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Chomsky, Zinn, and Obama by Mickey Z.

Dandelion Salad

by Mickey Z.
Foreign Policy Journal
October 24, 2008

“”You don’t stick a knife in a man’s back nine inches, and then pull it out six inches, and say you’re making progress.” — Malcolm X

Another Election Day approaches and I’m reminded of something the late Pakistani dissident, Eqbal Ahmad said about Noam Chomsky in the book, Confronting Empire (2000): “He (Chomsky) has never wavered. He has never fallen into the trap of saying, ‘Clinton will do better.’ Or ‘Nixon was bad but Carter at least had a human rights presidency.’ There is a consistency of substance, of posture, of outlook in his work.”

But along came 2004…when Chomsky said stuff like this: “Anyone who says ‘I don’t care if Bush gets elected’ is basically telling poor and working people in the country, ‘I don’t care if your lives are destroyed’.” And like this: “Despite the limited differences [between Bush and Kerry] both domestically and internationally, there are differences. In a system of immense power, small differences can translate into large outcomes.”

[…]

This strategy of choosing an alleged “lesser evil” because he/she might be influenced by some mythical “popular movement” would be naïve if put forth by a high school student. Professors Chomsky and Zinn know better. If it’s incremental change they want, why not encourage their many readers to vote for Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney? The classic (read: absurd) reply to that question is: “Because Nader or McKinney can’t win.”

Of course they can’t win if everyone who claims to agree with them inexplicably votes for Obama instead. Paging Alice: You’re wanted down the goddamned rabbit hole.

[…]

via Chomsky, Zinn, and Obama

see

Chomsky: Pick the lesser of two evils

Howard Zinn: Vote for Obama but direct action needed

Not-Voting is a ‘YES’ vote to Reject a Corrupt System which thrives on the facade of Elections and Democracy! by Zahir Ebrahim

Ralph Nader: Cynicism is what the power structure wants us to exude

Change Big Donors Can Believe In By Amy Goodman

Why I’m not voting for Barack Obama by Todd Chretien

Lesser of two evils by Davis Fleetwood

Third Party Presidential Candidate Debate

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse

Ralph Nader Posts & Videos

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