Re: [sixties-l] Bedtime for Democracy

From: Jeffrey Blankfort (jab@tucradio.org)
Date: 12/21/00

  • Next message: William M. Mandel: "Re: [sixties-l] Bedtime for Democracy"

    I don't think those running the system need a more controlled, fascistic
    system, to continue inflating their profits. There are are so many
    impediments to building a genuine movement today: TV shows to suit
    everyone's taste or lack of same, sports around the clock, and on and
    on, that one has to admire the foresight as well as the shrewdness of
    the "founding fathers" who devised a system based on the theme, "of the
    owners of property, by the owners of property, for the owners of
    property," while its propagandists, paid and unpaid, convinced the world
    that our government was centered on "the people." Never was and never
    was intended to be. In fact, the cynicism about the corrupt nature of
    the government has been around as long as it has, as any reading of the
    press or of our 19th century humorists clearly indicates.
    One of the aims of the post-WW 2 period was to destroy our collective
    memory about such things.
    
    As for the possibility of building a progressive alliance within the
    Democratic Party, that notion, which seems as impossible to kill as to
    achieve, fails to take into account the fact that the Democrats are as
    controlled by the corporations as are the Republicans, they are just
    less honest about it.
    
    Jeff Blankfort  Stew Albert wrote:
    
    > Bill is right. His seeing that disillusionment with the American system could
    > push some in the direction of fascism is a signifiicant insight. The
    > worldwide defeat of socialism has diminished the capacity of the left to
    > provide alternatives. The right is very anxious to step in and is doing just
    > that in the US, Canada and Europe.
    >       He is also right about the electoral college being  part of our
    > incomplete democratic revolution and it must go. The fact that Hillary
    > Clinton agrees should not put us off. We should also support campaign finance
    > reform. Paula raised the question of demonstrations - many were organized
    > through the Internet - they were independent spirited affairs (including here
    > in Portland) and they went on all over the country. (God I wish we had the
    > Internet back in the '60's.) We must make maximum use of this new tecnology.
    > Also I can't help but wonder why a progressive alliance, of labor, Blacks and
    > women can't gain as much power in the Democratic Party as those right - wing
    > Christians have in the Republican. Maybe there is a reason - but it alludes
    > me. Let's work together ina pro-democracy movement.
    > Stew
    > http://hometown.aol.com/stewa/stew.html
    > 
    >
    



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