Re: Election disaster
I am inclined to reject the argument that "clinton blew it" by abandoning the working class upon election. I think the left that is represented by the thinking of the Nation, and especially Alexander Cockburn do a disservice to the progressive movement by constantly hounding a liberal bourgeois candidate for being bourgeois. If Clinton took one morestep left than he already has, the powers that own both houses of Congress in the main, and the leadership of both major political parties would run him out the back door of the white house. (They may yet dump him if he puts up too much stink with the Republican route. All the machinery is in] place in the whitewater investigation, especially with Leach and D'Amato in control of the banking committees now.) A man not often quoted now once said the working class needs not "good representatives" but the organization to be their OWN EMANCIPATION. I think anyone familiar with the details of worker organization knows that wage cuts cannot form the basis of such organization. But social programs financed from taxes on workers wages are wage cuts when the workers arn't getting real wage increases. I think a demographic survey of the voting trends in 94 will show that low wage workers hardly vote at all (after all, NO ONE offers them a reason to vote); mid-range workers wages and higher wage workers were either picked up by the right wing anti-tax crowd, or , bitter over NAFTA, ETC., didn't turn out for the democrats. Black voters had much reason to oppose the Republicans, but hardly any positive reason to support Clinton. A sound economic program that includes expanded workers organizing rights, public investment without tax increases for workers, increased empowerment at the grass roots for working class political organizations, has yet to be convincingly dilineated, and tested. Bernie Sanders victory in Vermont shows that even the desire for such a program has staying power with working class voters. Clinton is not the problem. The problem is our -- the progressive movement's--inability to unite around a sound working classs democracy program.
election disaster
Could somebody from California give us a sense of the real impact of the anti-immigrant proposition? How long can it be tied up with court challenges, how effective will the opposition be (teachers, students, etc.), is it just a ploy to get the Federal government to pick up the tab, etc.??? I find myself doing a lot more mourning than organizing. I hope that in the months to come, people will report on organizing efforts spurred or redoubled by yesterday's disaster. *** Teresa Amott Dept. of Economics Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA 17837 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 717/524-1652 (w) 717/524-3760 (fax)
election disaster
The impact of Prop 187 is uncertain as of now. My impression was that Wilson etc. didn't mean it as much more than another campaign issue; Wilson himself recognized that the whole thing would be tied up in courts for a couple of years. Still, last night on TV, the re-elected Republican Attorney General said he has drawn up plans for implementation, and that he intends to implement whatever he can as soon as possible. This also may have just been election night bombast. But it didn't sound like it. The only positive thing that comes out of it is that the opposition around this was highly active--and much of it came from high school students. If the Attorney General and others really tried to enforce the law, I think you'd see an extremely strong opposition. But to have that will of course take organizing, not mourning. As for a Sandersesque public investment, high wage strategy-- of course its an important idea that should be a defining featuare of a progressive agenda. But remember that such a program was the cornerstone of Clinton's "Putting People First" economic plan; that was what 'its the economy, stupid' was all about, not deficit reduction. So should progressives hold Clinton accountable for abandoning his program even before he tried to implement it? Absolutely yes, in my view. As it is, the effect of Clinton is extremely pernicious: on the one hand, he appropriates a bit of the left rhetoric, and is therefore defined in the media as 'governing from the left.' But in fact, he is governing from the Wall Street center/right, and when that doesn't work, the left gets blamed. Why should progressives be happy about that? -- Bob Pollin
Re: Election disaster
In addition to agreeing with my good old friend, Bob Pollin's interpretation of recent elections, I'd like to make a point about Nathan Newman's recent comment. Maybe we can hope that the Democratic Party will shift leftward as the dixiecrats become Republicans, but what about Clinton? I heard two of the "usual suspects" talking heads on NPR this a.m., Kevin Phillips and Cokie Roberts. Both of them basically said that Clinton's response to the events was to go even further to the right (my phrasing, not theirs). The only difference between the two is that Phillips (a significantly deeper thinker) thought that Clinton would try to be more like Perot. Now, I don't have much respect for these folks of the inside- the-beltway punditocracy. But they do represent the kind of thinking that happens in the White House. So we should be looking for Clinton to propose a Prop. 187 (screw the illegals) for the country as a whole. We'll also see more foreign policy initiatives such as the unprovoked bombing of Iraq, since the Pres. is able to pull that kind of thing off even with a Republican congress and it raises his ratings. BTW, I finally figured out how the trickle-down effect works. A rich person (e.g., our quayle, Mike Huffington) decides to spend megabucks to buy public office. This leads to a more equal distribution of income. in pen-l solidarity, Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Econ. Dept., Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles, CA 90045-2699 USA 310/338-2948 (daytime, during workweek); FAX: 310/338-1950
elections: postscript (fwd)
I thought the enclosed from friends in the UK might be of interest to the depressed members of this list. Ellen J. Dannin + -- Forwarded message -- Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994 10:55:27 -0600 From: W.M. Richards [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: elections: postscript I've just heard on an early evening news bulletin that share rises and gains for the dollar on foreign exchanges are being attributed to the Republican gains last night. As if that's not enough, shares in major health suppliers such as Smith- Kline Beecham and Wellcome have made huge gains on the UK stock exchange today - because the health care reforms will be stalled. WMR -- Dr Wendy M Richards Lecturer in Industrial Relations Department of Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations Keele University Staffs ST5 5BG Tel: 0782 583254 Fax: 0782 715859 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The one straw I clutch (and the left is full of straw-clutchism at all times) is that with the Republicans very clearly in control, it should be pretty easy to blame them for everything that goes wrong. Assuming that the Democrats or anyone else can get themselves organized enough to raise a finger and point it. EJD
Re: Election disaster
Let's be done with it. We should auction off seats to our representatives. The one with the most bucks (Ollie and the Huffer excepted) wins anyway. Why should the state or the electorate get the money instead of the advertisers? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
more on bugs in penl
Both Michael P. and Ric H. responded with this idea of the cause of the problem. I think what is happening is that there are many people who subscribe to both pen-l and pkt and occasionally they forget which net they are responding to. And so a message intended for the pen-l list will be sent over pkt and vice-versa. I think we have a way to test this. I have the sense from past exchanges that Gil Skillman is almost as fanatic about saving msgs as I am. Several people have made reference to his comments on the election; comment that I never received. Gil, do you have a record of where you posted your election comments? Was it PKT? was is PENL? or both? Just trying to collect data here. Doug Orr [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: CBC radio series on New Zealand
Please send me a copy of the transcript of the documentary. Thanks Martin Watts
Re: Atlas published.
Right -- one more yes vote on this kind of "advertising" from me. Cheers - Eric Schutz
Re: CBC radio series on New Zealand
Sid, have you thought of uploading the file to csf.colorado.edu, the heterodox economics part? Then people who want it can access it. in pen-l solidarity, Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Econ. Dept., Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles, CA 90045-2699 USA 310/338-2948 (daytime, during workweek); FAX: 310/338-1950
advice
A requirement for ADVICE : I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Business Administration at Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. I am interested in economics of technological change. I believe that Marxism has lots to say about this theme, although it is ignored for so long. After I came across with the studies performed mostly in Europe about "Evolutionary Economics" and "Schumepeterian Studies", I decided to concentrate on the relationship between economics and technology from a Marxist point of view. Next year I will be in the USA and I want to pursue a post doctoral studies. I would be more than happy if you can give me some advice on where should I apply in the US or in Canada.Any suggestions will mostly be appreciated. Sincerely, Dilek Karaomerlioglu [EMAIL PROTECTED]
