Monday, February 09, 2004

'It's Time to Get Over It'

By Mark Hand

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Posted 02/09 | Add a Comment

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  1. Excellent piece, once again, Mark.  What do you think about boycotting the November elections in light of what you have written?  Don’t we have an obligation to start something NOW that will keep supporters of Kerry from going to sleep once he’s in?  In my view, all the talk on the Left about how people will work for significant change after November --once Bush is removed-- is based on...wishful thinking, nothing real.  Eagerly awaiting your feedback, Richard Oxman

    Posted by Richard Oxman from  on  02/09  at  05:46 PM

  2. As if we don’t have it bad enough, our one hope of beating Bush is Bush Lite.  If Kerry wins the nomination, count me as one throwaway, protest vote for Nader if he runs, or a Socialist; providing nothing is organized in the way of a protest as Richard remarks above.  And that’s almost a lock given the apathy and distraction of the majority of “citizens.”

    What I’ve read of Kerry is so repulsive that, were I forced to choose between him and the President, I might go with the latter.  Have you heard about Kerry’s Vietnam War protest days, in 1970 I think, he was involved in a protest in which he and other vets threw their Vietnam War medals over the fence at the White House?  Kerry was egging on other vets to do so as he did.  Turns out, he’s got his medals framed on his office wall.  He threw fake medals over the fence.
    I don’t know.  I can’t find the words to express my despair, my revulsion, at what passes for leadership these days in this country.

    As always, excellent article Mark!  Just let anyone from the Anybody But Bush crowd tell me Kerry is an alternative.

    Posted by Tracy McLellan from  on  02/09  at  08:08 PM

  3. Richard, you’re right. We need to figure out ways—starting now, as you suggest—to keep the Anyone But Bush crowd mobilized against many of the awful foreign and domestic policies that are guaranteed to remain in place if Kerry does indeed defeat Bush in November. How do we do this? While there’s no perfect strategy, I do know that we need to continue exposing all of the Repub-Lite policies embraced by Kerry and his fellow New/DLC/Tough-Minded Democrats. Let’s hope this information will prepare the ABB crowd for the hard work that will be necessary to counter the destructive policies of a Kerry administration. I’m not optimistic, however, that the anti-imperialist and freedom-oriented movement that has gained a footing over the past three years will be able to keep its momentum with a President Kerry in the White House. But we do have nine months until the general election and that should give us enough time to develop a strategy to keep the ABB crowd from falling asleep if Kerry wins.

    Posted by Mark Hand from  on  02/09  at  10:16 PM

  4. You talk about the ABB people as though they are a movement.  They are not.  They are organized around a negative, and once their negative target disappears so will they.
    If Kerry is elected, as he may be, expect meaningful effective protest to be muted nearly to silence.  He is a corporate creature,a New Democrat as you say, and he will stand four square for the status quo.
    God help us.

    Posted by marjie from  on  02/11  at  08:12 AM

  5. Marjie-- You raise some excellent, yet distressing, points. The advocates of the Anyone But Bush voting strategy are not an organized movement, as you say. But, as individuals showing up at their polling stations this November, they could be a strong enough force to give Kerry enough votes to defeat Bush. And I agree with you that many of these same folk are likely to turn the volume way down on their dissent or to become utterly silent under a President Kerry.

    Posted by Mark Hand from  on  02/11  at  09:50 AM

  6. Geez… I read your comments with dismay...why do you ignore the only hope that we have to turn this around?
    Howard Dean is still a viable candidate… 2nd in total delegates

    take a look!

    Posted by Jaz Ewen from  on  02/11  at  11:42 AM

  7. Remember when Clinton was considered the hope of progressives?  What we got from him were some of the most regressive social policies of the past 50 years. It isn’t enough for a candidate to tell us what we want to hear.

    The candidate who, personally, represents my values, etc. is Kucinich.  But American elections are more a matter of what the media chooses than what the people choose, and the media have made Kucinich invisible.

    Posted by D. Fabian from  on  02/11  at  02:49 PM

  8. Like a fish out of water. Flip-Flop-Flip-Flop!

    A very special interesting and boney fish…

    Look at John Kerry: the newly press-enhanced and media mogul-supported John Kerry… You know, the spiffy DNC/DLC approved, media manufactured, bought and paid for, Howard Dean speaking John Kerry of “today” - indeed!

    Soon once again to be the flip-flopping, special interesting, wobblycrat of tomorrow…

    The DNC/DLC is a malignant cancer… It’s time Dr. Dean called in the specialist surgeon for an operation and cut it out before it kills us again in November 2004!

    I tried voting for John Kerry, but all I got was that nasty dirty feeling and this:


    The Vote cannot be found

    The Vote you are looking for might have been removed, had its Party candidate’s name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

    Posted by lad from  on  02/11  at  05:19 PM

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