Top Stories Friday 08 Nov
Ampersand neatly summarise skewers the myth of independent economic man:
It sometimes puzzles conservatives that progressives are so concerned with what people think. What is racism, sexism, homophobia, etc, after all, other than a way some people think about some other people? And as long as I’m free to pursue my own self-interest, what does it matter what others think of me?
For someone with a lot of privilege, the rational answer is, “it doesn’t matter at all.” The more privileged you are, the less other people’s thoughts count (this is why it’s unsurprising that economics – by far the most white-male-dominated social science – came up with “economic man”). You go into a store, and you buy what you want, or you don’t buy. You don’t have to worry about what the store clerks think of you – what could matter less?
Nathan Newman on the role of the
Working Families Party during the New York gubernational elections:
Backed by major progressive unions and other community groups, the Working Families Party (WFP) goal is to give progressives an electoral vehicle that can force Democrats to the left without playing a spoiler role in major elections.
For those foreign to New York’s relatively unique party system, third parties have the option of running their own candidates or endorsing a major candidate. The option to do the latter gives smaller parties leverage over major parties, since multiple listings on the ballot can significantly boost vote totals.
For the WFP, cross-endorsements are a way to let progressive voters know which Democrats are true progressives and worth devoting their votes but more importantly their time during elections. A WFP endorsement is sought not just for the votes it may deliver, but as a union-supported group, it can deliver get-out-the-vote muscle before and on election day. Notably, while I saw Greens and some Independence Party folks hustling on Tuesday morning, I saw no Democratic Party regulars. The unions supporting Pataki were sitting on their hands and the rest were out hustling for the top Dems on the WFP’s line.
William Burton tells some harsh truths to certain people:
To Dick Gephardt:
Life isn’t fair, and it has dealt you a cruel hand. You were born with no eyebrows and people with no eyebrows just give us the willies. Sorry about all the expectations. If you’d been born different, life might’ve turned out better for you (you might even be President today). But you weren’t, and it didn’t. You’re smarter and harder working than most of the people who get the top job, but they were born with eyebrows and you weren’t. That’s just life. May I suggest a copy of SimCity?