Robert Naiman wrote: > Liberals fight over what Democrats are doing because it's the only game in > town. How many Greens are there is Congress? Zero. Maoists? Zero. > Trotskyists? Zero. Anarchists? Zero. >
This reminds me of Robert Solow's (alleged) quip about neoclassical economics: "the wheel may be crooked, but it's the only game in town." But still, lefty economists perservere in not doing neoclassical economics nonetheless. Also, isn't gambling a bad thing, especially if one doesn't have enough cash to cover one's bets? That is, if you don't have the power, how can one play with the "big boys"? As serious students of politics know, inside-the-inside-the-beltway politics involves "horse trading." You get some Congresscritter to vote for your bill by promising to vote for her or his bill -- or by promising campaign contributions. What do you give the Congresscriter to buy a vote for PK to be Treasury Secretary? (If you play the game, then promising a Congresscritter your vote doesn't work, since you'll be giving him or her that vote anyway, as a result of "lesser of two evils" logic." That logov means that it's not credible to threaten not to vote for her or him.) How much "political capital" do they backers of PK have, for example? It looks to me as if a lot of the stuff you push, Bob, is a inside game: isolated and deviant Congresscritters vote for each others' bills even though they're doomed or are totally symbolic from the start. The political controllers -- i.e., people like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and John Boehner -- make sure that none of the fringe bills ever pass except as symbolic gestures. The isolated & deviant types don't have enough political capital to counteract the power of the controllers. Most importantly, is inside-the-inside-the-beltway politics "the only game in town"? doesn't the Occupy movement count for anything?? If anything, it's movements like that could give the isolated & deviant ones some political capital. I for one noticed that while Occupy was making a splash -- despite the mainstream politicians' and media's efforts to contain the problem -- US politics had as small shift to the left. (Then as the issue became "reelect Obama" and liberals lined up to support their guy, it shifted back.) By the way, isn't Bernie Sanders in Congress? he may act like a Democrat, but at least he calls himself a "socialist" and even a "green." He should be given some credit. I, for one, am glad that there are no Maoists or Anarchists in Congress. Trotskyists probably couldn't get into Congress without immediately getting into a faction fight with each other, even if there were only one of them. > Democrats are on the playing field; that's why people care what they say and do. The "anti-Democratic Left" is not on the playing field, so no-one cares what they say and do.< Yes, people care about who's powerful, what they say, and what they do. Just as a servant cares what the master or mistress says and does. Just as the prisoner cares what the guard says and does. Does that mean that we on the left should kow-tow to those with power? or should we at least try to resist? The "anti-Democratic Left"? What an insult! Do you mean the "anti-Democratic Party Left"? It's a mistake to equate "democracy" with the Democratic Party: the DP isn't in favor of democracy unless it serves the interests of the Party or its individuals. Look how they and the GOP have brought forth all sorts of anti-democratic rules that protect their political duopoly against competition from "third" parties. And the lead member of the DP (some fellow named Obama) is all in favor of killing US citizens without hearings or trials. Is that democratic? In the olden days, people used to distinguish between "small-d democrats" and "large-D Democrats," if nothing but for clarity's sake. (Luckily for them, the large-R Republicans are also small-r republicans since they aren't in favor of having a king (or at least not more than the Democratic Party is).) -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
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