me: >>There are three main strategies 1) support the Democratic candidate, whoever she or he may be. 2) support some "third" party candidate on the political left. 3) eschew electoral politics (at least at the national level) because the system is totally biased against any change. (that's my position, as can be seen from the biased way I presented it.) <<
Julio Huato:>There's a fourth strategy: 4) agitate, propagandize, unite, organize broader forces in favor of foreign policy reform and economic security for working people. << that was part of my third strategy, but I left it implied since I was only discussing issues vis-a-vis the DP. I'd add stuff like civil liberties (thus "Bust Big Brother Bush!"). >> excluding the ostrich's approach, we cannot get around the Democratic Party by merely wishing it away. I made this case in http://www.swans.com/library/art11/jhuato01.html and my argument is absolutely irrefutable. << Thus, I won't try to refute it. But my approach is that if we follow your #4 and keep our eyes on the prizes and in essence ignore the DP, the growing mass movement will lead to improvements in the DP -- and the GOP -- by its mere presence. Those politicos who want to work with the DP -- or the GOP -- can do so if that's what turns them on, but they won't be able to do anything without the backbone provided by a mass movement. The Big Two parties were much better back when there was a mass anti-war movement, before that a civil rights movement, and before that the remains of a grassroots New Deal movement. Me:>> I agree with Louis that this is a better time to talk about electoral strategy than during the 2008 Presidential election season itself, when emotions are likely to run high. << >Did Louis say that? If he did, I take my irony back. < I read that into what LP said. Maybe I was wrong. -- Jim Devine Bust Big Brother Bush! This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm
