====================================================================== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. ======================================================================
Yeah, I have something additional to say, that isn't a repeat. Everyone has stressed different aspects of the TP movement: whether the movement is about working people with legitimate fears, open racists, incipient fascists, country-club Republicans, etc., etc., and the simple fact is that all of these things are true. The Tea Party movement, to the extent that it even IS a movement, is intensely contradictory. The question for us is, what are the proper tactics to defeat this movement? Part of the answer, I believe, will involve EXPLOITING some of those contradictions and driving wedges to divide sections of the Tea Party movement against each other. One of those wedge issues is the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another (related) is the PATRIOT Act. Also, socialists have an answer to the high taxes which are a real burden on many working-class families: it was the primary slogan in Rich Ariza's SWP campaign for governor of NJ in 1977: "Tax the rich, not working people." I believed in that slogan then, and I believe in it now. Obviously, we cannot in any way, even in a united-front antiwar movement, make any compromise with racism. I found out the hard way-in practice-that the pure-and-simple "single-issue" united front can't really work in the real world. In our committee, as I have reported on a number of occasions, we had to deal with an old man who was a Holocaust denier and a Nazi sympathizer who participated in our peace vigils and other activities. He wasn't part of any organized group, and we determined that he wasn't a physical danger to anyone, but we took political steps to isolate him and make clear that our committee had no sympathy for his notions. See http://nwnjpeace.org/tolerance.html. If the antiwar movement holds fast to principle, it can reach out to the Ron Paul supporters who oppose the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the PATRIOT Act. By holding fast to principle, I mean not compromising with any form of racism, sexism, or hostility to the labor movement. It will involve a certain amount of agreement to disagree. By the way, do you all remember the incendiary phrase from Goldwater's speech accepting the Republican nomination for President in 1964: "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice"? The speechwriter responsible for that was a young guy named Karl Hess. Well, the week after I joined the YSA in 1969, I attended the Hiroshima Day antiwar demonstration in Washington, DC, and Karl Hess was one of the speakers! He had broken with the Republicans over the war issue (he went on to participate in the founding of the Free Libertarian Party, the forerunner of the present-day Libertarian party). Now, this demonstration was organized by the New Mobilization Committee, in which the SWP played a prominent role. Was it a mistake to invite Hess to speak? I think not. To a great extent the Tea Party movement is (pardon the expression) a tempest in a teapot: it's not as big as the media would like to make it out to be. I just watched Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) on "Meet the Press" talking about how they had only gotten 1500 people out to a Washington demonstration on tax day, and that if he organized a demonstration against euthanizing puppies he could get 100,000 in the streets with a snap of his fingers. Furthermore, the ruling class is hardly threatened to the point where it needs to turn to an extraparliamentary fascist movement to defend itself. Truth be told, Obama is actually doing a very good job defending the ruling class's interests, and if we stay on message explaining that, we can convince. Tom -----Original Message----- From: marxism-bounces+biastg=embarqmail....@lists.econ.utah.edu [mailto:marxism-bounces+biastg=embarqmail....@lists.econ.utah.edu] On Behalf Of S. Artesian Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2010 12:33 PM To: Thomas Bias Subject: Re: [Marxism] Tea bag discussion ====================================================================== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. ====================================================================== OK by me, but I'd like to know what Vicki White wanted to say. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Louis Proyect" <l...@panix.com> ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/biastg%40embarqmail.com ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
