> recognize that destruction of the Dumbocrats as a party is the
> absolute precondition for the emergence of a meaningful political Left
> in the USA.
Okay, let's do a thought experiment. Suppose we wake up tomorrow and the Democratic Party has been outlawed. Anyone who's ever served in a substantial Democratic position (elected, advisory or party), at the federal, state, or local level is permanently barred from public life. It's illegal to display posters or banners with words like "Democrat" or images associated with the party, like the donkey. Never again do we see Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, Harry Reid, Jon Corzine, etc.
What do you think would happen? Here's my guess. (Remember, this is a ceteris paribus experiment: Except for the elements specified herein, nothing in American life has changed.) Given the electoral system we have in this country, it is almost guaranteed that a single party will take the place of the Democrats as the sole major anti-Republican party. (That's why it's called a two-party system.) A race will be on to determine which will be the new anti-Republican party. No doubt the Greens, the SP, the Peace and Freedom Party, etc., will all have their names on the ballot. But remember: Nothing has changed in America except for the creation of this gaping hole in the party system. So, as we all know, given the current ideological reflexes of the electorate, none of these parties will stand a chance. (Mind you, it's quite possible that the very first election following the Dem dismantling will see some of these parties getting unprecedented numbers of votes, since the "lesser evil" dynamic is attenuated - by definition, the country hasn't yet officially settled on which party is to be the "major" party. But "more votes" doesn't count. In our system, you have to win 51% or you win nothing.)
There isn't the shadow of a doubt that a new, center-left party would also emerge. Who would create it? Probably the same forces that used to lie behind the extinct Democratic Party: On the one hand, hedge fund managers, real estate moguls, "enlightened" CEO's; on the other hand, the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, MoveOn.com, etc. (The ban on Democrats only applies to its top leadership, not to mere supporters.) These forces well know that our electoral system harshly punishes partisan fractiousness of any kind, so they would all feel great pressure to get along and accommodate their differences rather than splitting off to form rival center-left parties.
What would the outcome be? Since in America in 2009 far more people will vote for a big-tent center-left party than for, say, the Green Party, and since this new Democrat-esque party will have all of the money, it's certain to win. And what will this party be like? *It will be exactly like the Democrats.* Just with new faces at the top.
Conclusion: There is no such thing as "destroying the Democratic Party." The "Democratic Party" is an epiphenomenon of (1) the existing social forces with power, money and organization; (2) the rules of our electoral system; and (3) the current ideological/programmatic drift of the electorate. You *can't* get rid of "the Democrats" (i.e., tepid neoliberals) *unless* you change (1), (2), and (3). And if you change (1), (2), and (3) the Democrats themselves will automatically change anyway.
SA