[Peace-discuss] Obama finks on FISA (& even Hillary doesn't)]

[C. G. Estabrook]

Don't you see though that it doesn't make much difference?  Worse yet, the
presidential campaign is a distraction from real politics, and that's what it's
meant to be.

If the populace (or rather that minority in the chattering classes) is
distracted by Obama v. McCain, the USG can continue with its policies without
any interference from what liberal journalist Walter Lippmann (d. 1974) called
"ignorant and meddlesome outsiders" whose "function" is to be only "interested
spectators of action," periodically selecting members of the leadership class in
elections, then returning to their private concerns.  (Lippmann, founder of The
New Republic magazine, argued that "the public must be put in its place," so
that the "responsible men" may rule without interference; the herd of citizens
must be governed by “a specialized class whose interests reach beyond the
locality.")

And those policies will remain essentially the same -- that is, the USG will
continue to kill roughly the same sorts of people -- regardless which man
becomes president.  Do you really think that the killing would have been much
different if Kerry had become president in 2005?  Or Gore in 2001? (Gore pressed
Clinton to attack Serbia; the Neocons, representing one end of the narrow USG
policy spectrum, were originally Democrats.)  --CGE

--"If they can get you asking the wrong questions [viz., McCain or Obama?], they
don't have to worry about answers." --Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow

--"The people can vote for whoever they want: I control the nominations."
--William M. Tweed (Boss Tweed), head of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party
political machine in 19th-century New York


Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
> THANK YOU.
> 
> --- On *Thu, 7/10/08, C. G. Estabrook /<galliher at uiuc.edu>/* wrote:
> 
>     From: C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu>
>     Subject: Re: [Peace] Re: [Peace-discuss] Obama finks on FISA (& even
>     Hillary doesn't)
>     To: jencart13 at yahoo.com
>     Cc: rlangenh at uiuc.edu, "Peace" <peace at anti-war.net>
>     Date: Thursday, July 10, 2008, 1:16 AM
> 
>     In a swing state -- one in which it's unclear whether the electoral votes
>     will 
>     go to McCain or Obama -- it would probably be worthwhile to vote against the 
>     Republicans on the grounds that their social programs (or lack thereof) would 
>     hurt more people than Democratic programs.  And the most effective way to vote 
>     against them is to vote for the Democratic party's nominee.
> 
>     But this means nothing in Illinois, which should be safe for Obama, so you 
>     should vote for whomever you want.  If Illinois were to become a "swing
>     state" 
>     -- if there were a chance that its electoral votes would not go to Obama -- a 
>     McCain landslide would be in the offing, and you should still vote for whomever
> 
>     you want. So it doesn't matter here.  --CGE
> 
> 
>     Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
>     > Well, since the subject has been broached, I'll ask another question: 
>     > Carl, if you lived in a swing state, which prez candidate would get yr
>     vote?
>     > 
>     >  --Jenifer
>     > 
>     > --- On *Wed, 7/9/08, C. G. Estabrook /<galliher at uiuc.edu>/* wrote:
>     > 
>     >     From: C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu>
>     >     Subject: [Peace] Re: [Peace-discuss] Obama finks on FISA (& even
>     >     Hillary doesn't)
>     >     To: rlangenh at uiuc.edu
>     >     Cc: "Peace" <peace at anti-war.net>
>     >     Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 10:16 PM
>     > 
>     >     Nader.
>     > 
>     >     Or perhaps McKinney, if the Green party could ever shake what might be
>     called 
>     >     its Autistic Leninism -- i.e., it's desire to be a vanguard party,
>     coupled
>     >     with 
>     >     a distinct distaste for those for whom it might be a vanguard. The
>     result is an
>     > 
>     >     unwillingness actually to recruit members; instead, a contemplation of
>     >     one's own 
>     >     activist purity is substituted.  (Autistic Leninism is known in some
>     circles 
>     >     [but not in C-U] as the Chief/Indian Dilemma.) --CGE
>     > 
>     > 
>     >     rlangenh at uiuc.edu wrote:
>     >     > So, who are you going to vote for in October?
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