Re: [Marxism] Goff analysis of Petraeus testimony (and my comments)

[Carrol Cox <cbcox@xxxxxxxxx>]

Joaquin Bustelo wrote:
> 
> 
> However, we should be clear that what Stan advocated (and did) was classical
> "critical support" (like a rope supports a hanging man, as Lenin put it).
> The tactic of "critical support" in this sense is a way of *opposing* and
> *exposing,* and not "supporting" in any real sense at all. 

I understand the rationale for this , and agree with it. Unless the
entity offering that critical support is a flea and the recipient is an
elephant, and then who gives a damn.

IF there were some sort of semi-coherent and loose left coalition with
rough agreement around the policy

IF there were a national newspaper more or less representing that loose
coalition

IF there were a large number of local groups more or less attached to
and understanding the rough grounds of agreement of this coalition
[NOTICE: all my wordy qualifications are to underline HOW LITTLE I am
asking for, and HOW much MORE than what we have that little represents]

IF these local groups were sponsoring local e-lists, demos, rallies,
forums, door-bell ringing, etc to explain why we were supporting Hillary
(or Kerry in 04)

THEN I would accept that this rationale made sense NOW. But we don't
have _any_ of these things, or any approximation of them, and therefore
almost no one will know that we exist, or that we are supporting
Hillary, or that our support is critical. We won't make a difference in
the election, and our efforts will sink quietly into the muck of
unrecorded history. Our support or opposition (and UFPJ's support for
that matter) won't add or subtract so much as a single  electoral vote
from the total of the DP in 2008 or 2112.

If we want to be able to support a DP candidate in 2016 (critically) and
make both our support and our criticism make sense then, we had better
concentrate on some other things than pointless and invisible mucking
around with electoral politics now.

Carrol

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