> Rakesh Bhandari wrote:
>
> >Tom, there has been a lot of talk about this odd coalition against US
> >participation in the IMF bail-out of South Korea, Indonesia, etc. Aside
> >from labor dinosaurs and eco-freaks, so rudely brushed aside by Rubin, who
> >are some of the powerful members this odd coalition? What are they so
> >angry about?
>
> The "eco freaks" include quite a few mainstream organizations, who used to
> be pro-NAFTA. The "labor dinosaurs" probably wouldn't take this position;
> it's New Labor, whose days may be numbered, that's taking it. There are
> about 50 members of the Congressional "progressive" (or in Alex Cockburn's
> word, pwogwessive) caucus.And don't forget the right-wing Republican
> back-benchers. All of them agree that this is a bailout of irresponsible
> financiers at the expense of people who work for a living. Didn't Max
> Sawicky say the other day that only 1/3 of Congress is behind the $18
> billion IMF appropriation now?
Yes I said it. I was relaying the view of an
authoritative source who works on the Hill. It's
not a backbench thing. It's a matter of the core
political leadership of the nation, or the real
'executive committee of the capitalist class' --
the Administration (as of two weeks ago, at
least) and Gingrich's cabal -- having the burden
of selling the bailout to a dubious Congress
which has no compelling reason to support it and
a good many to oppose it.
I would suggest this underlines the fundamentally
representative nature of U.S. democracy, deformed
though it is by the inordinate influence of
capital.
"Labor dinosaurs" and "eco-freaks"? I don't know
whether to run out of my house screaming or
transmit RB's address to the Unabomber.
Politics is an interesting and important subject.
I would commend it to you all. The "____
for Dummies" books seem to be quite popular.
MBS
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