Letters from Our Readers
by Jahan Choudhry, Comments Editor
This week “Fascism Is Real But The Resistance Is Mostly Fake” and “How Thirsty and Stupid Do Stacey Abrams, Lucy McBath, and Most Progressive Democrat Congressional Candidates Think We Are?” provoked some strong critical and positive responses. The latter piece really touched a nerve with some. In the spirit of debate we are glad to share this feedback and respond.
In “Fascism Is Real But The Resistance Is Mostly Fake” Glen Ford contextualizes fascism in the brutal history of Western colonialism and points out that so-called Democratic Party opposition is part of the problem.
In response to a Facebook critic accusing BAR of being “a Republican troll page” Joshua Hellman writes:
“Equating dissent against capitalism and the two parties that support it to support for Republicans? You need to better educate yourself. The Democrats are at best an incompetent opposition party, and at worst, when it comes to militaristic foreign policy and civil liberties, co-conspirators with the GOP. We need a real opposition party. The Democrats under neoliberals like Clinton, Schumer, Obama, and Pelosi aren’t it. Either the progressive grassroots of said party reclaims control or the Democrats need to go the way of the Whigs.”
In “How Thirsty and Stupid Do Stacey Abrams, Lucy McBath, and Most Progressive Democrat Congressional Candidates Think We Are?” Bruce Dixon exposes the hollow campaigns of Democratic Party candidates in Georgia and elsewhere who offer little besides the skin color of their candidates to black working families.
Kevin Frostad asks:
“So, “Lucy, Stacey, ‘and all the rest’ [i.e., presumably all other black progressive candidates] can continue their political careers without my vote.” Well, Bruce, WTF? Considering the alternatives are Handel and Kemp, just what are you advocating…that Georgia voters sit on their hands like you and let the Klan continue business as usual for black Georgians? Yeah, that’s a great idea. With all due respect, I think the clear answer to the implication of your title question is that you are indeed pretty stupid…”
Also Connie Matthews of Georgia chimes in:
“Six days before the election and you bash Stacy Abrams???? WTF? Trying to do a Comey?
"This mid-term season has the potential to be a referendum on Trump. The progressive Dem's aren't perfect but the thought of 2 more years of watching women's rights, immigrant rights, gay rights, civil rights, not to mention the degradation of our land, air and water, is just too much to process and live through.
"If not Abrams, if not Gillum, if not Beto, who will we be electing: Ted Cruz, Steve King, Mitch McConnell, and all the other fascist, racist old white guys that currently run our government?”
Bruce Dixon answers:
”Is it “bashing” if it’s true? While I haven’t examined the records and positions of Gillum and Betof and consequently written nothing about them, I did actually read Stacey Abrams latest book, Minority Leader. I’ve pulled the records of all contributions to her campaigns back to 2011 for state rep, along with all those of GA Democrats during the six years she was GA House Dem leader, and her gubernatorial contributions as well. You can find fracking money in there, private prison money, cash from the nuke plant they’re building down here, and much much more. Stacey really believes 21st century America is a meritocracy and she imagines she is in the elite because of her merit. So all she has to do is show up, be apologetically black and fit in to the policies already being implemented. Stacey saw Obama get elected on hope and fumes and produce not much, so she believes she can do the same. She’s just another black face who thinks she deserves a high place. The evidence is there.
"As for Democrats after the midterm being inclined to check Trump’s nonsense that seems highly unlikely. Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Web Site in three articles you can find here explains that the DCCC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, official selector and bagman for corporate Democrat candidates is backing more than three dozen candidates who flaunt their creds as recent CIA, State Department and military intelligence operatives and special forces operators. They are favored to take some of the seats Republicans will drop. At the same time, the progressive organizations are raising national progressive money for twenty-some Democrats who will not mention foreign policy at all, including the imperial policies driving Central Americans and Mexicans here. Add these to a Democratic congressional caucus that already added further billions to Trump’s monstrous military budget to curry favor with the war contractors and we can see that the Congressional blue wave, if Democrats DO take the house will be blue dogs.
There’s more than one way to fix an election. You can make sure all the choices offered are no choices, and pass laws like Georgia has to keep the Greens off the ballot. If the pre-dawn weather is good on Tuesday I’m goin’ fishing. Bluegill, bass maybe.”
We hope readers learned from these exchanges. We are always ready for intellectual engagement on issues concerning the masses.
Jahan Choudhry is Comments Editor for Black Agenda Report. He is an organizer with the Saturday Free School based in Philadelphia, PA.
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