Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils…
THE ROOTS OF OUR GOVERNMENT have wound up from the ground of a less enlightened time. And yet they reach into today and still feed the same power base. The framers created US Government around the idea that the elites know best how to rule the rabble, and this continues. Is a vote for a third party a good idea now? Is a vote for Obama any different than a vote for McCain?
…IS A GOOD THING TO DO! Noam Chomsky reminds us. Don’t let the tired phrase fool you into thinking it is not.
Yes—Chomsky goes on to say—both major parties are subdivisions of The Business Party, it is true. And yes, The Change and Hope rhetoric will simmer down to typical centrist Democratic rule. The Dems are not the Party of Populist opinion, after all, and our government still shows its strong roots, having grown out of a time when the framers were out to protect the (white male) landowners from the rabble. Chomsky reminds us that every time the People have claimed rights—womens suffrage, civil rights, etc—it has been because the people resisted that model. And yet, he reminds us that one party is, over time, better for the working people. And the other major party, over time, will better the lives of the richest among us at the others’ expense. So to those in swing states, he offers a few words in making what he claims is a choice that makes a difference, as well as the notion of voting a third party at this time. Finally, he opines that claiming “both parties are the same” is not only false, but essentially nothing more than showing contempt for a large part of the populace.
But check it for yourself. As always, it’s great stuff.
Tags: Noam Chomsky, The Business Party, The Lesser of Two Evils
Posted in Economy, History, Republicans
Thanks for this! I was just poking around the web, reading biographies of those old nineteenth-century Utopian socialists. Our of the mud rises the water-lily.
I’ll admit that since I don’t live in a swing state, I am almost willing to vote outside the standard two party system. I’ve done it before here pero with the stakes so high, nationally it almost feels like a betrayal, even though I have strong problems with Obama. My disgust with McCain is greater though.
I’m still not 100% sure how I’ll pull the lever on Marted save that I will not be voting McCain
[...] The Unapologetic Mexican this is a great Chomsky summation of the situation, vote Obama in swing states but without [...]
thanks, nez. voters in ny (or any other state that has fushion voting) should remember that a vote for obama (and all other candidates) on the working families party line allows you to support a (locally-powerful) third party while still giving obama your vote. for those not in swing states, it’s hard to argue with a vote for a third party candidate, though at least to me it’s a different story in the states still up for grabs.
I tackled this very issue from the usual perspective on my podcast:
“Obama vs. McCain and the Future of the Empire”
http://blip.tv/file/1277127
Although I think Chomsky and I are on the same page.