Reply #24: Hello from Germany,

[Dirk39]

but at least, if you talk of the devided left, it's the SPD and the KPD (not the DLC):-)

The biggest mistake might have been the KPD, representing Stalin's "socialfashism" thesis, claiming the Social Democrats would be "socialists" in words but "fashists" in acting....

Stalin was quoted in the daily of the KPD about 1929, Rote Fahne (Red Flag):"The Socialdemocrats are the moderate wing of fashism.(...) "Fashism and Socialdemocracy aren't antipodes, they are twins."


But on the other hand they could not come to a consensus, because the moderate SPD did chose the consensus with capitalism and the old preussian elite of militarism.
The KPD claimed "If you vote for Hindenburg, you vote for Hitler, and if you vote for Hitler, you vote for the war...". And the SPD did vote for Hindenburg.... And it happened.
Might be imporatant to mention that these positions were represented by the leadership of these parties, not the base.

One thing, you should never forget, judging about the Germans then: In 1932, Germany had an unemployment rate of 44%! 85% of the members of the KPD were unemployed.
The welfare-state was nearly non-existent. The SPD had to offer nothing to the unemployed, just like the Democrats in the USA have to offer nothing to those 50% of Americans, who don't care to vote anymore. They were cutting social help for the poor and lowering taxes for the corporations. In many ways, the economic policy then resembled the "neoliberal" economic policy represented by the democrats and the republicans today a lot. And this was the main reason for fashism in Europe and - don't get me wrong - but you don't even mention it.

You write: "Rise of nationalism, scapegoating, book burning, police state tactics..."

What many people forget is that the atrocities that are well known started with the war. I like to ask Germans this question: how many people were imprisoned in German concentration camps in 1938?
I nearly never get the correct answer (about 8.000). It's like asking Americans, how many innocent vietnamese people were massmurdered by American soldiers. Nearly noone in America, not even academics, know the truth: between 2 and 4 millions.

___
But back to the initial question: couldn't one say as well: It's Kerry, who allows Bush to win 'cause he has nothing to offer to Millions of Americans, not even a bit of lip-serving.
The left then was devided about how to overcome capitalism. The Democrats and the Republicans are devided about who serves the corporations and banks more efficient.

Dirk