Markin comment:
In 2007-2008 I, in vain,
attempted to put some energy into analyzing the blossoming American
presidential campaign since it was to be, as advertised at least, a watershed
election, for women, blacks, old white anglos, latinos, youth, etc. In the
event I had to abandon the efforts in about May of 2008 when it became obvious,
in my face obvious, that the election would be a watershed only for those who really
believed that it would be a watershed election. The four years of the Obama
presidency, the 2012 American presidential election campaign, and world
politics have only confirmed in my eyes that that abandonment was essentially
the right decision at the right time. In short, let the well- paid bourgeois
commentators go on and on with their twitter. I, we, had (have) better things
to do like fighting against the permanent wars, the permanent war economies,
the struggle for more and better jobs, and for a workers party that fights for
a workers government . More than enough to do, right? Still a look back at some
of the stuff I wrote then does not a bad feel to it. Read on.
************
REFLECTIONS ON MEMORIAL DAY
COMMENTARY
HONOR THE FALLEN-GET THE HELL
OUT OF IRAQ-AND BREAK WITH THE DEMOCRATS
FORGET DONKEYS, ELEPHANTS AND GREENS- BUILD A WORKERS
PARTY THAT FIGHTS FOR SOCIALISM!
This has not been a good week
for the parliamentary anti-war forces, mainly Democrats. They, despite their
bluster, have hoisted the white flag over any effective parliamentary
opposition to the Bush Administration’s fervent desire to keep the Iraq War
going until the end of time- George Bush’s time. There has been much gnashing
of teeth over this by those in the anti-war movement, like MoveOn.org, whose
whole strategy was based on hoodwinking the Democrats into ending the war by
doing something serious on the question of the Iraq war budget. Those of us who
understand that this fight, if it is to be successful, must ultimately be won
in the streets and elsewhere now have a tiny opening to get our point of view
across. In any case, on this Memorial Day when it is appropriate to honor the
fallen even if we cannot honor the cause they fell for, we can reemphasize our
demand. Immediate Withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan! Break with the
Democrats! Build a Workers Party Now!
With that last slogan in mind
it is also time to turn to the presidential election campaigns. As I have noted
elsewhere the tempo of the campaigns has shifted dramatically now that most of
the important primaries and caucuses are being pushed up to the early part of
2008. Usually on Memorial Day of the year before the elections we are treated
to not much of anything but internal campaign maneuverings but this year the
outlines of the campaign season are already becoming clear. Nothing that I see
on the political horizon makes me think that we are in for anything but a
brutal no-holds barred fight that will have even the most hardened political
junkie screaming in his or her sleep before Christmas. To wit.
I have previously commented
on the recent Republican debate in South Carolina that the field of ten (for
now) did nothing to make me change my view that the 2008 presidential election is
the Democrats to lose. Apparently the Republicans think so themselves as the
field may get larger with the addition of ex-Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson.
Thompson, currently an actor on the television series Law and Order,
has been hemming and hawing
but will probably test the waters. By all accounts he is a viable candidate.
Jesus, when you get down to the actors (remember the late, unlamented Ronald
Reagan) you know you are in trouble. And we are too.
Not to be outdone the
Democrats have has some tempests in teapots themselves. A couple of “unauthorized”
campaign biographies have come out on one ex-First Lady and current New York
Senator Hillary Clinton. I have only read reviews on the books but seemingly
they are as the Clinton campaign has argued they are- old news, or no news. The
only important point to note is that it is obvious that Ms. Clinton has that same “fire in the belly”
to be president that commentators, including myself, have noticed about the
more successful candidates in presidential contests. Hillary is still 5/2
against the field in my book and now we are getting a better understanding of why.
It is not pretty. And once again, as with the Republicans, we are in trouble.
Bourgeois candidates and
their staffs tend to have short memories-and justifiably so with all the blather
they put out. They are not long on the memory of past campaigns-except when
they have an ax to grind. Long time Democratic “strategist” Robert Schrum is
set to tell all about his role in the ill-fated 2004 Kerry campaign. Of course,
he will put himself in the role of misunderstood ‘political genius’ whose advice
was disregarded by Kerry and staff-to their sorrow. Let us get this straight
though-this is the man who has been a key advisor and loser in eight Democratic
presidential campaigns. Thus the best advice anyone could get from him is DON’T
HIRE ME. If he comes to your door give him the boot. Or send him to the Whigs.
Finally, something that is
really interesting in this misbegotten campaign season-a little sporting
proposition. Although Hillary has the inside track I note that, like the
Republicans, the Democrats have a field that does not jump out at you. One of
the consequences, perhaps unintended, of the recent biographies on Ms. Clinton is
that she is revealed as very much an establishment figure. I have long argued
that Hillary and her parliamentary sisters stand for the proposition, despite
the obvious gains of the women’s liberation movement, that bourgeois women
candidates can be just as venal as the men. That said, this field is weak. And
that brings up my sporting proposition. There is an elephant in the Democratic field
(no pun intended). That “elephant” has a name- Al Gore. In an earlier blog I
made a sporting proposition on a Jeb Bush candidacy. I now introduce one for
Mr. Gore. Hell, he actually won the 2000 election. He is available. He has an
Oscar. And more importantly, he (several years to late) has some kind of
gravitas. As I noted above Hillary is 5/2 against the field. I would put the
odd on Mr. Gore at about 15-1 against. Any takers?
No comments:
Post a Comment