 |
Tue Dec 02 2008 | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Departments National Issues Progressive primary challenge to Hilary aunched by David Swanson December 6, 2005 On Tuesday in New York, Jonathan Tasini will announce the launch of his campaign for United States Senate, challenging Hilary Clinton in the Democratic primary. A Democrat, at least one who convincingly opposes Bush, is very likely to win the general election in this race. This means that the primary is the real election, and the question is what kind of Democrat we want to have in the Senate. Behind curtain number one is Hilary Clinton, a pro-war, pro-CAFTA, pro-corporate health care Republicrat who's so very much more aggravating than most of them because of the widespread pretense that she's some sort of leftist or democrat with a small d. Behind curtain number two is Jonathan Tasini, a veteran labor organizer and strategist who opposes the war, opposes corporate trade deals, proposes to expand Medicare to universal coverage, and can be counted on to fight for working people. Which kind of senator do the people of New York want? And which kind of party do Democrats around the country want? Do we want a party that follows the wishes of the vast majority of voters, or a party that continues to lose through endless futile attempts to win more voters away from the War and Corruption Party than it loses from its own base by standing for nothing. If Hilary gets the nomination, she could lose the general election, especially if she continues to support Bush's war. But why should we take the chance of having her win? If she wins, she will immediately announce a campaign for the White House, one she will almost certainly lose or allow to be stolen, but one we really do not want her to win. The surest way to keep her out of the presidential race is to go ahead and bid her farewell in the primary. Cindy Sheehan sent Jonathan the following statement on Sunday to be read at his event on Tuesday: "I am so pleased that Jonathan Tasini has stepped forward to challenge Senator Clinton and to take her on as an anti-war candidate. I encourage the people of New York to take a hard look at Mrs. Clinton's dismal record on the illegal and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq. Then take a hard look at what Jonathan is saying. "We as people who strive for peace and justice should not support a candidate who advocates for continued killing on the basis of flimsy reasoning. It is time to hold the pro-war Democrats responsible for what they are saying and doing also. "I fully endorse the idea of peace with justice and support the message that Jonathan is espousing, but I cannot endorse candidates because of my organization’s tax-exempt status. I thank Jonathan for his leadership, for his support and I look forward to our continuing efforts to end the war." Tasini blogged on Monday on Huffington Post: "My campaign challenging incumbent Hillary Clinton is based on a simple – yet, in our political world, utterly radical – idea: It asks people to abandon the classic choice of lesser-of-two-evils and vote from the heart, gut and conscience. For progressive voters who do so, there is a clear choice, for the difference between the incumbent and myself could not be more stark. Senator Clinton has said she supported the decision to go to war in Iraq, and she continues to support the war, with a position that echoes that of George Bush (find a 'winning' strategy and, then, withdraw troops on an uncertain timetable). In a speech to the Democratic Leadership Council, she praised NAFTA, which cost thousands of ordinary Americans their jobs. She dismissed the idea of pursuing universal health care because she didn’t want to take on the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. And she receives mountains of campaign cash from corporate donors, including Wal-Mart. "My positions, available on my website, offer a mirror opposite. I am a candidate who opposes the war, believes that real homeland security means bringing the troops home immediately, opposes anti-worker trade deals that send jobs abroad, believes that our economic future should not be determined by an authoritarian regime in China, and supports Medicare For All. Unlike the incumbent, I will draw my support from many thousands of people who will volunteer their energy and contribute small amounts." Tasini lays out his positions in detail at his website, debuting Monday, at http://www.tasinifornewyork.org Dick Morris believes, or pretends to believe, that only Condoleeza Rice can stop Hilary. We can shatter that theory in two ways this week. The citizens of the European Union can denounce Rice as a war criminal and supporter of torture. And we can launch a campaign to stop Hilary on our own. --- David Swanson is the Washington Director of Democrats.com and of ImpeachPAC.org. He is co-founder of the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, creator of MeetWithCindy.org, and a board member of Progressive Democrats of America. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997. His website is www.davidswanson.org. Email this article to a friend |
Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008
"Rumsfeld admits to "ghosting" detainee"
December 30, 2005
David Swanson
"A man without a country"
December 28, 2005
David Swanson
"Impeach the Liar-in-Chief"
December 26, 2005
Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence
"Bush wiretaps threaten national security"
December 25, 2005
Stephen Crockett
"Which Christmas is the 'War Against Christmas' against? "
December 25, 2005
Robert Lockwood Mills
"Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project plans economic summit in New York City"
December 22, 2005
Rainbow PUSH
"Fear of the devil"
December 22, 2005
Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"It's time to impeach Bush for these blatant violations of the law"
December 22, 2005
Andy Ostroy
"December 3 in the USA: a partial report"
December 22, 2005
Ted Glick
"Bush spews more irresponsible rhetoric as senate Extends Patriot Act for Six Months"
December 22, 2005
Andy Ostroy
"The Constitution in Crisis report"
December 22, 2005
Edward Chu
"Privatize Me...Corporatize Me.... Blackwaterize Me..."
December 20, 2005
Jason Miller
"USA Patriot Act defeated: Libertarians celebrate victory"
December 19, 2005
Libertarian Party of Ohio
"The solution we aren't considering"
December 19, 2005
David Swanson
"Panic attack"
December 15, 2005
Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"Eugene McCarthy, prophet with honor"
December 12, 2005
Robert Lockwood Mills
"The iron fist of Jesus"
December 12, 2005
Jason Miller
"Progressive primary challenge to Hilary aunched"
December 6, 2005
David Swanson
"An invitation to a tea party"
December 6, 2005
Lucinda Marshall
"Precarious lives"
December 3, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Criminal trial related to California energy crisis may start soon"
December 3, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Hey board members, leave our kids alone!"
December 3, 2005
Jason Miller
"A Congressman for impeachment"
November 30, 2005
David Swanson
"Friday night Congress: what was that?"
November 23, 2005
David Swanson
"Teach our children well"
November 20, 2005
Todd Huffman, M.D.
"Greenhouse School secures major art donation"
November 18, 2005
Dan Welch
"Parental guidance suggested"
November 16, 2005
Mike Ferner
"Our mothers (and Thomas Paine) warned us about people like the disciples of Strauss"
November 13, 2005
Jason Miller
"Despite his demeanor, Rove's still a Target"
November 13, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Armistice Day 2005"
November 11, 2005
Stephen Edward Seadler
"The Bush-Cheney ethics refresher course"
November 7, 2005
David Swanson
"Vice President lied as White House sought to defuse leak inquiry"
November 7, 2005
Jason Leopold
"53% of Americans support impeachment; ImpeachPAC announced!"
November 5, 2005
David Swanson
"I can't wait"
November 3, 2005
David Swanson
"Nothing to Lose"
November 2, 2005
Daniel Patrick Welch
"The real Rosa Parks"
October 31, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"How has it come to this?"
October 30, 2005
Jim Oberg
"Bush's wheels falling off"
October 30, 2005
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Miers, White House surrender to ultraconservatives"
October 27, 2005
Josh Glasstetter
"Prosecutor secures indictment in CIA outing case, lawyers say"
October 27, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Hard conversations about the big easy"
October 24, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Coalition of 75 groups demand end to Pentagon's youth database"
October 19, 2005
Mike Ferner
"Vice President's role in outing of CIA agent under examination, sources close to prosecutor say"
October 19, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Hard questions about the big easy"
October 19, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Times reporter entangled in leak case had unusual relationship with military, Iraqi group"
October 19, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Try and catch the wind"
October 17, 2005
Daniel Patrick Welch
"More from the stormfront gulf central"
October 16, 2005
David Lewis
"A deep look at corruption culture"
October 16, 2005
Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence
"Dems Go After Bennett, Salem Radio Network, FCC"
October 9, 2005
David Swanson
"Bill Bennett’s comments emerge from an ideology that is classic white supremacy, Rev. Jesse Jackson says"
October 5, 2005
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Why the nomination of Harriet has to be looked at below the radar"
October 5, 2005
Cynthia L. Butler, an Attorney licensed in PA, NJ, DC, CA
"In support of weakness on national security"
October 3, 2005
David Swanson
"Bill Frist, The Former 2008 Presidential Candidate"
September 27, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Winds of change blow through DC, Bush flees"
September 26, 2005
Bob Fitrakis
"More New Orleans stories"
September 25, 2005
David Lewis
"From the stormfront: experiencing Rita in New Orleans"
September 25, 2005
David Lewis
"The GOP’s fiscal policies turned a natural disaster into a man-made catastrophe"
September 23, 2005
Jason Leopold
"The Devil in the Details: Carter-Baker, California, and the Integrity of American Elections"
September 22, 2005
Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, VoteTrustUSA
"Hurricane Katrina-Our Experiences"
September 21, 2005
Larry Bradshaw, Lorrie Beth Slonsky
"A Fraction of Democracy"
September 20, 2005
Greg Coleridge
"Bring back New Orleans: the politics of disaster"
September 20, 2005
David Lewis, Photos by Aaron Geiser
"Rev. Jackson Recommends a 21st Century Marshall Plan That Reinvests in the Gulf Coast"
September 20, 2005
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Division of funeral corp. charged with desecrating corpses hired to collect deceased victims of hurricane Katrina"
September 19, 2005
Jason Leopold
"FEMA Chief Brown paid millions in false claims to help Bush win Fla. votes"
September 15, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Indefinite Detention"
September 9, 2005
Daniel Sturm
"Seems like more people died than prospered under Pres Bush’s leadership"
September 8, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Politics, timing and the so-called terrorist Nuradin Abdi: the mall bomber who wasn't"
September 7, 2005
Bob Fitrakis
"Paul Allen's other yacht"
September 4, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Katrina: A tragedy made worse"
September 4, 2005
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"The President’s priorities: state of marriage took precedence over state of Louisiana"
September 3, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Notes from inside New Orleans"
September 3, 2005
Jordan Flaherty
"Rev. Jackson Makes Second Rescue Mission into New Orleans"
September 2, 2005
Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
"Bush Strafes New Orleans, Where's Huey Long?"
September 2, 2005
Greg Palast
"911 in New Orleans"
September 2, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Global Warming and Widespread Blackouts Are Just as Deadly as Terrorism"
September 1, 2005
Jason Leopold
"The mothers are coming!"
August 30, 2005
Sheila Samples
"Update from Leonard Peltier"
August 16, 2005
Leonard Peltier
"Leonard has been transferred to USP Lewisburg"
August 16, 2005
Michael Eckhardt
"Against Discouragement"
August 15, 2005
Howard Zinn
"Open Letter to Cindy Sheehan, Crawford, Texas"
August 11, 2005
Ralph Nader
"Regarding the 40th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965"
August 4, 2005
Sabrina Williams
"Lawyers, guns and money: Just put down that lawsuit, pardner, and no one gets hurt"
August 1, 2005
Greg Palast
"Forgotten Victims of America’s Plutocracy"
August 1, 2005
Jason Miller
"Spine, spine everywhere a spine"
July 29, 2005
Rady Ananda
"Speaking truth to Roberts"
July 28, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Business as usual with Judge Roberts; straight corporate, with Pepto-Bismol chaser"
July 21, 2005
Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair
"The Record of Judge John Roberts"
July 20, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"The Enemy of Our Enemy May Still Be the Enemy of Democracy"
July 13, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Mr. Rove and the Access of Evil: Tell Us Your "Source," Judy"
July 13, 2005
Greg Palast
"The Economy Turned the Corner and Is Headed in the Wrong Direction"
July 8, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"July 4th Declaration of Impeachment"
July 4, 2005
Mike Ferner, Veterans for Peace
"They Died for Their Country"
July 1, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Energy adviser who solicited Enron to help write national energy policy to be named Chair of FERC"
July 1, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Big Food Strikes Back; Ag industry aims to strip local control of food supplies"
June 26, 2005
Britt Bailey and Brian Tokar
"The fantastical world of Studley McMuffin"
June 25, 2005
Sheila Samples
"Counter-Recruitment: Preventing the Military from Getting More Youth for their Wars: An Interview with Counter-Recruitment Activist Clint Coppernoll"
June 25, 2005
Kevin Zeese
"A matter of education..."
June 23, 2005
Sheila Samples
"Violations of Civil Liberties are an American Tradition"
June 17, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"Rumsfeld: Beyond the Point of No Return"
June 13, 2005
Gerald Rellick
"Peltier hearing to address Lakota Nation soverignty"
June 11, 2005
Russ Redner and Barry Bachrach
"Extraordinarily rancid justices"
June 10, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Former Army Sec, Enron VP, Thomas White Wants Gov't Funding For New Energy Project"
June 8, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Imposing minority views"
June 8, 2005
Stephen Crockett
"When is Someone Going to Toss Rumsfeld into a Cage?"
June 8, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Republicans: The Anti-Christian, Christian Party"
June 8, 2005
Stephen Crockett
"Watergate Proves That Even Presidents Will Break Laws To Achieve Goals"
June 1, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Oral Histories of the 1970 Kent State Shootings "
May 22, 2005
Candi Clevenger, Communications Manager, OhioLINK
"Blurb: End the filibuster -- in 2015"
May 20, 2005
Paul Loeb
"The Beginning Of The End Of The Age Of Reason"
May 16, 2005
Todd Huffman, M.D.
"Nuking Democracy"
May 14, 2005
Paul Loeb
"Conscientious Objection on Trial: The Court Martial of Keith Benderman"
May 10, 2005
Kevin B. Zeese
"Barnum on Steroids"
May 9, 2005
Jason Miller
"Mother’s Day Without Mom"
May 7, 2005
Phil Tajitsu Nash
"An Open Letter to Howard Dean"
May 5, 2005
Dennis J. Kucinich
"Appeals Court Nominee Janice Rogers Brown Merits the Filibuster"
May 3, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"Activists Spur Historic Call to Exit Iraq"
April 24, 2005
William Rivers Pitt
"John Bolton & the Battle for Reality"
April 24, 2005
Robert Parry
"Videos expose false arrests at 2004 Republican Convention protests in New York"
April 24, 2005
Peter Daniels
"Wal-Mart's Free Market Fallacy"
April 24, 2005
Jonathan Tasini
"Howard Dean Becomes Leader of the Other Pro-War Party; Dean on Iraq: “We're There and We Can't Get Out”"
April 24, 2005
Kevin Zeese
"You have to pick your team"
April 20, 2005
Sonya Vetra Tinsley, as told to Paul Rogat Loeb
"What They Should Fight For"
April 20, 2005
David Swanson
"Vigilante Republicans"
April 13, 2005
Steven Rosenfeld
"Congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney Urges Reform of Voting Process at Historic Conference"
April 12, 2005
Anna Thompson
"Abortion and Schiavo -- The stories we tell"
April 5, 2005
Paul Rogat Loeb
"How and Why We're Working to Block the Bankruptcy Bill"
April 1, 2005
David Swanson
"Statement on the Passing of Terri Schiavo"
March 31, 2005
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Veterans for peace call for Congressional action to impeach George W. Bush and Richard Cheney"
March 30, 2005
Veterans For Peace
"Zealot and Proud of It"
March 27, 2005
Jason Miller
"Non Volunteers, Non-Recruiters, And A Non War "
March 19, 2005
Eric Straatsma
"Meet Your New FCC Chairman: Kevin Martin"
March 17, 2005
David Bailey
"E.P.A. Nominee Supports Testing of Chemicals on Human Subjects"
March 11, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"A luncheon break with Michael Jackson"
March 11, 2005
Robert Lockwood Mills
"Gannongate and Asian Pacific America"
March 9, 2005
Phil Tajitsu Nash
"I'd rather not say good-bye, Dan"
March 9, 2005
Greg Palast
"Free Trade and Frivolous Lawsuits"
March 7, 2005
Cyril Mychalejko
"Experiencing Hunter, Experiencing Death: A Eulogy"
February 28, 2005
Tom Luffman
"The inevitability trap"
February 18, 2005
K.C. Golden
"Bush’s Judicial Nominations are Hardly Mainstream"
February 17, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"Senators Clinton and Boxer, Representative Tubbs Jones and others unveil major election reform bill"
February 17, 2005
Offices of Sen. Clinton and Rep. Tubb Jones
"The difference between bi-partisanship and non-partisanship"
February 15, 2005
Robert Lockwood Mills
"Bush & the Rise of 'Managed-Democracy'"
February 13, 2005
Robert Parry
"Yesterday's Gallup Poll Showing Bush Approval At 57% Had 9% More Republicans Than Democrats"
February 12, 2005
Steve Soto
"J20 Through my eyes"
February 11, 2005
Ryan Mishler
"Bush's Budget: The War on Working People Continues"
February 11, 2005
International Action Center staff
"Bush’s Budget is at Odds With His Rhetoric"
February 11, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"Direct Action For Peace?"
February 7, 2005
Bill Scheurer
"State of the Union speech falls short, says Rev. Jesse Jackson"
February 3, 2005
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
"The Black Perspective"
February 3, 2005
Judith Powell
"Save American Democracy: Curb Corporate Power"
January 29, 2005
Stephen Crockett
"Who's Paying for all this Freedom?"
January 29, 2005
Darryl Cramer
"Yes, there is a crisis in Social Security"
January 29, 2005
Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Agitation Time"
January 25, 2005
Ted Glick
"The 10 Worst Corporations of 2004"
January 25, 2005
Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
"They Doth Protest Too Little"
January 24, 2005
Chris Colin
"Thousands take to the streets to oppose the inauguration of George W. Bush"
January 24, 2005
troopsoutnow.org
"A Warm Oasis in a Snow Storm; The Progressive Democrat Summit in Washington"
January 24, 2005
Cynthia L. Butler, Esq.
"The Politics of SpongeBob"
January 23, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"Mis-Defining Terrorism"
January 20, 2005
John Janney
"Marines stretching movement"
January 19, 2005
Mike Ferner
"Bush’s Mythical Mandate and Social Security Piratization"
January 19, 2005
Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence
"Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, Jr. "
January 16, 2005
Chuck Zlatkin
"Bush’s Choice for Energy Secretary Was One of Texas’ Top Five Worst Polluters"
January 16, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Bush, God, Fox, and the International Criminal Court"
January 13, 2005
David Swanson
"The real reason Bush wants to privatize Social Security"
January 12, 2005
Robert Lockwood Mills
"CBS' cowardice and conflicts behind purge"
January 11, 2005
Greg Palast
"Bring them home -- Sooner rather than later"
January 1, 2005
Sheila Samples
"The third wave of victims of Katrina/Rita"
November 15, 2005
"An inside look at the not so Big Easy"
November 15, 2005
"While Bush rested: The emergence of the new global terrorism and the meaning of Hurricane Katrina "
November 15, 2005
"Keeping his eyes on the prize"
September 8, 2005
"Four Years On"
September 8, 2005
"Sheehan uses the "f" word as Bush flips us off"
September 8, 2005
"WAL-MART - The high cost of low price"
July 20, 2005
"The timebomb is not Social Security in 2048, it’s global warming in 2015"
March 21, 2005
Read Articles by Year:
2007 2006 2005 2004
2003 2002 2001 2000
All content © 1970-2008
The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer