[Peace-discuss] Punish the Democrats, yes

[Morton K. Brussel]

The outrage of Estabrook seems reserved for Democrats, without regarding the very probable (consider what they're saying) consequences of having Tea-Party types and/or Republicans controling government. None of the execrable policies of the G.W. Bush or Obama administrations are likely to be revised or retracted.   He has forgotten about the Bush administration?

The mania of the current campaign aimed at David Gill, characterized as a stand-in for Obama, is perverse and contary to what has come from statements and presentations of Gill.   It's remarkable how much faith Carl has in Tim Johnson. 

--mkb



On Oct 18, 2010, at 5:29 PM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:

> This is outrageous special pleading.  It says to return the Democrats to office, even though they're the ones responsible for "unnecessary deaths of people in wars from [Palestine to Pakistan and from Central Asia to the Horn of Africa]."
> 
> Of course the Democrats are also responsible for not extending Medicare to all, not taking over the too-big-to-fail banks and companies and running them for the public good, not stopping foreclosures, not establishing an effective jobs program, etc., etc. - and not by accident, but because they're working for the banks, the insurance companies, the oil companies, the construction companies, et al.
> 
> The Democrat’s allegedly reformist agenda masks programs to ensure that no major stakeholder in his coalition of corporate backers will suffer significant losses, and will even enjoy spectacular gains — the perfection of the long right turn of the Democratic Party since the 1970s, as financialization of the economy led to shedding New Deal commitments so as to compete with the Republicans for corporate patronage. 
> 
> Reject the policies by not voting for them.  Vote Green or for individual legislators who e.g. vote against the war, like Kucinich, Paul, or Johnson (IL).  We'll still have to settle accounts with the new Congress on war and social legislation, whoever is elected. 
> 
> Say to the Democrats what Cromwell said to the Rump parliament: "Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"
> 
> 
> On 10/18/10 4:50 PM, Ron Szoke wrote:
>> 
>> 	
>> http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/101510.html
>>  	
>> The 'Teach-the-Dems-a-Lesson' Myth
>> 
>> By Robert Parry (A Special Report) 
>> October 15, 2010
>> 
>> If my e-mail inbox is any indication, many American progressives plan 
>> to use the Nov. 2 election as an opportunity to “teach the Democrats a 
>> lesson” by either not voting or casting ballots for third parties, even if 
>> this contributes to the expected Republican (and Tea Party) landslide.
>> 
>> The thinking seems to be that the loss of the congressional majorities 
>> will punish the Democrats for accepting half-measures and compromises 
>> on issues from health care and financial reform to job stimulus and war. 
>> The Left’s hope apparently is that the chastened Democrats will then 
>> shift toward more progressive positions and be more assertive.
>> 
>> However, modern American political history tells us that this strategy 
>> never works. After the four key elections in which many progressives 
>> abandoned the governing Democrats – in 1968, 1980, 1994 and 2000 – 
>> not only did Republicans take U.S. politics further to the right, but the 
>> surviving Democrats tacked more to the center and grew more timid.
>> 
>> All four elections also were marred by GOP dirty tricks that drew little or 
>> no reaction from either the governing Democrats or the progressives, 
>> emboldening the slash-and-burn Republicans to operate in an ever 
>> more audacious style.
>> 
>> Tragically, too, the Left’s sideline-sitting contributed to the unnecessary 
>> deaths of millions of people in wars from Vietnam and Central America 
>> to Iraq and Afghanistan. Arguably even worse, U.S. inaction on global 
>> warming – a neglect surely to be continued if Republicans and Tea 
>> Partiers are victorious in Election 2010 – may doom the future of a 
>> livable planet.
>> 
>> In other words, the “teach-the-Dems-a-lesson” strategy not only 
>> doesn’t work, it’s extremely dangerous.
>> 
>> .  .  .
>> <much more>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Peace-discuss mailing list
>> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>> http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/peace-discuss/attachments/20101018/af6db054/attachment.html>