Socialist Legacy

Some reflections provoked by the upcoming election, inspired by the election speeches of Eugene Debs. To the extent that I have any "positive" opinions about contemporary politics, I am simply trying to channel Eugene Debs and say what he would have to say on the subject. That's why I'm generally more interested in unearthing the forgotten or distorted history of the Debsian socialist tradition than trying to write original thoughts of my own. When I do say something in my own voice, if there is any merit in it, it's because I'm effectively bringing that legacy to bear upon present questions. But the relevance of even such "positive" assessments is, on balance, negative, because the conditions in which they would have positive bearing on the question of "what should be done" are missing. The pain of that absence must be felt.