[Tlc] Mydans NYT art

[H. Leedom Lefferts]

In addition to the reasons Biff mentions, in my discussions with Northeasterners just before and during the last election when Thaksin was running, their response to my question of who they were going to vote for was, "If not Thaksin, who?"  It was clear to them that, while Thaksin might not have been a superb prime minister, no one else had the stature nor backing to make an effective leader.

Regards,
Leedom Lefferts

>>> Charles Keyes <keyes at u.washington.edu> 10/13/08 12:10 PM >>>
Seth Mydans article is is the first one I have seen in a major  
newspaper -- including the Bangkok Post and The Nation where the  
reporter actually has talked with northeasterners. His article  
deserves to receive wide attention, but I am sure it will be dismissed  
not only by PAD but also by the media in Bangkok as being by just  
another misguided farang. This would be very unfortunate.

His findings confirm my own previous analysis based on my own research  
in the Northeast that (1) that northeasterners are sophisticated (not  
stupid as Sondhi claims) voters; (2) that they have supported Thai Rak  
Thai/PPP not because they do not recognize the flaws in the leaders  
(Thaksin, Samak, or Somchai), but because this party (parties?) is the  
only one they see as advancing their interests as distinct from the  
interests of the Bangkok (and urban) middle class; and (3) that since  
they have come to recognize that they are politically significant,  
they are not going to retreat back to being compliant peasants in a  
Thai hierarchical system.


Charles (Biff) Keyes
Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and International Studies
Department of Anthropology
Box 353100
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-3100




On Oct 13, 2008, at 12:10 AM, <justinm at ucr.edu> wrote:

>
> Forwarded from Dr. Pattaratorn Chirapravati.
> Thanks,
> justin
>
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/world/asia/13thai.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref
>
> ______________
> Dr. Justin McDaniel
> Dept. of Religious Studies
> 3046 INTN
> University of California, Riverside
> Riverside, CA 92521
> 951-827-4530
> justinm at ucr.edu
> _______________________________________________
> Tlc mailing list
> Tlc at lists.ucr.edu
> http://lists.ucr.edu/mailman/listinfo/tlc