a few irresistible reflections on Bert Black's rant:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
>
> I am originally from New York. In New York, there are lots of parties. The
> Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Right-to-Life Party (yes -
> amazingly enough!). They have all elected people and they are all in
> competition with each other to elect people on their own.
this is a misleadingly incomplete statement on a couple of counts.
First of all, i do not believe that the Liberal, Conservative, or
Right-to-Life Parties in New York state have ever elected candidates on
their own. (Does Mr. Black have any examples to disprove this
contention?) I believe these "third parties" have only elected
candidates due to fusion - when they nominate the same candidates as the
Democrat or Republican Parties. Of course, the Minnesota DFL made sure
that fusion is not permissible here, with the intent and effect of
squashing any third parties. Mr. Black's posting also explained how the
municipal ballot system in Minneapolis, set by by DFLers, prevents
candidates from identifying with more than one party. The "problem" of
Greens having to "vacillate" back and forth the DFL is therefore of the
DFL's own making. Second, the third parties in New York are not exactly
separate in any event. When I lived in New York and followed New York
politics, the Liberal Party was controlled by government Mario Cuomo and
did whatever he said, even though Cuomo was first and foremost a
Democrat. The Conservative and Right to Life Parties were also known to
be heavily involved with the Republican party. In conclucion, i don't
think that Mr. Black has chosen a very good model in New York to support
clear separation of parties with limited political commonalities.
>
> It's like having a parasitic worm in your intestine. Eventually, it will kill
> you. How would the Green Party like it if DFLers did the same to them, that
> is, came in and harassed the original Green Party members? I think they would
> cry foul. Well, so do I. Brits Out of Ireland, and Green Party out of the DFL!
This analogy is mixed up in a way that helps illustrate the absurdity of
Mr. Black's paranoia about the Greens. A more analagous slogan to
"Green Party out of the DFL" would be "Irish out of Britain." The DFL
is the completely dominant and oppressive power in Minneapolis. The
Greens could be described as a small liberation movement that has not
begun to pose any real threat to the money and political manipluation
that allows the DFL to occupy well over 90 percent of elected offices in
Minneapolis. The decision of a relatively small number of people to
work in both the Green and DFL parties is hardly a serious threat to the
DFL.
>
> The Democratic Party is the oldest party in the world (that we know of).
> Does this mean that it is less than 'pure?' You betcha. Is it perfect. > No.
***
> But it is the best shot that ordinary working people have. It tries to
> speak, however imperfectly for the people.
This is a real cop out. The policies of the DFL-dominated city
government in Minneapolis for the last eight years has invariably been
beholden to big business interests lavishing huge subsidies and
practical give-aways of land, at the expense of affordable housing to
low-income, middle income and above-average income working people, at
the expense of small businesses (look at all the small businesses
displaced by the city-subsidized Target development), at the expense of
basic city services for most residents, at the expense of civil rights
for working people of color, at the expense of parks and the
environment, and on and on. If I am being overly negative or critical,
please provide specifics of how the DFL in Minneapolis has provided a
better shot for ordinary working people.
Jordan Kushner
Powderhorn
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