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Departments Election Issues The peace movement needs Kucinich, with or without Congress I admit it's been nice having someone in Congress who would say and do what he would. There have been and remain other relatively strong voices for peace, but none as strong as Kucinich's. His resolutions have forced the debates. His bills have changed the conversation. His questioning of witnesses has afflicted the comfortable while seeking to comfort the afflicted. Perhaps Congressman Norman Solomon will pick up the baton. Time will tell. But when I worked for Dennis Kucinich on his 2004 presidential campaign, I spent a lot of time talking with him, and his strength was not primarily his official title. Some elected officials draw on the strengths of their staff members and have fairly little to say on their own. Kucinich was not only willing to take creative and daring positions that stuck his neck out, but it was he who came up with them. He knew more about the issues he worked on than any of his staff on the hill or on the campaign trail. He thought more deeply. He cut more quickly to the core of a problem. He brainstormed more rapidly and more radically. The peace movement cannot afford to lose Kucinich's contributions just because Congress does. Delegating authority was never Kucinich's strong suit; he did amazingly well nonetheless by drawing on his own abilities. He worked extremely well with people, formed coalitions well, bridged divisions well, and overcame remarkable hurdles. Those who complain that he failed to bring the rest of Congress along with him and was sometimes out ahead on his own will now get a chance to see whether a Congress without even that one voice is really an improvement. Those who complained that Kucinich made compromises and caved in on healthcare will now get to see what good it does us to lose even a rhetorical voice for peace and social justice in the halls of our legislature. Those who alleged that Kucinich's function was to make the Democratic party seem better than it really was will now get the chance to witness all the Democrats-right-or-wrong partisans remaining right where they were even with Kucinich conveniently out of the way. But the peace movement has a chance here that ought not to be missed. I have not discussed this with Kucinich and have no idea what he's planning. But when a corporate hack retires from Congress he or she is eagerly courted by the think tanks of the corporate lobbies. When a peace activist is forced out of Congress (an extreme rarity since there are almost no peace activists in there to be forced out) despite the overwhelming support of the people of Cleveland, Ohio, what should the response from the national and international peace movement be? We need Kucinich's voice to remain loud or even to grow more full-throated outside of the confines of our nation's capital of corruption. We don't need a leader to follow. We are better off with many leaders than one. We don't need a messiah. But we need every talented and dedicated laborer for peace that can be found, and there are few that meet that description better than Kucinich does. If you're planning a peace conference, I recommend trying to get him there. If you're trying to figure out how to bring outside public pressure to bear on an opaque and antidemocratic system, it might not hurt to draw on the insights of someone who's been inside the rotten festering heart of the empire and lived to tell the tale. It doesn't happen often that someone decent gets elected or unelected. We ought to consider what opportunities such events present us with. ---------------- David Swanson's books include War Is A Lie.He blogs at David Swanson and WSar is a Crime and works for the online activist organization Roots Action. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. Article |
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Recent Election Issues Articles Story notes For television producer Shonda Rhimes Timeline 2004 – One more look at the Ohio election Dysfunction at Maricopa County Elections department disenfranchises tens of thousands SWING STATE: How the Fix was Nixed in Ohio Romney may have lost, but the voting system is still broken OPINION: Your vote got counted. Here's why Matrix of Deceit: Forcing Pre-election and Exit polls to Match Fraudulent Vote Counts Bifani rap on the state of the elections in the USA An America Yet To Be Born Voter Supression In Center City Allentown PA An Election Protection Agenda for 2016 Vote totals for Obama and Romney inexplicably decreasing in three Ohio counties Opening of polls in Franklin County on Election Day Fitrakis returns from federal court hearing on Ohio voting machine software patch Good news for OSU students trying to vote Video of vote flipping in Pennsylvania Bob Fitrakis from the hearing today Reports from election observers and voters: Broken scanners and too many provisionals Nearly 1000 voters forced to vote provisional in a single Franklin county precinct Breaking News: Judge denies request to stop illegal software patches Election watch report from Columbus Ohio Action at the Driving Park polling site The Battleground States: True Vote Sensitivity Analysis Woman not allowed to vote Breaking News: Results of today’s hearing in state court on the uncertified and untested software Election Protection News Conference - Pt. 1 Election Protection News Conference - Pt. 2 Another Husted dirty trick in Ohio: Secretary of State's Office admits direct reporting function of untested election software OHIO – VOTE HEIST 2012? 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Why we fight to prevent stolen elections in 2012 and beyond Mike Connell: Man in the Middle Gripping documentary exposes voter suppression and election rigging in the 2004 presidential election Thom Pintello: I Just Want My Vote to Count" Why Romney has already won this electronic election, unless… Partisan lies about the security of Hart e-voting machines continue to flow from Hamilton County Romney family and friends will help tabulate the vote count in Cincinnati: Hart Intercivic holds maintenance contracts on their own machines Election software company Scytl on the run from the Free Press, from one fake address to the next The case for irrational voting Why are legal scholars dismissing election fraud?: Manufactured skepticism and exit polls Jamia Shepard: Advocate for Voter Rights Does the Romney family now own your e-vote? Secretary of State’s directive allowing early voting during three days before Election Day long overdue: Lawsuits and voter confusion could have been avoided “It’s Ok to leave your abuser,” says Green Party VP candidate Will H.I.G.-owned e-voting machines give Romney the White House? Ignore debate zingers, focus on issues Bob Fitrakis speaks at Neighborhood House candidate forum Last three days before election early voting reinstated in Ohio...sort of Book Review: A Must Read for All U.S. Citizens Vote counting company tied to Romney Will 9 GOP governors electronically flip Romney into the White House? Ohio Elections Commission finds probable cause that anti-Issue 2 ad is misleading Who owns Scytl? George Soros isn’t in the voting machines, but the intelligence community is Will the GOP steal America's 2012 election? Pragmatic Racism Four ways the Ohio GOP is already stealing the 2012 election Gubernatorial Recall Ballots Saved from Destruction in Waukesha County, WI - For Now... What Paul Ryan has and Obama wants Playing field is tilted against voters Colonels in mirrored sunglasses The new Jim Crow: Massive disenfranchisement returns Mishandled Redistricting disenfranchises 3,000 voters Corporate vote theft and the future of American democracy PART ONE New certifications, planned expansion Progressive morality Was the election stolen in Wisconsin - what are the odds? Columbus Free Press in the news: A million voters purged Wisconsin: New year, same stench Republican retreat - Ohio House Republicans defeat their own voter suppression bill Elections: What are they good for? The peace movement needs Kucinich, with or without Congress Ron Paul, "Progressive" for who? Do We Approve of Murder Based on Political Party? Pollsters Don't Want You to Know The State of Obama's 2008 Promises The election we should be following Booing the Golden Rule Six Problems with New Hampshire Elections The hollow democracy Read Election Issues Articles by Year: |
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