[Marxism] Fidel Castro: The McCain Tour and the Manifest Destiny of the U.S. Fourth Fleet

[Louis Proyect]

Walter Lippmann wrote:
> Some people DO think Obama is the "main danger" and that's proven
> by the overwhelming preponderance of materials posted to Marxmail
> against Obama. About the only anti-McCain materials posted on this
> list are by people like Fidel Castro posted by people like myself.

Once again I have to state that nobody in their right mind thinks that 
Obama's positions are worse than McCain's. Maybe Walter is referring to 
some other "main danger", like Obama lulling the left so that he can 
bomb Iran or something. I do believe that Democrats often carry out 
policies associated with their Republican enemies--like Clinton 
abolishing welfare--but I would never have referred to Clinton as the 
"main danger".

In fact, I think we all know where this kind of hysteria about the 
Republicans comes from, Walter's favorite group on the left:

"The Communist Party in the 1996 elections was in harmony with the 
majority of working class voters. While we were sharply critical of 
Clinton and the Democratic Party, we understood that the most important 
challenge was to attack the main danger; the fascist threat coming from 
the far-right Republicans."

full: http://www.pww.org/archives96/96-11-16-1.html

> It's as if there's a special campaign being conducted to supposedly
> disabuse the readership of their "illusions" about Barack Obama.
> Every time he does something which all capitalist politicians do - 
> move to the right and betray one or another promise or illusion by
> his supporters, a gleeful posting will be certain to find its way
> to Marxmail. 

All capitalist politicians *do not* move to the right, as the McGovern 
campaign of 1972 demonstrated. Ever since 1972, the Democrats have run 
as Eisenhower Republicans. This is not because they are afraid of losing 
elections, but because of the exigencies of the capital accumulation 
process. We are now given the choice of voting for an Eisenhower 
Republican or a Reaganite Republican. I wouldn't have voted for McGovern 
myself, but at least I can tell the difference between him and an Obama:

I have no secret plan for peace.  I have a public plan. And as one whose 
heart has ached for the past ten years over the agony of Vietnam, I will 
halt a senseless bombing of Indochina on Inaugural Day.

There will be no more Asian children running ablaze from bombed-out 
schools. There will be no more talk of bombing the dikes or the cities 
of the North.

And within 90 days of my inauguration, every American soldier and every 
American prisoner will be out of the jungle and out of their cells and 
then home in America where they belong.

And then let us resolve that never again will we send the precious young 
blood of this country to die trying to prop up a corrupt military 
dictatorship abroad.

George McGovern, 1972 acceptance speech