Lesser Evil
A good discussion has emerged over at Dru Blood's place about Howard Dean and the 2004 election.
(It's the kind of discussion I hoped would happen here when I wrote this beast.)
The discussion reminded me of a key example to use in the case against reformism: Britain circa 1974.
I found a couple of good pieces, one socialist (scroll down a bit) and one anarchist, that discuss the era where a wave of anger and a demand for change swept in the Labour Party into power. This was not Tony Blair Labour either, with the government then talking of nationalizing the banking and shipping industries on the agenda.
But this was met with sharp retribution from British capital, which exacerbated the economic crisis and lead to the government doing a 180. Instead of reform, the Labour state lead an attack on workers that ultimately led to mass disillusionment and the eventual emergence of Thatcher.
All of this comes back to a key point:
Electoral strategies assume that the state is a neutral body. But this is not true.
originally posted by zagg