[Peace-discuss] Quit the Party

[Laurie Solomon]

>Nah, you weren't a spoiler if you voted in Illinois. But as I understand
it, Gore would have gotten in  -- even w/ the >voter fraud giving FL to Bush
-- if Nader votes hadn't thrown election to Bush in those states. Chomsky
warned >voters NOT to do that again in 2004 b/c things had gotten too
dangerous, and many others asked Nader not to run >again for the same
reason.

 

Trying hard to stay out of this; but I do have to make an observation.  To
tell people that they should not for practical political reasons follow
their principles when voting or supporting substantive positions because
they might be spoilers with respect to another candidate's or substantive
position's chance of winning  sounds like a very unprincipled stance and
very much political pragmatism as usual.  It tends to remind me of the old
story about the liberal southerners, who upon acquiring and holding seats of
power, authority, and position in the halls of government, sought to pursued
moderation and going slow with respect to reduction and elimination of
racial segregation and discrimination; they told the Blacks that they should
cease to protest and making demands for immediate action because if they
continued they would get the racist conservatives back in power.

 

Maybe, just maybe, given the evidence of the establishment to maintain a
given policy despite changes in the power elites in government (i.e., both
houses of the Congress from republican control to Dem control) one might
consider attempting to organize a general boycott of elections period until
such time as the people can actually exercise some control over their
officials and effectively allow for proportional representation of all
political positions rather than being forced to move the middle ground and
support the establishment's notions of being moderate and going slow in
making changes.  Not to vote is a form of voting.    

 

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