GregsOpinion.com

If it is a choice between Marshall and Beinart on the one hand and Borosage and Sirota on the other, I will side with the first pair every time. Borosage gained his fame as a representative of the New Left. When Borosage was with the Insititute for Policy Studies, he and the IPS allied themselves with every left wing cause there was. The IPS was an apologist for El Salvador's FMLN, Nicaragua's FSLN, the moribund guerrilla factions in Guatemala and every other radical and Marxist faction in the Third World. If the Democratic Party is going to look to Borosage for guidance on policy and strategy, then we might as well declare defeat and all go home.

Having worked with Will Marshall for one brief summer long ago, my choice of sides is rather easy to make. Beinart, I'll opt for on foreign affairs generally. Socially, he still strikes me as a bit to the left. Ironically, that mix probably makes him ideal for TNR.

Let's follow up on this. I noticed that Sirota's major effort at debunking Beinart appeared in the Nation. When I was growing up, the Nation was still running articles and columns by pro-Stalinist, Trotskyite and pro-Castro, Third Worldist ideologues. The Nation went far beyond McGovernism. I kid you not. Trotsyism lived on at the Nation and in labor unions allied with the antiquated British Labor Party of what now seems like yesteryear. Thank God for Tony Blair, even if the Iraq invasion was a disastrous strategic blunder! Again, if we are going to seek guidance from the likes of Borosage, Sirota, the Nation, et al, then we had best declare defeat, concede Washington to reactionary Republicans and all go home. God help us all!!!!!!!

I know nothing of Beinart's views on economic and domestic policy. You may be right. The New Republic has attracted a number of authors who idealized Cold War Liberalism, which was hardline on defense and foreign policy and liberal on domestic and economic policy. However, pre-1968 and post-1968 Liberalism are very different, giving rise to a number of problems plaguing the Democratic Party. I personally feel comfortable with pro-Defense Liberals (not that there are many), DLC centrists and Blue Dogs. In the last election, I supported Democrats in close races across the board (including Liberals), but may cease that strategy, believing that the Democratic Party must change direction or face continued failure. However, I don't know about the last. I genuinely do believe in a Big Tent Democratic Party.