Freedom Rider:Progressive Agenda
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
"We already know the state of the union. It's a lie." -Congressman DennisKucinich
Candidates who raise the dollars necessary to wage acredible presidential campaign must first prove fealty to corporate interests,the media included. No one knows if Clinton or Obama will be the nominee, butit doesn't really matter. Both are in the running because they have alreadymade Faustian bargains.
The corporate media give the impression that snipingbetween Billary Clinton and Barack Obama is actually worthy of attention.Neither Billary's attacks against Barack nor his against them aremeaningful. In fact, the presidential campaign should take on lessimportance as activists make important political decisions in upcoming months.
The first order of business for progressives is to supportthe people who truly support the nation's interests and that fight must beginwith Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who recently ended his presidential campaign.He fought the good fight, but he was literallycut out of the picture by ABC News, ignored during debates, or exiled fromthem altogether.
"Kucinich was literallycut out of the picture."
Kucinich has introduced impeachment resolutions against DickCheney and vows to continue the fight to uphold the constitution. He announcedplans to introduce a new impeachment resolution against President Bush on thesame day the State of the Union address takes place. Kucinich must now fightanother battle because of his convictions. On March 4th he faces a primarychallenge against a well funded opponent.
A Kucinich loss would be a disaster. It makes more sense forprogressives to dedicate themselves to his victory than to waste time choosingsides in the Obama/Clinton slap fest. A Kucinich victory ought to be the firstitem on the progressive agenda for 2008.
Movement politics is the order of the day, notparticipation in a presidential election whose ultimate outcome is known.Activists must dedicate themselves to stiffening the Democrats' notoriouslyweak spine. The Kucinich impeachment resolutions against Cheney and now Bushmust move forward.
"Activists must dedicate themselves to stiffening theDemocrats' notoriously weak spine."
It was obvious to all honest people that the Bushadministration told many lies to justify the occupation of Iraq. Now a reportissued by the Center for Public Integrity counts all of the lies told by Bush,Cheney, Powell, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz and company and calculates a grand total of 935.
Those are 935 grounds for impeachment. Yet the press andmost Democrats refuse to use the "I" word. While the Obama/Clinton tit for tatcontinues, the Democratic party leadership thumbs their noses at theirconstituents who demand action against the Bush regime.
Impeachment is not the only issue that the Democratswillfully ignore. Harry Reid and other Democratic Senators work hand in handwith the administration to sponsor legislation giving immunity to telecoms thatconducted illegal spying on Americans. While Reid caves yet again, Senatorslike Chris Dodd who stand up for the rights of citizens are publicly attackedby Democratic party operatives.
Appeasement in one venue leads to more brazen actionelsewhere. The Bush administration still plans to act in concert with Israel toattack Iran. Bush denounced his own intelligence agencies who told the worldthat Iran has no nuclear program. During his recent trip to Israel, he and hisgang clumsily tried to turn an encounter with a speed boat into a diplomaticincident and create a pretext for war.
"The Bush administration still plans to act in concertwith Israel to attack Iran."
A more convincing pretext is certainly in the works. Onlyimpeachment can stop an attack on Iran. It is a goal that all activists mustmake a top priority. Members of the House Judiciary committee who stand in theway of impeachment must be opposed as they run for re-election, or like JerroldNadler face protests in their ownoffices. Citizen action can put impeachment back on the table.
Dodd's stance has forced Clinton and Obama to say that theywill vote against telecom immunity too. If he had not stood up to his party'scapitulation, neither of the twins would have said one word against it. It isjust one victory, but it is an indication that more victories are possible, andnecessary.
Both Obama and Clinton need to be put on notice, beforeNovember and after, that business as usual will not be tolerated. They willthen behave accordingly, not out of conviction, but out of political necessity.
Meaningful action can save the country, if the cynicalmadness of the primary campaign is treated like the distraction that it is.Republicans cannot be allowed to win, but bought off Democrats can't be allowedto think that acceptance of their corruption will be tolerated either. FightingBush can be important practice for fighting an Obama or Clinton presidency.Make no mistake, that fight will be necessary too.
Margaret Kimberley'sFreedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms. Kimberley lives in New YorkCity, and can be reached via e-Mail atMargaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgandaReport.Com. Ms. Kimberley' maintains anedifying and frequently updated blog at freedomrider.blogspot.com. More of herwork is also available at her Black Agenda Report archivepage.
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