Reply #52: If You Are Advocating For Nader, Sir

[The Magistrate]

Then we do have a problem, however much that would pain me. It remains and will remain my view that electioneering for Nader is precisely equivalent to electioneering for any Republican: both seek to encompass the defeat of the Democratic Party nominee, and so must be viewed as hostile, since the election of that nominee is my desire and my purpose in this crisis afflicting our nation.

That the left enjoys a negative power such as you describe is part of my analysis above. That it gains any benefit for the left to exercise that power remains a highly dubious proposition. Doing so will certainly put rightists in office, and will, as you have seen here, provoke a good deal of anger and bitterness in the larger body of center-left and center Party members, and fire in them a resolve to, if necessary, get along without the splinter altogether, which they may well be able to do. Even large portions of the left faction are not inclined for a Gotterdammerung and march into ostracized exile, that would be the certain consequence if a splinterist strike should prove the margin of defeat this year.

Nor, Sir, is the question properly whether things could be worse for the left, but whether they could be better. The most dangerous words in the language, Sir, are "it can't get any worse." Never believe that, my friend: it can always get worse, so long as breath remains. For the left to accept coalition with a center-left bloc could very well lead to improvement for the situation of the left, provided a long-term outlook was adopted and pursued, and a certain amount of self-discipline and self-examinatiuon were exercised.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"