Na minha imodesta opinião

No meio do junk mail e das piadas de maior ou menor gosto recebidas após a eleição americana encontrei esta pérola num comunicado da Culture Jammers Network e que reproduzo com a devida vénia.

It wasn't the media. It wasn't the youth. It wasn't the work of Karl Rove or the "ignorant" American heartland. Bush is back. And the reason lies in the crumbled remains of the political left.

All our heroes -- Michael Moore, George Soros, Moveon.org -- promised we were building a movement, leading a rebirth of progressive thought. But on Nov 3rd, when the bubble of rage burst, there was nothing inside. Why? Because the left was missing what its been missing for years: ideas.

Whether you like them or not, Bush has ideas. He has beliefs and values that inspire people. What does the left have? What do we stand for? Hard to tell.

Here's a more direct question: what do you stand for? Over the next four years, let's get together and find out. Let's finally do what we should have done years ago: jump over the dead body of the old left. No more whining. No more fuzzy thinking. No more listless causes. If we believe in peace, clean air, accountable corporations, true-cost pricing and media democracy, then let's refine these ideas into memes -- soundbite sized mindbombs -- and start exploding them into mainstream consciousness.

Não estou de acordo que o cadaver da velha esquerda deve ser descartado facilmente. Não estou de acordo que a Paz, o Ambiente, Coprporate Acountability e os media sejam as principais bandeiras da Esquerda. Mas estou absolutamente de acordo que é preciso fazer a Refundação Intelectual da Esquerda, que é preciso esclarecer quais é que são os nossos Valores e as nossas Bandeiras e que é temos que actualizar as nossas tacticas e tecnicas. É urgente sermos nós a definir-nos, sob pena de estarmos a ser definidos pela Direita. Ou de cessarmos de ser.