Wednesday, April 27, 2005
(8:19 AM) | Adam Kotsko:
Gramsci's Grave
Today's Dead Socialist Watch is Antonio Gramsci. I think we need to start a fundraiser to send his Prison Notebooks to every member of the Democratic Party.
Another strategic issue: actually talking about other countries where the stuff we like is happening. Not just, "In Europe, problem x has been solved," because that's just projection. I mean going out there and saying, "In Scandinavia, they've basically eliminated chronic poverty. When someone's down on his luck, he doesn't have to worry about having to live out on the street. We're the richest, greatest nation on God's green earth -- if they can do that in the frozen wastes of Sweden, why can't we do it here?" Some have complained that people are ignoring the reality of, say, the objective superiority of socialized health care systems, but Joe Average in Buttfuck, Iowa, can't ignore what no one is saying. These are not "nuance" issues. We don't need to fool ourselves that convincing people to support progressive policies is like walking them through the Critique of Pure Reason. The basic principles of left policies and the basic facts supporting them are perfectly soundbite-able. They can be written in comic book form if necessary. Talking puppets can discuss these policies. If we want to play off the family mythology that seems to dominate our country, we could do that -- "With a properly-funded CTA, I am able to get home faster, and that means more time with my family -- Thanks, CTA!"
Or, you know, we could just bitch at each other about the crazy thing Bush did this week.
