> businesses can't be brought to be nice to workers through moralism;
> consumers can't be brought to use less carbon through moralism; and by
> the same measure, leftists can't be brought by moralism not to vote for
> the Democrats.
Couldn't agree with you more. But I think you're mistaken in characterizing my attitude as "moralistic".
> ridicule and
> invective -- won't help.
I dunno about that. They have their place. Ridicule and invective have a long and honorable history in political discourse.
> Only strategy will. I don't have a twelve-point
> plan for this, but if such a plan existed it would surely involve, at
> some stage, working with Democrats, both elected ones and rank-and-filers.
We're all Waiting For Strategy, aren't we? And surely no one would exclude working with Democrats, if Democrats were willing to work conscientiously and whole-heartedly for something one might support. (The recent history of the anti-war movement offers a useful chart of some shoals in these waters, though.)
But one would be ill-advised to drop or soft-pedal one's polemic against the DP for the sake of "working with Democrats". If they're not willing to agree to disagree on this point, then they're false friends.
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Michael J. Smith mjs at smithbowen.net
http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org http://www.cars-suck.org http://fakesprogress.blogspot.com