A thought on the Republican debate

The Republican presidential debate last night makes hollow the endlessly repeated claim by too many people on the left that there are no differences between the two parties at the level of policy. Hopefully some of those same people are rethinking their position this morning. After all; self deception is never a good practice in politics (or in any other field of human endeavor). But what makes it worse in this case is that it becomes the main framing argument employed by these same people for the elaboration of their strategic and tactical approach to politics in general and electoral politics in particular. We can do better. We can – and must, I would argue – (dialectically) breathe political realism and soberness into our politics of substantive equality, democratic and ecological transformation, and a people driven and people centered socialism. And in doing we will set the stage for the left to become a major player in U.S. politics and bring a step closer the just, peaceful, democratic, and sustainable society that we and many millions desire – not to mention – and this is no small thing – be a part of the massive campaign to defeat the right wing’s plans to gain full spectrum dominance of the federal government in next year’s election.