular analogues. How many recent union campaigns have you seen that contain the word "justice"? "Jobs With Justice," "Justice for Janitors," "Justice at Smithfield" (an NC UFCW campaign), etc. Similarly, plenty of activists will say that they're motivated by a commitment to "equality" for X group/s.
If morally-motivated left political projects produce good results, what could be the problem with them? I don't think Marx can give a satisfactory answer to this, but Nietzsche can -- this is his primary value to the left IMO. N.'s philosophy explains the advantages of viewing politics as a _power_ struggle rather than a moral struggle. When you view politics as a power struggle, the primary goal is not some abstract value like "equality" -- rather, equality, genuine democracy, etc. flow out of the working class seizing power.
-WD