Re: Demicans or Repugnocrats (was: ergonomics, etc.

[Brad DeLong <delong@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> ...the costs of not trying, which is what you recommend, are the
> same as the costs of failing.

You can think better than that.

First of all, there are lots of ways of trying which do *not* involve
handing elections and offices on a platter to the right-wing
candidate.

Second, the costs of "failing" as you put it are significantly higher
than the costs of "not trying." Nader was supposed to demonstrate the
strength of the left and not hand the election to Bush. He failed on
both counts--failed to get anywhere near as many votes as right-wing
challengers to Republicans have gotten, and did hand the election to
Bush.

We are now paying the price. We now have an administration committed
to renewed confrontation with China and Russia (God knows why); an
administration committed to pollution rather than environmental
protection; an administration committed to employers' rights rather
than workplace safety; an administration committed to a more
regressive rather than a more progressive tax system; and so forth.

If you don't think that these shifts in policy make America a worse
place, it's not clear what you do believe.


Brad DeLong