Re: [Marxism] no mixed feeling about Jesse Jackson

[Intense Red <intnsred@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 > Since you identify Jackson as a populist explain how
 > the rainbow coalition's populism ever posed a real
 > threat to the capitalist political status quo.

   I can't help but to chime in.  I think it's clear that Jackson did not pose
a distinct threat to the capitalist status quo.  He did, however, mean a
distinct move leftward toward more progressive positions.  If Jackson had
been successful it would have opened up the playing field and range of
"acceptable" debate to allow people further to the left to operate.

   Let's face it, Jackson was opposed primarily by capitalists who saw his
pro-poor policies as hitting their wallet, but also because they understand
very well that any leftward shift is opposed to their interests.

  > Did Martin Luther King pose any threat?

   Well, there is a large body of people who think King was killed
specifically because he moved from race-oriented civil rights to more generic
poor and working people's issues.

   I think it's safe to say he was a "Jackson-plus" type of candidate.  King
was a democratic socialist and the same ideas as Jackson apply, only to a
slightly more significant degree.

  > Or does marxism no longer promote atheism?

   To me, it makes little difference if someone mixes scripture with the class
struggle.  In fact, I think that Jesus' words about the rich is one of the
single biggest, under-utilized areas of propaganda that Marxists have.

   As to promoting atheism, I think that's foolish.  Most everyone has read
Marx's advice that the biggest service to God would be to make atheism into a
dogma.  The Soviet Union proved the wisdom of Marx's words.

  The "church" (meaning generic western Christianity) has many of the same
tendencies as it did in Marx's time.  But the church is nonetheless
significantly different and, more importantly, society's view of religion is
very different.  If Marx were alive today would he put the same emphasis on
the importance of the reactionary role of the church?

   The attitude of Marxists should be to view religion as a non-issue.  Oppose
the religious right and reactionary churches/church positions.  But more
importantly, develop links with any elements of the "religious left" and
whatever we do, do not make atheism some sort of compulsory dogma!  To fail
to do that is to not learn from history.

   Religion will live or die on its own merits.  Given what we've seen of the
change and/or decline of the church in the past hundred years or so, it's
clear which direction it's going.  What is needed is to avoid giving the
religious right a reason to portray themselves as martyrs and thus fuel their
fire.

--
"The ultimate result is that some innovations that would truly benefit
consumers never occur for the sole reason that they do not coincide with
Microsoft's self-interest." -- Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, U.S. District
Judge.

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