The New Left?

[metta 0]

The triumph of the New Left

SIR – Your explanation of Hillary Clinton's failure to win the Democratic nomination was good on the tactical errors she made, but you did not acknowledge the larger issue of identity politics in the Democratic Party ("The fall of the House of Clinton", June 7th). Having staked so much of her appeal implicitly (sometimes explicitly) on her gender, she was not well equipped to confront a candidate with a more compelling appeal to the sensibilities of the kinds of Democrats who finance campaigns, volunteer in primaries, and establish the narrative of Democratic Party politics.

Considering its history, today's Democratic Party remains absolutely obsessed with racial categories in politics. The progressive, modernist middle-class has replaced the economic radicalism of earlier left-wing thought with a sort of ethno-racial determinism. Barack Obama has become the candidate of "history" and "the future". The Obama phenomenon raises the question of what will happen when the Hispanic constituency, whose ethnic identity has also been carefully cultivated by the Democratic Party, decides it is no longer satisfied with black men or white women professing to speak for its distinct interests and runs "one of its own" in 2012 or 2016. (Does anyone doubt this is coming?) The entitlement disputes will be entertaining, if ultimately dispiriting. The Balkanisation of America has long been predicted by pessimistic conservatives, but they can take cold comfort in the probability that it will strike first in the Democratic Party. That's the real lesson of this year's election.

Mark Richard

Columbus, Ohio

SIR – The Obama-Clinton contest was hard fought and ended well, because it has given birth to a new sensation: globamaisation. This refers to the notion that in a developed and deepened democracy, like the United States, the lines between politics, culture, colour, creed and history are happily collapsing.

Globamaisation is the beginning of a new dawn whereby techno-democratic forces will drive silent revolutions across the globe.

Tunde Oseni

Oxford

SIR – I am one of the many Republicans who quit the party during George Bush's presidency because of his uncontrolled domestic spending, imperialist tendencies and complete disregard for the constitution and international law that we've pledged to uphold. I now have the option of voting for Mr Obama, an ultra-protectionist and the number one liberal in the Senate, or John McCain, an überhawk on foreign policy. There is of course the incompetent Libertarian Party, led by Bob Barr. Such is the choice faced by socially liberal and economically conservative Americans.

James Martinelli

London

SIR – Immediately after securing enough delegates to become the Democratic candidate for president, Mr Obama chose to make an emphatic public commitment. But not on health care, or climate change, and not on the economy, taxes, or the price of petrol. It was not even on the Iraq war. No, Senator Obama's first big policy speech after securing the nomination was to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, demonstrating the enduring power of that lobby. I suppose some things do not "change".

Michael Halpern

Westbourne, Dorset

SIR – I read Susan Sarandon's comment that she would move to Italy or Canada if Mr McCain were elected president ("Primary colour", June 7th). As both countries have conservative governments, and considering Ms Sarandon's political views, I thought that Venezuela or Cuba would be more suitable destinations.

Ricardo Abusail

Hong Kong

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Some good ones, some interesting ones, and some out there ones.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I liked the letter from James Martenelli of London

The Economist and National Public Radio are pretty much the only good source of news on this election. Everything else is way too biased for me.