Cindy Sheehan Seeking Star Power in Campaign
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is making celebrity endorsements a key facet of her long-shot bid to defeat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) next year.
In a recent interview with The Hill, Sheehan said she has been endorsed by actress Roseanne Barr, country crooner Willie Nelson and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
Sheehan added that White House hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) are also backing her.
“Celebrities bring a certain kind of - good or bad, it seems like our lives are centered around TV and movies - I think it does bring credibility,” Sheehan said.
Nelson is a friend of Sheehan’s and has offered to help her raise money for her campaign. “[Nelson and his wife] just have the exact correct politics and the exact compassion for the earth and humanity that I think attracts us as friends,” she said.
“I support Cindy Sheehan in everything she does,” Nelson wrote in an e-mail, “whether it’s running for Congress, or the president of the U.S. She’s a great American, not afraid to stand up for what she believes in.”
Sheehan, who is running as an independent, unaffiliated candidate, is counting on comedians such as Barr to lend some star power to the campaign. Several San Francisco-based comediennes are planning a campaign fundraiser for Sheehan, she said.
Spokesmen for Barr and Morello did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Kucinich praised Sheehan, but declined to confirm that he is formally backing her.
“I like Cindy,” Kucinich said. “She has been a very important spokesperson in challenging the war. She and I marched together against the war.”
He said he doesn’t comment on races waged against incumbents as a “matter of policy.”
Sheehan is backing Kucinich for the presidency.
Hip Hop Caucus President Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. said he will lend his support. “Cindy Sheehan is the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement and the race in San Francisco is fundamentally about organized people versus organized money,” he said.
Pelosi won her 2006 congressional campaign handily, taking 80 percent of the vote. She’s also had her share of celebrity support. Celebrities ranging from movie producer Francis Ford Coppola to comedian Robin Williams have given money to her campaigns.
Bruce Cain, a political science professor at the University of California Berkeley and the director of the D.C.-based Institute of Governmental Studies, said Sheehan’s chances of beating Pelosi are “slim to none.”
Sheehan is unlikely to get 10 to 15 percent of the vote because there aren’t enough “progressive, green, anarchist types” in the district to elect her, Cain said. Californians do not blame Pelosi for not getting troops out of Iraq, he added.
“The motivation to elect a Democrat is going to be stronger than the motivation to make a point,” Cain said.
Pelosi has already accumulated close to $1.3 million in her campaign coffers. A Pelosi spokesman refused to comment on Sheehan’s campaign.
In a recent e-mail on Iraq that was sent by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to potential donors, Pelosi pointed out that she has been a longtime activist: “Long before I was Speaker of the House, I was a political activist like you …”
Sheehan said hers will be a grassroots campaign. She doesn’t expect to come close to out-raising Pelosi.
“I’m not going to be competing with her on money or on the establishment,” she said, noting she won’t accept any corporate donations.
McKinney, an outspoken opponent of the war, expressed her support for Sheehan at a rally in August near one of the president’s vacation homes in Maine.
“Our children deserve a better country and the world deserves a better partner. That’s why I’m happy to see Cindy Sheehan run for Congress. I want Cindy to win,” McKinney said.
Sheehan said she expects more celebrity endorsements to roll in as her campaign kicks into high gear, but she does not anticipate many of Pelosi’s colleagues will back her.
“If they support me it’s going to be difficult for them to get chairmanships or to get on a committee,” she said. “I totally understand if nobody comes out and supports me.”
She wasn’t shy about criticizing Democrats for funding the war.
“If I tell my children, ‘Don’t do drugs’ … and then one of my children asks, ‘Mom, can I have money for drugs?’ and I give them money for drugs, that’s showing them my approval,” she said. “[Congress is] giving [its] approval to President Bush to wage this occupation of Iraq.”
Part of Sheehan’s campaign will aim to enfranchise minorities and young people “who have felt disenfranchised by the power elite.”
She’s also getting educated on local issues important to California’s 8th district and house-hunting in the area. Sheehan lives in northern California, but plans to move into the district soon. She’s organizing her campaign team and hopes to begin campaign fundraisers and events in October.
Sheehan’s battle against the war began after her son Casey, a 24-year-old Army specialist, was killed in Baghdad. She began demonstrating outside of President Bush’s Texas ranch and founded Gold Star Families for Peace in August of 2005. In May, Sheehan announced that she was retiring from anti-war activism, only to return with a challenge to Pelosi: If Pelosi didn’t move to impeach Bush and Vice President Cheney, Sheehan would mount a congressional campaign against her. Sheehan subsequently announced her candidacy in August.
Sheehan called the first female Speaker of the House a “consummate politician” and emphasized that she and Pelosi agree on most issues, with the notable exceptions of Iraq and impeachment.
“In her heart she probably does care about the people of Iraq - but when they sit down to talk about Iraq they talk politics, not about the human cost of war,” she said, referring to Democrats.
Pelosi is vulnerable in liberal San Francisco, a district where the majority of people don’t support the Iraq war, Sheehan said. “People over there are dismayed,” she said. “Nancy is not holding Bush and Cheney accountable. She’s not ending the war in Iraq.”
Many Democrats, however, have defended Pelosi’s action. They say that Pelosi has worked feverishly to end the war, but does not have the votes to override the president’s veto pen.
Sheehan promised that she would not be known as a one-issue candidate, a label that hurt Ned Lamont in his general election bid to defeat Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).
Sheehan, who doesn’t have health insurance, said that making healthcare available to all Americans would be a priority.
“[The Iraq war] is an overriding issue. We can talk about universal healthcare, we can talk about the costs of a college education, we can talk about a lot of issues that affect every American. When we are spending money on Iraq, we cannot rebuild our infrastructure - we cannot do that in America when we are devoted to the war machine.”
She added, “I really think we’ve done the marches, we’ve done the disobedience and the next natural step is to challenge the establishment. This really isn’t me against Nancy Pelosi. This is me against the war machine.”
© 2007 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp.
I don’t think Sheehan is a longshot. I think establishement dems are in for a surprise across the country. It’s time for the people to show the elite who’s boss.
I don’t think I am a long shot either…
I think I have a good chance.
Cindy
You go, Cindy! Where do I send my check?
Cindy Sheehan!
Help STOP the U.S. Military Industrial CONGRESSIONAL Complex!
Our United States Constitution NEEDS you!
Defund the war.
Bring our troops home yesterday.
Take care of them when they get home.
MoveOn.org & the Military Industrial Congressional Complex
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H337V_pwnbw
Love,
mom
(educator, activist, MFSO supporter)
Bruce Cain must be a total brain dead moron. The people are sick and disgusted with the vicious, greedy republicans and the cowardly do-nothing democrats.
Nancy Pelosi is a spineless traitor and should be replaced. Cindy is the woman for the job.
GO CINDY GO !!!
contributions can be made to:
Cindy for Congress
P.O. Box 1672
Bellflower, Ca 90707
my website: www.CindyforCongress.org
should be up and running to accept donations, soon.
Thanks!
Cindy
Cindy is now the only candidate out there who knows that Impeaching Bush/Cheney together is the only way to seriously challenge the War Machine.
I got another call from the Dems who want money to elect more Dems in the House and he actually said to me “so that we can have the votes to impeach Bush/Cheney”…Well they will be out of office by then and the fact that the Dems are counting their votes and refusing to take the chance for peace by even putting out a move to Impeach them together as Partners in crime which would automatically deny them a pardon from any future president no matter what the Senate would decide as the jury, well this cowardly congress has half of the approval of Bush so they can count the votes all they want but the voters already don’t trust them….I think we need some Moslem leaders to tell the truth these days….I wish Dennis would come out strong on the need to Impeach the parasites but doin Cheney first as in Dennis’s 333 bill would just be doin Bush a favor… we would give Bush the power to appoint a new VP…Wow that would show um who is boss Eh?
I tell the Dems that when they show some courage and let the people count the votes after they show that courage, I will donate to their cause….but at this rate, they will have to fend for themselves.
Go Cindy!
Jim
Dear Cindy,
I think you should carry a large folder full of US Military enlistment forms with you at all times to offer any time the strutting, swaggering, overly macho war hawks get in your face and tell you how freedom isn’t free. You can consider it crowd control. You wouldn’t believe how fast these guys run away when you give them one with a pen. I have done this and I honestly can say that I am ashamed and embarassed for these chickenhawks who talk so big but want the war fought with other peoples’ children. While you are at it, give Bush two forms, Hillary one, and Romney about five.
We need to blog the picture of Nancy Pelosi standing next to King George Bush with the slogan “Impeachment is off the table” at the bottom of the picture to remind registered Democrats that Pelosi is the Bush enabler. Cindy, I will be donating to your campaign. We need to send a statement to the Democrats by sending Pelosi packing!
Go Cindy!!!!!
I regret having to harken back to a mid 2002 Atlantic Monthly which had the cover drawing of a disdained/alarmed Uncle Sam holding the country of Iraq, labelled “the 51st State”. We have built 14 permanent bases, and are building a mega base near the Iranian border.
It IS about oil. It is about an egomaniacal jingoism, nationalism with hubris oozing from the pores. It is about multinationals, global free-trade. GREED. Me Me Me….
Any talk of pulling back troops is a charade: there is no real interest in that, anywhere, amongst those in power. Our actions, with the bases and funding, portend a long-term commitment to Iraq as a base of operations. Our elected leaders and business leaders do not want to rock the American somnambulant boat of comfort. Any lip service to the contrary is disingenuous palaver.
Where is the fundamental morality in any of this? The systems are so corrupt, operate in synch, I have very little hope that we can turn the tide. I am ashamed that my tax dollars have anniahlated 660,000 innocents, and obliterated an already feeble infrastructure. And that is only in Iraq.
What congress and the president have done in the past 6 years is stunning, inexcusable, immoral, and evil. The complicity of the main-stream media is inexcusable. I do not know how these folks sleep at night…
I have sold two cars, and ride my bike and walk unless I have NO OTHER options. I am buying used, and buying local. I call my congressperson and senators nearly daily…and feel all of this action, while “correct”, is ineffectual and toothless.
Now, if I choose to leave the sinking ship and seek and locate a “kinder, gentler nation”, the few pennies I have saved are worth very little in the global marketplace: I might be getting stuck here?! Thank goodness our president is committed to a strong dollar….
If we spent the same $720,000,000. per WEEK that we are willingly sending into the military void on ourselves and the rest of the world, we could feed, clothe, provide clean drinking water, basic meds and care, solar and wind on every roof top, and aid and comfort to the world. Heck, at that rate, we could send it to each state, once a year, and take two weeks off, or send those extra two weeks internationally (maybe for reparation?!)
What the heck is going on? What are our priorities? Oil and death, at an incredible cost? Some Christian nation….
heartbroken, pissed, wishing for the capacity of cognative disonance, and slowly losing my mind…..
WHere do I send a check? I think I would even move to SF just to vote against Ms. Pelosi.
She’s about as useful as tits on a bull. Goodbye Nancy, I hope.
You are starting off on the wrong foot Cindy. If you “agree with Pelosi on most issues” you are not going to beat her in 2008. Pelosi is anti-single payer on health care, and pro-nuclear on solutions to climate change, etc., etc.
You will need to demonstrate that you are a CONSCIENCE candidate on domestic and gobal issues to differentiate yourself from Pelosi and not be perceived as a one issue candidate in 2008.
Cindy…
You are an inspiration to all Progressive Thinkers, Peace orientated and environmentally sustainable people in America….My thoughts must echo a majority of people wanting a major change….
So I say GO GO GO Cindy….
I live in Nancy Pelosi’s district and nobody I know supports her. She did win 80% in 2006, but it was on a promise to end the war in Iraq. Between then and now, the Pelosi and the Dems have failed on every issue — the war, impeachment, civil rights, health care, agribusiness subsidies, the war on drugs,…
The majority of SF voters are not as radical as painted by Rush Limbaugh, but they are generally progressive, and well-informed. The fact that Pelosi has kept impeachment “off the table” despite the fact that the majority of San Franciscans voted for it will not have escaped their notice. Cindy Sheehan can also raise the point that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t support single payer health care, another important issue that the majority of her constituents support.
In 2006, despite having little name recognition and little money, the Green Party candidate Krissy Keefer polled 7%. Political scientist Bruce Cain demostrates a typical establishment arrogance in claiming that Cindy Sheehan won’t get many more votes than that. Maybe that’s a good thing — It’s easier to beat an opponent if they’ve got the eyes and mind closed.
although, i am for single payer healthcare, and all kinds of other things, nothing will get done with us spending billions of dollars a week on the war…the war is the issue
there are only two issues…war and accountability…
the war machine needs to be stopped and people like pelosi need to be held accountable for not holding bushco accountable.
ms/ pelois has lost touch with her consituency on these issues and i am in full-touch with them…on all these issues…
this was a long interview i did with miss marcum and i was particularly amused that she chose the celebrity angle when i kept reinforcing that it was going to be “organized people over organized money” and a great grass roots campaign…
i am not like pelosi, i too, don’t have a car. i too, recycle, reuse and shop in thrift stores…i shop blue and green and i have no health insurance…i have had to struggle to put my kids through school…and one of my children was sacrificed to the war machine because of the constant struggle for money in our family…a tragedy that i have sought to prevent in other families
i have been there and am with the people on all these issues.
love, peace, justice on our way to victory
cindy
if you live in or near the 8th district and want to help us ELECT CINDY so we can have REAL representation - people over politics, humanity over hubris -
we will meet Nancy’s millions of dollars with Cindy’s millions of volunteer hours; we’ve done it in SF before and we will do it this time!
check out:
http://groups.google.com/group/cindy4congress
a group committed to electing Cindy!
thanks
d
What a surprise to see you here, Cindy! Wonderful!
I think of all the Democrats in Washington, Nancy Pelosi has been the most damaging to America. It’s still hard to believe she took impeachment off the table. Why, in God’s name, would she remove the strongest weapon the Democrats had to rein in Bush’s agenda? I will NEVER understand that. It took my breath away, and the Democratic Congressional performance since 2006 has made me sick.
And I think you’re right about Bush’s wars (since he’s threatened to attack Iran next) being our most urgent issue right now. We’re spending astronomical amounts of money to invade countries that weren’t and aren’t a threat and keep killing people. There isn’t enough money to do anything until the warmongering stops.
And I’m so sorry about Casey. That’s a grief that’s almost unbearable. I’m glad you are able to direct your energies where you have.
I’m not in California, but I sure hope you beat Pelosi or at LEAST scare the pants off her. She won’t even meet with her constituents if they disagree with her.
Best of luck from almost all of us!
In 1985– it feels like a century ago– Neil Postman wrote a trenchant book called “Amusing Ourselves to Death” about the ascension of corporate infotainment (my term, not his) and its dominance in (Amerikan) thought and culture.
I think a similar book could be written, called “Professionalizing Ourselves to Death”.
Bruce Cain is apparently a go-to professor for quotes on candidate horseraces. There are similar professors in the Philadelphia area who are invariably sought after and cited by local news agencies.
Cain may be right– he is, after all, a professional.
And Scott Ritter, another consummate professional, may be right to condemn the chaotic and amateurish nature of the Amerikan anti-war movement. Ritter, in true Marine officer spirit, conceives of a paramilitary anti-war movement organized military-fashion to attack warmongering in a focused and systematic way. I wish him luck, I really do– but I’m inclined to think I would run like hell the other way if his Antiwar Guard ever came marching over the horizon.
At the risk of crashing & burning in a puddle of sentimental cliches, what I admire about Cindy is her refusal to succumb to professional politicians and activists, either to place herself under their tutelage or to emulate their banal, “sensible” approaches. To the extent that Cindy does have a real chance to win– and I agree with her, she does– it will be because she refused to forsake her very human heart and shrewd and intelligent brain in order to hop aboard some professional’s bandwagon. Or to pay much heed to the professional nay-sayers who wrote her off before she even got going.
I hope for a tipping point in which the general public will realize that trusting to our professional political and infotainment class is truly part of the problem, and the solution is decidedly not more of the same.
Go Cindy!
Removing Nancy Pelosi, so that Steny Hoyer can become speaker is not going to end the war in Iraq. It amazes me that so called Progressives that put up with crooks like Wright and Foley for years are in a real hurry to dump the first woman speaker. Cindy Sheehan has suffered a terrible loss, but that is not a qualification for office.
It takes 61 votes in the Senate
And thats not going to happen
Sober up!
The folks at the top just do not seem to be listening… I know well that most all County Democratic Central Committees passed Impeachment Resolutions.
The California Democratic Party has passed a couple.
Many of us who are involved in the Democratic Party at a grass roots level have a feeling of betrayal.
We want the war and its funding stopped now.
We want Impeachment moved to the front of the table.
The GOP is still using fear of looking soft on terrorism or being against the military as an intimidation tactic against week kneed Dems.
Karl Rove’s plan is still working… there is a lot of profit for the greedy to be made in the War Machine and people keep getting killed.
so blairza,
what is your solution??
Having enlistment forms to hand out to war supporters is a GREAT idea. They really should have people activiely trying to recruit the war supporters for service.
“If I tell my children, ‘Don’t do drugs’ … and then one of my children asks, ‘Mom, can I have money for drugs?’ and I give them money for drugs, that’s showing them my approval,” she said. “[Congress is] giving [its] approval to President Bush to wage this occupation of Iraq.”
**she’s too smart to be in congress
so mightygorg,
Why not send a message to your Democratic Party by voting for Cindy?
Sober up?
I’ve been stone-cold sober ever since I woke up last November and realized that I’d wasted my financial and political support on mendacious self-serving Democrats who pretended that they opposed the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the criminal Executive Branch who initiated this and a host of other atrocities.
Win or lose, I’m not buying into the sterile sobriety of keeping my powder dry, picking my battles, and most importantly, Not Letting the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good.
As a co-worker once told a waitress serving coffee at a holiday dinner, as he waved off her offer to fill his coffee cup: “No thanks– I prefer to remain intoxicated.”
I can think of a lot more ’star’ supporters of Cindy who should be able to help with their endorsements and financial contributions.
Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Bruce Springsteen…among others.
They need to jump on board now!
Cindy;
I have admired you ever since I met you standing on the side of that hot road in Crawford. I am a lifelong democrat and I am so disappointed in their cowardice and lack of spine. In my opinion they are ignoring the will of the people and their base and we should replace them whenever and whereever possible. I am putting a check in the mail today for your campaign and I will be watching it closely in the hopes that you unseat Peolosi. She can do what so many of colleagues do and become a lobbyist.
Good luck Cindy and God Bless
Gary B in Texas
There is no better message that can be sent to the chickenshit Democrats than to throw one of their biggest fish out of office. They need to know that they won’t get our votes just because we have no where else to go. Cindy’s candidacy proves that there are other alternatives and we will just have to pick them off one at a time. If Pelosi wants to try to run as an independent like Leiberman, good luck with it in California!
Go Girl!
American power has always been obsessed with ‘bad apples’. When Cuba broke ties with the fate that ‘America the Great’ had decided for the island, America seems to have been obsessed with the idea that ‘independent thinking’, such as the Cuban revolution, may infect other countries, as it now indeed has, such as in Venezuela, Bolivia and many other countries. So it has relentlessly fought Cuba, and ‘America the Great’ got embarrassed all the time.
Now Cindy starts to inspire other Americans. Coming from a humble background, everybody realizes that she is just like them and they could be like just like her. That is really what is behind her success. She is the ultimate ‘bad apple’, and I mean that as a compliment.
I only hope she does not get the same treatment as Castro received, but anyway, she is much better than Castro …
And she does not wage a guerilla war, which I guess is a difference.
Another thought.
Since Peolosi and Reid don’t think that impeachment is an option even though BushCo lied us into a war that has killed 100s of thousands and they outed a CIA agent and they illegally wire tapped US citizens and they condoned torture, I think there is only one thing left.
Will somebody please give George Bush a blow job so we can impeach him
But what is really incomprehensible is none of this seems to matter as we march right on with attacking Iran.
The mind reels.
claudius
California is a big state.
I can not vote for Cindy as I am several hours north of her district in real Northern California
I do wish Cindy well.
I respect her courage and support all that she stands for. I would love to see her shake up the establishment folks at the top.
I pray that I’m wrong, but I don’t think we have until the election to act. The hysteria around President Ahmadinijab’s visit, and the uncritical repetition of White House talking points by the media, convince me that the build up to an attack on Iran is going full speed ahead. If Bush/Cheney proceed with an attack - and there is evidently nothing that can stop them - the devastation abroad will be matched by economic collapse and resulting turmoil at home. Bush will declare martial law, the “domestic detention centers” will be filled, and the elections cancelled for “security” purposes. At that point, the fascist takeover will be complete. Never has a nation walked so blindly and complacently - even willingly - into catastrophe. At least in Germany you saw the flight of those who were able and knew what was coming. Here, we’re like sitting ducks. Every blog I read asks, “what can we do?” and I never find an effective answer.
I’m sorry to be so pessimistic, but the situation is bleak. If I am wrong - and I may well be - having Cindy in congress will be a great and effective way of pressuring Hillary (or whoever) for greater troop reductions. But they’re all imperialists, and will never agree to a complete withdrawal - unless forced by circumstances beyond their control (as in Saigon, 1975).
Peace to all!
The article above is concluded with Cindy’s statement: ” This really isn’t me against Nancy Pelosi. This is me against the war machine ” I think, Cindy is telling us that her running against Pelosi is only one effort of the total struggle against the war machine. Bringing down Nancy Pelosi will be a victory of great historical importance showing that independent action can seriously threaten the supporting foundations of the war machine. But it will take the collective effort from “We the People”, acting united in a People’s Movement to stop the war machine. GO WITH CINDY !!
vangelaras
vanka485@ol.com
Cindy’s already got people power behind her.
CeeMiracles:
“Let us begin the UNCOMMON DREAM and make it the COMMON REALITY”
~sounds good to me! (c:
To courageous sister Cindy: (aka, *President Sheehan*!)
- a quote from old Chairman Mao:
“Dare to struggle, Dare to win!”
x
Congress’ approval rating is less than Bush’s. Nancy Pelosi heads the House branch of Congress. Think about it. Nancy, you are ripe for the picking because your party keeps funding the war. Cindy, I have signed up for your campaign and will be attending the first meeting next week.
I sincerely hope you are successful, Cindy. You have the truth with you, unlike your detractors.
If Pelosi said she was an activist long before she became a Congresswoman, what happened to her cause? Did she meet her goal and become like the others?
Cindy will always stay focused.
Imagine the effect on American politics: Speaker of the House loses Safe Seat to Political Novice”
You go Cindy!
“Sheehan is backing Kucinich for the presidency.”
You want a fantasy/dream ticket THAT WILL save this country?
KUCINICH/SHEEHAN!!!
mcdee:
happened a few yr.s back in spokane wash..
maybe the election of 94?
was an (r) beating a (d) though..
much doubt i have for an election..
could be fun either way!!!
ken
andersdl said:
“You are starting off on the wrong foot Cindy. If you “agree with Pelosi on most issues” you are not going to beat her in 2008. Pelosi is anti-single payer on health care, and pro-nuclear on solutions to climate change, etc., etc.”
Cindy:
Add ending the WOD and other issues that the REAL progressive party, the Greens, include in their platform. In fact, why not run as a Green?
all the best,
ezeflyer
I want international observers (on the scene) monitoring the results of that election.
good luck Cindy!
William,
a fan in NYC
Cindy is right: war and accountability are not “single-issues,” they are THE core issues of our time and must be addressed before WE have any hope of resolving ANY other issue.
Anyone who doesn’t see that ending the war stands at the core of EVERY OTHER ISSUE is simply blind, and “there are none so blind as those who WILL NOT see!” As an economist, I see that war is an economic and spiritual setback that erodes and forestalls the possibility of sustainable prosperity for ALL, driving us into desperation and hopelessness. EVERYONE OF US is far worse off as a result.
The waste of war is draining trillions of dollars worth of resources that would, could and must be used instead to fund REAL human needs like health care, education, renewable energy, disaster relief, housing, etc, etc.
War destroys millions of lives forever, both here and abroad. Beyond the horror and sadness of losing loved ones, these are lives of valuable people, people with dreams and hopes for their children and communities, lives of people that could have created immense social wealth and the gifts we ALL need to live happy, abundant, productive lives. War robs these people, and US, of this possibility.
We pay dearly for every bomb, every missile, every hummer, every land-mine (etc ad nausea)in the form of social prosperity foregone forever. Year after year, war destroys billions of dollars worth of economic infrastructure: factories, schools, hospitals, homes, energy facilities, roads, bridges, etc, further pushing us ALL into deprivation and desperation, inculcating in us a scarcity-mentality that makes us compete with each other for whats left.
As a direct result of this massive waste, we work LONG hours just to pay for our bare necessities, rent or mortgages, food, health care, gas/transportation, etc, IF we’re lucky enough to have a job. We’re so tired at the end of our day that we have little energy left for our children and families, or even for life beyond sitting in front of a TV, exhausted. Shall we talk about basics like education? Or how about those in the US South whose lives and communities remain destroyed and who still live as refugees in their own country? Then there are the ominous clouds of Global Warming just there on OUR horizon…who has time to think about the implications of this impending catastrophe when we’re just trying to get by day to day, paycheck to paycheck? War is stealing our future!
The vastness and finality of the waste of war carries unspeakable consequences for US ALL, and Cindy knows it! She lost her beloved child forever. WE ALL know it too, personally, don’t we?
That’s why Cindy WILL dethrone Nancy, sending a message around the world that WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH and we WILL hold those responsible accountable for wasting our lives and our future!
“Accountability Matters” is the sign I held at Cindy’s announcement of her candidacy. With very few exceptions, we’ve all seen democrats and republicans alike stick their heads in the sand when it comes to doing the right thing. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I’m voting for Cindy and I’m doing everything I can to make sure every district 8 voter knows that, this time, we have a real PEOPLE’S CANDIDATE running for Congress!
What a concept, a non-rich person standing for the Senate! If the good people of San Francisco can elect Cindy, perhaps there will be some hope that the rest of us could find the grit to follow their lead.
Veteran, 66-68
I largely agree with Professor Cain’s assessment that Ms. Sheehan’s chances of upsetting Speaker Pelosi are “slim to none”. She herself admits that she will not be able to come close to matching the Speaker in fundraising. Money isn’t everything in a campaign, but it is central. In addition, there is an inherent pragmatism among most progressives (just consider the editorials of “The Nation” and “The Progrssive”). They may rail against Democratic cowardice and ineffectual behavior, may get hopelessly frustrated and flirt with Greens and independents (like Ms. Sheehan), but in the end, most are cowed into towing the party line come election day.
All that being said, none of it means that Ms. Sheehan should not run and run a strenuous campaign. The Speaker is in the safest of safe Democratic districts. There is no chance that a Sheehan candidacy would draw enough votes to elect a Republican. The GOP has not broken 20% against Pelosi since 1990. Thus, the Sheehan candidacy, quixotic as it may be, offers a chance for a real alternative to speak truth to power and maybe, just maybe, scare the DC establishment a bit.
Cain’s assumption that Sheehan will not break the 10-15% mark is, I am sure, the conventional wisdom in DC. But what if she not only did, but surpassed it? What if she captured 35-40%, holding Pelosi to under 50% (the rest going to the hapless Republican)? That would be jarring to every Congressional Democrat, every consultant and pollster, all the Mehlmans, Shrums, Carvilles, not to mention their enablers and apologists in the MSM. It would put them on notice that progressives are a lot angrier, a lot more fed up and a lot more organized than their solipsistic little beltway bubble of conventional wisdom concludes. In addition, it would embolden other progressives to challenge Congressional hacks and force them to be held accountable for the cowardice and triangulating. I couldn’t ask for more than that.
So, best of luck to Ms. Sheehan.
Yep … the Dems in Pelosi’s District will dump the first female House Speaker … and elect Sheehan … because the votes for the Impeachment of Bush, Cheney, etc. and Ending the War weren’t there?
Whatever folks are smoking in this forum … please share the brand name.
Hooray Cindy - I support you 100%! I met you once briefly at a peace demonstration at 16th & Broadway organized by the Pearcy’s.
Cindy - I have a respectful suggestion - instead of calling our movement
“Anti-War” why don’t we call it “Pro-Peace”? Being “anti” anything has a negative connotation - in terms of rhetoric and polemics, I believe
“Pro-Peace” is a much better phrase than “Anti-War.”
I live in Sacramento, California - and not in the San Francisco area, so unfortunately I cannot vote against Nancy Pelosi. However, I can and WILL campaign against that Pro-War wimpy Liberal pile of soggy, wet mush, Congressperson Doris Matsui. Matsui calls herself “anti-war” but keeps voting YES on funding the war. Unfortunately, Rep. Doris Matsui’s Congressional District is Gerrymandered so that no one except a Democrat can win in her Sacramento/Davis district. Also - 100% of Sacramento/Davis Democrats understand it would be committing political suicide to run against Rep. Doris Matsui. So Rep. Doris Matsui always runs uncontested with zero opposition.
I am registered to vote in Sacramento and am THRILLED you are running against Pelosi. Cindy, I feel so STRONGLY about your campaign running against Nancy Pelosi - I am willing to take the Amtrak train from Sacramento to San Francisco (two hours each way) and do volunteer campaign work in S.F. to help your campaign.
O.K. - lets be realistic and face facts - Cindy you have probably a chance of getting 10% to 15% of votes - I seriously doubt you can defeat Nancy Pelosi because the DNC and the fossilized, heirarchy of the Democrat Party leadership is pro-war and wants a permanent colonial occupation of Iraq because of their oil.
But Cindy - you will EMBARRASS Nancy Pelosi and expose her for what she really is - a “Republicrat” and a “Corporate Democrat” who has utterly sold out to Transnational Corporate Mafia by her insistence on prolonging the obscene, illegal, genocidal colonial occupation of Iraq.
I believe it is VERY important to defeat Hillary Clinton in the primaries. If Hillary Clinton is so allegedly against the war in Iraq, why is she a “Johnny Come Lately” in speaking up against it? Hillary has consistently voted YES to fund/finance the war!
I like Obama Baramak quite a lot, but I don’t think he can beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries - I believe John Edwards can actually BEAT Hillary Clinton in the primaries - so that is why I am volunteering to campaign for John Edwards.
There are only about 3 adult sons of Congress/Senate in Iraq fighting the war. Jeb Bush’s nephew is military age, and George Bush’s nephew refuses to fight in Iraq. Mitt Romney’s five sons refuse to fight in Iraq and they are military age. Rudy Guiliani has a military age son who also refuses to fight in Iraq. That crypto-fascist pro-war organization “Gathering of Eagles” hates Code Pink and beats up peace demonstrators who have a legal permit to hold rallies - but “Gathering of Eagles” and other pro-war types always REFUSE TO ENLIST TO FIGHT IN IRAQ.
I think an organizing tool for publicity would be to set up military recruitment tables at Pro-War rallies and get citizen journalists with digital cameras to film all the Pro-War supporters who REFUSE to enlist to serve in Iraq! Let us expose the CHICKEN HAWKS!
I am still waiting for a cogent explanation why Bush got FIVE draft deferments during Vietnam and WHERE WAS HE during the SIX MONTHS he went AWOL from National Guard in Alabama? Thank God Dan Rather has filed a lawsuit against Viacom and CBS for destroying his career. Dan Rather reported the truth about Bush’s five military draft deferments and his going AWOL from the National Guard during Vietnam. A campaign of character assassination, libel and slander forced Dan Rather out of his job. Dan Rather tried to expose Bush as a Chicken Hawk and the price Rather paid was the total destruction of his career.
Cindy - Keep Hope Alive!
Colleen Whalen, Sacramento, California
Cindy, here is a letter I sent today to my three alleged representatives. Part of it is from the ACLU, but I have put my comment in bold. I keep saying it over and over, but none of them even answer it.
———————————–
Dear [Decision Maker],
I believe America can be safe, while at the same time remaining free. That’s why, as your constituent, I’m asking you to make a Commitment to the Constitution. Specifically, I would like to know where you stand on these four issues:
>> Ending rampant surveillance and warrantless spying on Americans.
>> Shutting down Guantánamo Bay and giving those held there access to justice.
>> Restoring habeas corpus and due process.
>> Stopping torture and extraordinary rendition: secretly kidnapping people and sending them to countries that torture.
These issues are important to me. We the People want our Constitution and Bill of Rights back in the Halls of Government, intact and functioning. With them, we can face any danger, overcome any obstacle.
Without them, we are no more than a rather large and dangerous banana republic tin pot dictatorship. We’ve had enough of that in the past seven years and We the People can see where that has led us.
We’ve learned to fear our government more than any terrorist threat. We’ve learned that we cannot depend on our legislators to protect us or the Constitution, to block the waste of our money, or to accomplish anything that is a direct benefit to We the People, unless it puts a large fortune in some rich man’s pocket first.
Unlike our alleged leaders, I did serve my time in the armed service. Were I serving today, I would be appalled at what is going on in my name and in the name of my nation.
I would like to know your position on these four issues and if you will make a Commitment to the Constitution. Please send me your response by October 17. There is simply too much at stake for these issues to go ignored.
Members of Congress or their designated staff surrogate can learn more and make the Commitment by going here:
www.aclu.org/commit
I look forward to hearing your views on the above issues.
Sincerely,
———————————–
I know what your answer would be, Cindy, that’s why you are running.
God Bless and Good Luck.
We support you in Ohio, Cindy. If we are going to turn the Democratic Party into a party that progressives can be proud, one that is not beholden to the corporations who write our laws and fund our elected officials to get their way, then we need people like Cindy all across the country challenging the centrist and corporate Dems and Blue Dogs. Let’s put the heat on the Republicans and challenge them relentlessly too.
We need a movement with all citizens actively taking part. The monks and the ordinary citizens of Myanmar should be examples to us. Those to whom little has been given have the gumption and the courage to challenge the government, and with more dire circumstances than we face here. Let them be our example, and let Cindy be our example on how to take back the Democratic Party and make it something of which we can be proud, something the works to serve the needs of the bulk of the population, not the cream at the top.
Peace to you Cindy,
Your Ohio PDA Supporters
Its simple Pelosi is scared of republicans, like a lot of the dems. We need more warriors like Sen. Webb and Rep. Dennis K. who are not intimidated.Actually,Nanct P is just one of the good ol boys[girls]. Until we make elections funded from public sorces, and get rid of lobbist in Dc handing out green backs, corruption will be the order of the day.
Well long shot or not…I am voting for Cindy. I will never back another Dem until I see some honest and courageous changes in the Congress,Senate and Presidency!
If Ms. Sheehan is going to win the 8th districts congressional seat she is going to have to stop playing to the national crowd, and focus on the 8th district and the issue that concern those voters. She is going to have to do that by demonstrating why Pelosi is not properly representing those folks and that she is in tune with all their issues. As much as I agree that accountability for the Iraq fiasco and putting an end to the imperial war machine are the number one priorities, I am not at all convinced that is enough to convince the voters of any single congressional district. I believe the grass roots campaign can beat the big money establishment campaign, so long as the grass roots candidate can convince the majority of the voters that she can better represent them and ALL their issues.
I do not live in California so my support, or lack there of, is irrelevant. But I hope Ms. Sheehan wins, and I hope she dose a good job of representing the 8th district, above all I hope she is able to maintain her moral compass once she get thrown into the all corrupting U.S Government.
Cindy needs to run against Pelosi in the primary - so she needs to be a Democrat. If she doesn’t win at least Pelosi will have to discuss progressive ideas.
Unless Pelosi really gets her political act together and makes sure Bu$h the inferior is tarred, feathered and run out of town on a rail she will be a huge failure as Speaker.
Any pressure from the people on any politician is good.
Cindy,
I am Canadian, my husband is a citizen of the United States and we are both behind you one hundred percent. This insanity must stop.
Keep it up, dear. You owe it to your son.
“Sheehan is unlikely to get 10 to 15 percent of the vote because there aren’t enough “progressive, green, anarchist types” in the district to elect her, Cain said.”
I think this guy, Cain, is in for a surprise. The use of the word ‘anarchist’ displays an arrogant attitude that he is dismissing anyone who supports her as not mainstream. I think it’s a serious miscalculation.
I totally support Dennis Kucinich and Cindy Sheehan… and I’m not an anarchist… just an average guy who goes to work each day, plays with the 4 year old when I get home, and who is tired of reading about the young men who are getting blown up daily - as well as the Iraqi civilians who are dying……. Just because George Bush wanted ‘political capital.’ That is all it was for. He lost the 2000 election, and his support was very low. He knew his only hope at re-election was to be a war president. We know he came to office with the agenda to start a war in Iraq. He used 9/11 as an excuse. He then famously declared he now had ‘political capital’ and intended to use it. And the Democrats have aided and abetted him in his attempt to ruin this nation.
If those views, which are dead on accurate, make me an anarchist, so be it..
I think Pelosi should allow the simultaneous impeachment of Bush/Cheney to move forward. Once the American people hear an uninterrupted, competently presentated presentation of the high crimes and misdemeanors committed by Bush/Cheney, which would be required in order to move impeachment, they will massively support impeachment and removal. The rest of the 67 votes to remove Cheney/Bush will come from incumbent Republican Senators running for the 22 Republican Senate seats up in 2008. They will have the choice of voting to remove Bush/Cheney or being removed by the voting of their constituents in their states.
In that way, Pelosi wouldn’t have to run against Cindy. She would be President of the US, and, if she’s being truthful about wanting to end the war, would have ended it by the time of the 2008 elections, as impeachment/removal takes about 4 months.
Otherwise Cindy should DEFEAT HER.
I live in the district and wrote Pelosi several weeks ago to tell her that I was so disgusted with her leadership that I would actively work for her removal. I’m a registered Green simply because they’re more right than wrong, and I believe strongly in getting a viable third party in this country. On the other hand, they seem inept in fielding candidates with a chance in hell of actually winning. Yeah, it’s good to get the message out, and running for office is one way to do it, but what about contesting for more than a place at the table. Anyway, I believe that, despite a voice that could cut glass and never fails to send chills up my spine, Cindy Sheehan has integrity, and that’s enough for me. Moreover, I really believe she could win, if she ran a smart campaign and stuck to those issues that cause the most rancor, like impeachment and war funding.
Cindy Sheehan is inspiring and electrifying. I wish strategically that she was running in the Democratic primary against Pelosi (which would not foreclose a run as an independent in the general election). As for the expert’s assessment that she will not get 10-15% of the vote, the analogy is Eugene McCarthy in 1968, coming out of nowhere challenging the sitting President, LBJ, over the war issue. In January, polls showed McCarthy at 12% in New Hampshire. By March he was polling 28%. When the votes were counted, he lost to LBJ receiving only 42% to LBJ’s 49%. A few days later a humiliated LBJ announced he was not running for reelection. And a second analogy, which many here may not have heard of: Jo Valentine of Perth, Australia. She ran for senator in Australia in the 1980s as a single-issue anti-nuclear weapons candidate, as an independent, and was arrested doing civil disobedience at Alice Springs. Through a fluke she was elected to Australia’s senate, and then she ran for reelection with no hope of winning and through another fluke won *again*, serving two consecutive terms. I met her (in New Zealand) by accident at a Quaker hostel in Auckland where I was staying, near the end of her first term. Like Cindy Sheehan, Jo Valentine was real and down-to-earth. (Jo Valentine, the senator from Australia, washed dishes like every other hostel guest that evening, before going on national television the next day.) The right will attempt to Swift Boat Cindy Sheehan but it will backfire–because Cindy Sheehan is perceived as authentic and real, warts and all. Cindy Sheehan comes across as REAL. Especially if celebrities come through for Cindy she may surprise the professionals. I think the media will be favorable, and average people are just fed up enough with the Democratic leadership for showing so little backbone, and Cindy Sheehan has proven she walks the walk and talks the talk … go Cindy! I hope she goes all the way to victory.
And p.s.: Greens in her district, maybe consider nominating her as the Green candidate no matter what she says–and then battle for her. Can you imagine Cindy Sheehan in Congress??
I can.
When they are not attacking Cindy, they will try and make this a campaign about personality, about celebrity.
Ending the Iraq war, and war are the central issues because war is capitalism’s oxygen.
The democratic party is proving every day that it can’t or won’t represent the interests of the majority.
It is going to be a long and protracted struggle and this campaign is about building for the future.
2008 won’t be the end but it could be the beginning of the end for the warmongers in this country.
I predict that Cindy will win by a wide margin and go on to do a better job than Pelosi.
Ms Sheehan; Frankly, it does seem an impossible long-shot getting even the most basic courtesy-acknowledgement for mail sent to you at your various websites. As the UK lyricist of the antiwarprotest album, “War Games - The Battle for America” we have mailed you no less than 5 times offering you this pertinent 18 song expose of Bush and the neocons and our own lapdog Blair, their arrogant misleading of us all and the trajedy they made of Iraq. A FREE TOTALLY NON-COMMERCIAL APPROACH GIVING YOU FULL RIGHTS TO USE THE CD TO RAISE FUNDS. Not one reply. Call me old fashioned but I find that less than polite. The albums is described below:
Below is a synopsis of the album and the list of tracks. I again offer the cd to you as a supporting instrument for your use directly or as a revenue-generator if you wish to sell copies to your supporters. Can you please let me know if you would like a sample copy to be sent to you? This can be quickly done by composer/performer Barry David Butler from Florida.
(We are known to Emma/Brian Haw our own veteran sit-in-parliament square for past six years,protestor and to Military Families against the War (UK) etc etc)
my email is roger.carteruk@gmail if you can, on this occasion, offer some reply? Thank you. Roger Carter
This is a genunine, unconditional offer. May I look forward to a reply, please?
Kind Regards
Roger
Roger Carter
Lyricist
1. VIETNAM ALL OVER AGAIN
2. WAR GAME
3. MY COUNTRY ( US/UK Versions)
4. WESTERN MEN AND EASTERN WARS
5. ONE THOUSAND DAYS
6. A FEW GOOD MEN
7. 10 DOWNING STREET
8. COMMANDER IN THIEF
9. PLEASE SAY IT AIN’T SO
10. COME FLY (Rendition)
11. THEY FOUGHT A WAR (For You and Me)
12.JUST ANOTHER BLOODY DAY (Not a single bouquet)
13. COMMANDS FOR HEROES
14. IN THE NAME OF THE STATE
15 SECURITY ALERT
16. NEVER AGAIN
17. WAR IS OLD FASHIONED
18. WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
WAR GAMES
and Th e Bat tle for Am eri ca
What really lies behind the War on Terror?
What really are the NeoCons Planning?
Who is directing Bush?
How safe is the US Constitution?
President v People? The Pentagon v The People? Wall Street v Main Street ? The Far Right and the danger to the Bill of Rights? A Benign Dictatorship? SSUSA?
THE BATTLE FOR AMERICA HAS BEGUN
from the use of UN Resolution 1441 as the springboard for the invasion of Iraq the real truth behind the aims of American Foreign Policy has been clouded in conflict. Post 9/11 witness the Patriot Acts; the Secret Surveillance; the media leaks that denigrate opponents; the flame of intolerance for free speech; the rising power of the NeoCons; The Secret Court - is this the America that led freedom? Or is this the moment in history to witness the deliberate destruction of Liberty ?
Listen to the Battle Cry on War Games - the Battle FOR America - a battle for the very soul of America :
18 profound tracks mapping the dark nightmare that could become the USA of tomorrow; Hear the warnings of the threats now being posed in “In the Name of the State”; “Security Alert” the expose of dangers now in “Commander in Thief” and the secret torture prisons which are the theme of “Come Fly” : Ponder these portents of a frightened America as civil rights erode.
Listen to the Tributes to the Troops on “Commands for Heroes” and the appeal of ” A Few Good Men”
Hear too the call to the real patriots with the emotive
“What America Means to Me” and the resonating “My Country”
Reflect on the scene Imagined or Real. A changing History recorded in memorable songs and music .
NOW! and including the Timely rendition of
Vietnam all Over Again?
This album explores a Hidden Agenda
Behind US Foreign and Domestic policy.
Portrays a stark picture of America in
Turmoil and Dark Forces at work
Sister album to “In the Name of the State” - a frightening vision of a future America under fascist domination
Music and Vocals: Barry Butler
Lyrics: Roger Antony Carter
Barry Butler
Roger Antony Carter and Barry Butler
______________________________
© roger antony carter & Barry Butler 2006
–
And when the war’s long over
There’ll be tears that never dry
For the brave but cheated ones
Whose lives fell on a lie
from: “When the War is Over
(c) roger antony carter 2007
The only difference between Ordinary and Extraordinary is the Extra Effort, Commitment and Belief
Reply Reply to all Forward
Cindy…I admire you so much. I wish I could vote for you.
I called by Congressional reps…Levin etc and pledged (and told them to underline) that I will NOT vote for a Dem if they do not end this war now and absolutely no funding.
That is the only way to send a message…vote for the person who represents you!
Do NOT vote for the best of the worst again!!!!
but when they sit down to talk about Iraq they talk politics, not about the human cost of war,” she said, referring to Democrats”
They would be talking about the human cost of war,if one their children had lost their lives fighting an illegal war!
I think it unconsciousable that someone could think a war necessary to fight and then send someone else child to fight it.
Good luck Cindy!
Vote for Cindy. And sign up at www.xDem.org
OK folks, here’s a chance to put your real support where your keyboard is. If all of us send Cindy a minimum of $20.00 each, she would have the money to run a major campaign. Let’s get behind her and show ourselves and the corporatocracy what we can do!
Someone expressed earlier their disbelief that the Democrats under Pelosi don’t initiate impeachment proceedings against Bush. They asked, “Why, in God’s name, would she remove the strongest weapon the Democrats had to rein in Bush’s agenda?”
The answer is simple. Except for a very few notable individuals, reigning in Bush’s agenda isn’t the Democrats’ primary concern. Winning elections is. EVERY other concern is a very, very distant second. Right now, the leadership of the Democratic Party is salivating over the prospect of running against George W. Bush in 2008 (regardless of who the individual Republican candidates are). Why would they remove their most perfect foil?
With things going from bad to worse, the Dems and their beltway political advisers see the perfect storm brewing to create a Democratic Party landslide in 2008. Convinced that voters have nowhere else to turn, they’ll do whatever is necessary to keep their constituents mollified until the election. Then, once they’ve won, they’ll settle back into business as usual and return to serving the status quo.
IT’S THE REPUBLICANS STUPID.
Another classic example of democrats eating their own.
Where in the world do you people get the idea that Nancy started this war or has the ability to put an end to it? Lets face it people the votes are just not there. I think some of you might need a civics lesson on how the government works.
It is not Mrs. Pelosi that is pushing this war agenda it is Bush and his cronies in congress.
The fact that our democratic leaders in Washington are powerless to stop this megalomaniac should tell us that we need more dems in congress and a democratic administration.
The republicans are gloating and snickering about how the dems are once again fighting amongst themselves instead of concentration on the real villains in Washington, republican war mongers.
Going after democrats because they are unable to stop the republican war machine is not a reason to abandon one anti war liberal democrat for another anti war liberal democrat, it is a reason to start hounding the perpetrators; right wing republicans who have blocked every attempt to stop the war.
I have a suggestion for our valiant lady Cindy Sheehan who I admire enormously, go after congressman David Driers seat a republican nut job who actually supports the war. You can rent an apartment in his district the same way you bought land in Crawford, TX.
Going after Nancy who never, ever supported this horrendous war and unlike Hillary never voted to give Bush any war power, is a travesty and a misdirected erroneous target.
I will support KUCINICH throughout the primary season and will never abandon Nancy who in my opinion is doing a great job so far. Every challenge she has made thus far to end this horrific nightmare has been thwarted by the maniacal republicans.
It is unrealistic to think that she has control of whether Bush can be impeached or not, once again the votes are just not there and it will only be a chaotic distraction that will bring the country to its knees for the next year.
Lets turn Bush and Cheney over to the International Court In Hague for crimes against humanity when the democrats finally get control of at least 2 branches of government.
Until then we should stop bad mouthing democrats and start focusing on those who actually led us into this mess.
I support Cindy Sheehan, since I support an immediate end to the war, and immediate with drawl of U.S. forces from Iraq. STEP UP TO THE PLATE CINDY, WE ARE BACKING YOU!
Why not Cindy? Why not any of us?
Good luck Cindy.
I don’t like Pelosi, but going after David Dreier’s seat instead could be a good idea.
It would be nice if you all could get behind D.K. as much as you do Ms. Sheehan. Why is that??? I think she’s great too, don’t get me wrong. But why the difference of feeling between two wonderful Progressives? I guess you’ll get what you deserve on Primary day.
You can be a star too! Join us at http://www.sheehanforcongress.us
Running a third party candidate is a steep steep hill to climb. Chances are slim, few, and far between and IMO not the best strategy. Her campaign is kinda like somebody won $5000 a lottery scratch ticket deciding they “made it” and then rush of to buy a million-dollar mansion! You gotta take that winning and work it for a while - THEN you can get the mansion. Otherwise you just end up farther in the hole than when you started.
Cindy should raise some hell by sticking to what she does best, activism! Pelosi has too much clout and voters are smart enough to see beyond the narrow platform Sheehan’s running on. Sorry to say, but this is going to be a clobbering by Pelosi. Sheehan will be lucky even to get 10% of the vote.
Too bad we didn’t have a good Progressive running against the Republican-lite Feinstein last year !!!! We need not only to defeat the hideous Neocons, but Dems who’ve forgotten the people who have built this country with the sweat of their brow!
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/09/23/4035/
Great article! Too bad those of us who read it are in the minority. The real problem is the media is simply a propaganda machine to make us sheeple. We need a revolution, to save our country and the world! We need a “Move On” type organization that watches the media in every town and threaten boycotting the media outlet or it’s sponsors products unless the truth gets out. This way the onus would be on the advertisers to call the shots and demand real reporting, and they are usually regular folks like you and me at the town level, not corporations. Since money talks, and it’s our money, WE HAVE THE POWER! Do you think things would change overnight? You bet! Show me the money is, afterall, the American mantra. If there is support for this idea, let me know!
Just to reiterate:
It makes no sense whatsoever to replace a liberal democrat with a liberal democrat. It means a zero gain in the struggle to obtain the power necessary to end this war.
It makes perfect sense to replace a CA. congressperson that supports the war with a liberal democrat, now that would be a precipitous gain.
I would definitely send a donation to Cindy if she challenges someone like the war promoter David Drier instead of trying to unseat the staunch anti war progressive Nancy.
We need Unity among Democrats and Progressives. I think Cindy would do better by joining the effort to recruit moderate Republicans to our Cause so that the votes are there to override a veto. This is the best use of our system and more huiliating to the Republican standard-bearers. Haven’t we learned Yet about Unity?
SEQUOIABISON,
Is Polosi against the next war too?
If she really is why would she take Impeachment off the table on her first day as speaker?
Impeachment for the good of Humankind, is the strongest way to resist the War Machine!
So why support Pelosi, the person who gives Bush immunity to War Crimes?
I don’t get it unless you just think that the Dems are ready to take on the War Machine and all it’s money but only if the threat of impeachment is gone.
The votes for impeachment do not come before the act of Impeachment which if offered by one brave member (still looking for one) of the House to impeach the parasites both as partners in High Crimes. Then no future president would have even the power to pardon the Parasites. Now that would be a step for a return to a balance of power in our Constitution.
Dennis would have us believe that giving Bush the chance to select a fresh VP would solve our problem…and some think we should wait for the next war and maybe the Hague would try them but Bush already made sure that The USA is no Longer a part of War Crimes treaties…..which is a reason for impeachment itself……
Replacing a Liberal with no courage with one that has courage makes a lot of sense to me.
I agree with you that someone should beat the War supporter you mentioned in California.
Why not run yourself or find a Democrat who will take on the War Machine? There has got to be someone besides Cindy to do that. She is committed to Real Peace but I wonder about most of the Dems even about that.
ForUs, Jim
She has my vote.
a glimmer of light. thank you cindy, all my support. abby we need you. we need good people to run, independents. that 40% that do not vote and the dissatisfied. every chance in the world.
SequoiaBison,
That dog won’t hunt.
I believe its a good thing for Cindy to run. Even if she can not win, first off, it puts additional pressure on the Dems when progressives run or even more when they go as independents.
There are those who claim (or swallow the garbage is more like it) that they could not get the supposed 60 votes to overcome a fillibuster. Well the fact is that all they really needed was 40 not 60! With 40 they could fillibuster war funding themselves! And with a majority and the US Citizenry behind them they didnt even need to feel heat about not supporting the troops. So in fact, what they really did was LIE TO WE THE PEOPLE !!!
I wish people would stop using that 60 vote lie. And for again, ignoring the wishes of the clear majority of we the people on the Impeachment issue as well. For doing these things - we will most likely be involved in yet another war too. We will most likely suffer a tanked economy in the process, and many more troop casualties as well as the responsibility of perhaps millions of added civilian casualties and hatred tward us. We need a third party !!!
Cindy:
We Thank you for all that you have done and all that you will undoubtedly do in helping to get Our Country Back. We wish you all the very Best and a resounding success in your efforts to at the very lease bring Nancy Pelosi to her senses.
There have been many prominent people in and out of government, think tanks, the media, corporations etc who have overtly and covertly supported this crazy war designed to deprive the Iraqi people of their oil resources. I believe that we should give these folks the publicity they deserve by drawing up a Hall of Shame where they can be shown with their mugshots, names and positions. It is my hope that someone will do that and put it on the internet.
Bless you and All the Best.