Taking a break from not reporting about their pathetic former nation sinking into the Muslim swamp, Swedish urinalists and hackademics debate the only choice in the American election.
I saved a webshot below in case they decided to edit this story out of existence
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Don’t reduce Democratic primaries to ’skirt or negro’
Published: 5 Feb 08 10:19 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/9881/
Political scientist Gregg Bucken-Knapp takes issue with an Aftonbladet writer’s assertion that “it doesn’t matter so much who becomes president – skirt or negro – it’s still the market that rules.”
On February 5th, voters in twenty-two states will participate in Democratic primaries and caucuses. On that day alone, more than half of the delegates to this summer’s Democratic convention will be chosen. With the exit of John Edwards, this is now essentially a two-person contest, with pundits and pollsters feverishly wondering whether either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama can emerge from this mega-contest with enough delegates or momentum to claim the title of frontrunner.
Yet for Aftonbladet columnist Åsa Linderborg, this doesn’t seem to be of much importance. As she put it prior to the Iowa caucuses, “it doesn’t matter so much who becomes president – skirt or negro – it’s still the market that rules.” For Americans seeking to transform their society, her voice is the counsel of despair: so long as there is capitalism, choosing between these two Democrats is a waste of time. Indeed, Linderborg’s analysis of American politics implies that campaigns are nothing more than a thinly-veiled puppet show, in which candidates are marionettes, where big corporations dictate campaign promises, and where special interest groups determine the foreign policy stances held by candidates. The only saving grace in Linderborg’s eyes is that class struggle drives how “yanks” actually vote.
It’s catchy rhetoric, but not everyone would share Linderborg’s view that which Democratic candidate may eventually become president is essentially meaningless. Many activists on the American left – who share her disregard for capitalism – view the Democratic primaries as an important opportunity for limiting the influence of market forces. Nor do Swedes necessarily benefit from her sweeping claims about the role of money in American politics or the importance of class struggle as a factor shaping the vote. Asserting that big business controls the policy agenda isn’t the same as demonstrating it. And there, political scientists can present evidence pointing toward sharply different conclusions than Linderborg.
First things first.
In this year’s Democratic contest, organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) know that the stakes are too high to sit on the sidelines. The 6,000 member sister-organization to the Swedish Social Democratic Party, DSA has played an active part in supporting the election campaigns of progressive politicians fighting against American capitalism. Their most visible success story is Bernie Sanders, the only openly-socialist member of the U.S. Senate, who rose to national prominence as the first Congressperson to organize “prescription drug bus tours” to Canada, allowing Americans to buy medicine at much lower prices than in the US.
While DSA has not yet endorsed a candidate, many in the organization feel they have little in common with Clinton. At its recent national convention, delegates hotly debated a proposed electoral resolution stating “DSA believes that progressives must cooperate to do everything possible to prevent Hillary Clinton — the epitome of neoliberal cynical opportunism – from being the Democratic nominee.” Indeed, blocking a neoliberal from winning the Democratic nomination is central to DSA. As national director Frank Llwellyn put it, “It would be a shame if the voters who championed the message we find so attractive went to the candidate most representative of neoliberalism in the U.S.” For these activists, the struggle against capitalism makes the Democratic contest an event of crucial importance, not something to shrug off as a sham.
However, if Linderborg understates the importance of the Democratic primaries in continuing the fight for a more equitable America, she also overstates the role of big business and class struggle. At first glance, it’s easy to agree with her broad claims. After all, if big corporations are financing the campaigns of the major candidates, doesn’t it only make sense that they would be calling the shots? Isn’t that just the conventional wisdom in Sweden of how America’s so-called democracy really works?
Perhaps there’s a flaw in the conventional wisdom. For while Linderborg says that understanding American society requires reading key critics of capitalism, such as Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, a sharply more nuanced picture could be had if we consulted the political science research literature.
Two examples should suffice.
Those arguing that big business pulls the strings in American politics frequently claim that interest groups buy legislative outcomes through campaign donations. Yet, John Wright, a professor at Ohio State University, has repeatedly shown that this is simply not the case. In one of his most recent articles, he demonstrates that while the tobacco industry is able to get what it wants from Washington policymakers, it’s not because of campaign contributions. Rather, big tobacco is generally successful because targeted legislators hold specifically pro-business and anti-regulatory ideologies.
Linderborg also claims “pocket book issues – that is, the class struggle” are decisive for Americans when they enter the ballot box. Here too, the evidence from the political science research literature speaks to the contrary. Nearly thirty years ago, Morris Fiorina demonstrated that Americans cast their vote on the basis of whether they believe the nation’s economy as a whole (and not their personal financial situation) had gone well during the previous administration. If it has, voters are likely to support the incumbent party. If not, they consider voting for the challengers, assuming voters can be persuaded that they are reliable. Fiorina’s findings not only shaped an entire generation of voting behavior specialists, they were central to the internal rallying cry of the 1992 Clinton campaign: “It’s the economy, stupid!”
On February 5th, millions of Americans will go to the polls in the Democratic primaries, casting their votes largely in favor of either Clinton or Obama. Linderborg would like us to believe that the power of big business means this is nothing more than a choice between “skirt or negro”. But that’s both simplistic and insulting. For on Tuesday, millions of Democratic voters – left-wing, centrist and conservative – will flock to the polls and choose between competing visions for how America can be taken back from the hands of the Republican Party. To suggest that the power of the marketplace makes the hopes and hard work of politically-active Americans a waste of time is not only cynical, it’s wrong.
Dr. Gregg Bucken-Knapp
Senior Lecturer in Political Science
International Program for Politics and Economics
University West / Högskolan Väst
![Skirt or Negro [The Local Sweden 2008-02-07]](http://brianakira.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/skirt-or-negro-the-local-sweden-2008-02-07.jpg)
Racist comments force out local politician
Published: 6 Feb 08 17:19 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/9903/
Marge Aab Svensson, a Moderate Party politician and head of Vallentuna recreational committee, has left her post following charges she referred to a colleague using racially insensitive language.
Aab Svensson also serves on the municipal executive committee and municipal council of the Stockholm suburb.
According to local newspaper Mitt i Vallentuna, she was one of the municipality’s premier politicians, but now stands accused of referring to a colleague as a “jävla blatte, jävla svartskalle.”
The ethnic slur translates roughly into “damn coloured person, damn black head.”
Three municipality employees have confirmed that Aab Svensson made racially insensitive comments, including recreation centre manager Jan Åke Bredberg
“I reacted strongly to what she said. Such statements simply can’t be made by an elected official,” Bredberg said to Mitt i Vallentuna.
“Its important to state that we in the administration have no reason to speak badly about her. We feel that she has been a good chair. But seeing as how three different people heard what she said on three different occasions, we felt forced to do something,” he said.
Aab Svensson rejects the accusations, claiming they are based on rumours.
“I’ve expressed myself using negative terms in a telephone conversation about an appointment within the recreation centre’s administration which I thought should have gone to a woman, but I didn’t use racist terms,” she said to Dagens Nyheter.
Nevertheless, she has decided to leave her post on the recreation committee and municipal executive committee, citing her colleagues’ loss of confidence in her ability to carry out her responsibilities.
She intends to retain her position as a representative in the Vallentuna municipal council.
“As a representative in the municipal council, I have been elected by the citizens and I see no reason to leave that position,” she said.
The Vallentuna municipal council chair Ray Idemark, also of the Moderate Party, isn’t currently considering putting any additional pressure on Aab Svensson to give up her post on the council.
“It’s inappropriate for her to remain, but no one can force her to leave her position,” he said.
David Landes (news@thelocal.se/+46 8 656 6518)
Swedish state to train imams
Published: 5 Feb 08 10:40 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/9880/
The Swedish government is to set up an inquiry to look into the possibility of using state funds to provide training programmes for imams.
Muslim religious representatives should be able to benefit from Swedish tax kronor in the same way as Christian priests and ministers, according to Minster for Higher Education and Research Lars Leijonborg.
The former Liberal Party leader also believes that the move will help stem the development of radical Islam in Sweden.
“It has been suggested that radical Muslims from Saudi Arabia are offering to provide imams for free, and a lack of money means that moderate Muslims who want to set up a mosque don’t have any alternatives,” Leijonborg told Svenska Dagbladet.
Concrete proposals regarding the structure and composition of a training course for imams would only be put forward following close consultation with Muslims in Sweden, he said. The minister added that the government had already begun discussions with the newly formed Ibn Rushd study foundation.
“My opinion is that we should help Muslims by providing a Swedish training course for imams, or at least supplementary studies in Swedish language and society.”
Paul O’Mahony (paul.omahony@thelocal.se/08 656 6513)
