I've spouted on Nader before and will chime in again soon, but I'm passing along this column from a friend with whom I've worked on the Nader campaign locally. Ted Morgan -------- Original Message -------- > ANOTHER VIEW > By Gary Olson > > Liberals and Nader > > The long knives are out. I refer to the liberal establishment's > increasingly savage attacks on Ralph Nader. Although couched in "save us > from Bush" rhetoric, it's my sense that these diatribes are motivated by > something quite different. Indeed, one wonders what unsavory tactics they > would be forced to employ if both major candidates were pro-choice. > In the recent past, liberal pundits have been circumspect in their > tactics but the gloves are coming off. For example, in the current issue > of The Nation magazine, regular columnist Eric Alterman goes beyond mere > Supreme Court baiting and fear peddling to declare, "Ralph Nader's > campaign does not deserve a single progressive vote on November 7. Not > one." At least Alterman is honest in that he omits any disingenuous > concern for the 5 percent minimum needed to qualify for public financing > in four years. > What explains this increasingly shrill, even hysterical reaction from > many liberals? For the first time in my memory, liberals are being > publicly called out and exposed for what they are -- devout supporters of > the Democrats, one of the twin parties of corporate America. Liberals > like to pose (and may even delude themselves) as righteous critics from > the left. They like to portray themselves as the legitimate outer limit of > progressive politics. Normally they're allowed to get away with it but > Nader's candidacy throws the limits of their position -- and commitment -- > into sharp relief. > It's clear that these liberal lap dogs of the establishment have a > serious investment in the status quo and in protecting their privelaged > position. As John R. MacArthur, publisher of Harper's magazine writes, > the "...well-off, chattering class liberals are just as fat and happy > these days as their conservative counterparts. Their taste for genuine > political argument is in inverse proportion to their taste for imported > cars and wine." > A generous intepretation would be that their very identity is being > threatened by Nader's candidacy. For example, they're rapidly > losing the respect of young people who intuitively grasp that Nader > embodies the spirit of Seattle. The liberal response? Barely concealed > contempt, combined with scapegoating and an all-out campaign to discredit > the messenger -- before more ordinary citizens catch on. > Academic critics can be marginalized and ignored. But owing to a > unique set of circumstances -- and the man himself -- it has become > impossible to ignore Nader's run for the Presidency. And if Nader's > structural critique is acknowledged, these pretend populists will be > forced to defend who they are and what they're actually doing in public > life. > Could this be something akin to a liberal identity crisis? Put less > charitably, their complicit and cozy relationship with corporate > capitalism is now transparent. Their cover has been blown. And if that's > the case, this will get even uglier, especially should Gore lose. And > even if he wins, things can never be quite the same. > Finally, American politics is about ordinary working women and men > versus the mega-corporations and their indistinguishable two parties. > Given that context, it's always instructive to be reminded that the > "liberals" are on the other side. > > > (Gary Olson,Ph.D. is a member of the political science faculty at > Moravian College. His e-mail address is olson@moravian.edu)> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> > eGroups eLerts > It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! > http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/13/_/838597/_/972834015/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > laborpartyusa-unsubscribe@onelist.com > > > > > >
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