[lbo-talk] sprinting rightwards

[Miles Jackson]

Julio Huato wrote:
> To say that we cannot use X in our struggle until X is given to us,
> free of warts, to serve our needs and only our needs, is effectively a
> not-very-elegant way to give up on the struggle.  Because, if we
> exclude miracles, X will never fall from the sky perfect and ready to
> serve our needs.  So, the idea that electoral politics is always a
> stick that hit us on the head is no argument against electoral
> politics.  Again, the only forms of struggle that we can use are those
> drawn from society as it is.  
True enough.  But this doesn't provide much practical guidance: society 
"as it is" is a complex array of social organizations and institutions, 
so the forms of struggle we can take are myriad.  Why not join the 
Catholic Church?  The Young Republicans?  A frat house?  Sure, all those 
organizations are imperfect, but by the logic in your post above, well, 
they're all drawn from society as it is, and if we don't join those 
groups, we're giving up on the struggle. 

Sure, there are many strategies we can use to accomplish our goals; 
everyday, though, we make judgments to prioritize certain strategies 
over others.  You've made an implicit judgment that electoral politics 
is a high priority strategy; I think there are more interesting and 
promising paths to explore.  And saying "well, we can do it all" doesn't 
solve the problem: we have finite time and resources, so we'll just end 
up doing everything--half-assed.

Miles