The Mephistopheles Option. posted by Richard Seymour

When Oscar Wilde said "I can resist everything except temptation", the irony proved to be that he wasn't joking. And good for him, until the ruling class decided to exact revenge from him for years of mockery and satiric cutting at his hands. Temptation today, however, comes in the form of the Kerry campaign for President of the United States. Kerry, it seems, has met Nader , but has not asked him to step down. Instead, he told the press:

"In the end, I hope I can make people aware that a vote for Ralph Nader is a vote for George Bush," Kerry said. "A vote for John Kerry is a vote for the principles and values they care about."

Principles and values are excellent bromides, and no candidate should be without them. However, given what we know about Kerry's opposition to gay marriage , his shaky views on abortion , his views on Iraq and his tepid, near-pulse reformism, one is compelled to wonder whether the principles and values Kerry is speaking of are of this millenium. He ought, surely, to be standing alongside Woodrow Wilson, espousing free trade, high-minded imperialism, and cheapo liberal-conservatism of the pre-Roosevelt era.

Naturally enough, the choice is non-existent. A choice between supporting Kerry and seeing Bush elected will soon dissolve as insipid Nation liberals and others who have rallied behind the "human toothache" will see both options materialise. A vote for Kerry is not just a vote for Bush-lite. An election which forces people to choose between these two upper class fools is an election Bush is destined to win. Vote Nader - give the political elite the kicking they so richly deserve.