What wrong with 'both-and' rather than 'either-or'? Do you think that peace groups that want to elect certain antiwar Dems in the primaries to defeat pro-war Dems can't oppose the war at the same time? Even if they are targeting only Republicans, don't you think they can do it AND oppose the war, or even BECAUSE they oppose the war?
And you opened the door to a critique of other peace groups than the consultant for AAEI quoted here.
Besides, what's the strategic implication here? That we have to overthrow the two-party system before we can end the war? It would be a lovely by-product of ending the war, but it's silly to make it an organizing principle for your antiwar plans. I wouldn't count on it or hold my breath.
Keep On Keepin' On
Carl Davidson
http://carldavidson.blogspot.com
I'm not sure that regulations that PM wants to avoid will help public health as much as people wanting to quit smoking or choose not to smoke in the first place. Increasing taxes has not dramatically stopped smokers from smoking. In the states that began banning smoking in public places such as bars, clubs, restaurants the smokers just went outside and are fine with it. PM knows smoking is addicting and most regulations they help with certainly wont change the minds of all the smoking addicts out there. I used to smoke went cold turkey and haven't touched a cigarette since. How and why people choose to ignore smoking as an addiction is beyond me. I personally think more drug treatment centers should begin including cigarette addiction as part of their treatment programs the same as any of the other drug abuse problems they help people with every day. But when people are going to try and quit on their own then they go out have a drink and a cigarette or a friend had one so they did, how on earth can they attempt to quit when smokers are all around us all the time.
First, all the groups listed are hardly 'the peace movement' or even a sizable piece of it. Most consist of a staff you can count on fingers and toes, a budget and a Beltway office. The grassroots antiwar movement working neighborhoods, schools and workplaces most likely never heard of them, and haven't seen anyone claiming to represent them at local coalition meetings, where all the critical plans are made and decisions are taken.
One exception, to a degree, is AAEI, but even here, the piece gets it wrong. Thanks to Citizen Action, which does have local people on the ground all across the country, and some SEIU funding, they did some very good work assisting AAEI people in the neighborhoods birddogging GOP candidates defending the war, and working to defeat them. Both Citizen Action and the AAEI 'Iraq Summer' team helped build our Oct 27 mobilization in Chicago, too. So what if they only went after the GOP? It balances out with our far left that only goes after liberal Dems.
Second, talking about 'The Dems' as if they're a monolith on the war or a democratic centralist group run by a born-again Stalin or Kim IL Sung is silly and a variety of ultraleft spin all of its own. Everyone knows they're split six different ways, that most antiwar stuff gets blocked by Blue Dog Dems lining up with the GOP, and that they have a too-small-but-still-decent 'Out of Iraq' Caucus plugging away and being helpful, even if Pelosi and Reid don't approve.
Third, anyone who thinks we need to overthrow the Dems and replace them with a better party as a prerequisite to ending this war, I'd love to see you make the case, along with a plan to move forward on it. Meanwhile, I'd bet good money that a Democratic Congress and/or a Dem or GOP president will be in power when the order is given to bring all the troops home, even if they're not the engine driving such an event. Our problem is figuring out how to get from here to there, a process that will include taking down some Members of Congress, electing some new ones, and working with some there now, regardless of party, among many other things in the streets out in the hinterlands.
Harp away on everything that's wrong with every candidate, but in the upcoming months, if nothing else, just get busy expanding the electorate with new antiwar voters and get them to the polls. You don't have to endorse anyone; the new voters will figure it out by themselves.
Keep On Keepin' On
Carl Davidson
http://carldavidson.blogspot.com
[Carl Davidson in a UFPJ steering committee member, and a founder of Peace and Justice Voters 2004 in Chicago. He now is based in Western PA]
...Why do you use capitalization so haphazardly here when you're careful with it on afterdowningstreet.org? It makes you seem like half the knuckle-typing nuts out there on the Web.
What wrong with 'both-and' rather than 'either-or'? Do you think that peace groups that want to elect certain antiwar Dems in the primaries to defeat pro-war Dems can't oppose the war at the same time? Even if they are targeting only Republicans, don't you think they can do it AND oppose the war, or even BECAUSE they oppose the war?
And you opened the door to a critique of other peace groups than the consultant for AAEI quoted here.
Besides, what's the strategic implication here? That we have to overthrow the two-party system before we can end the war? It would be a lovely by-product of ending the war, but it's silly to make it an organizing principle for your antiwar plans. I wouldn't count on it or hold my breath.
Keep On Keepin' On
Carl Davidson
http://carldavidson.blogspot.com
seeming like the other half of the knuckle typing nuts
Several things need to be said about this piece.
First, all the groups listed are hardly 'the peace movement' or even a sizable piece of it. Most consist of a staff you can count on fingers and toes, a budget and a Beltway office. The grassroots antiwar movement working neighborhoods, schools and workplaces most likely never heard of them, and haven't seen anyone claiming to represent them at local coalition meetings, where all the critical plans are made and decisions are taken.
One exception, to a degree, is AAEI, but even here, the piece gets it wrong. Thanks to Citizen Action, which does have local people on the ground all across the country, and some SEIU funding, they did some very good work assisting AAEI people in the neighborhoods birddogging GOP candidates defending the war, and working to defeat them. Both Citizen Action and the AAEI 'Iraq Summer' team helped build our Oct 27 mobilization in Chicago, too. So what if they only went after the GOP? It balances out with our far left that only goes after liberal Dems.
Second, talking about 'The Dems' as if they're a monolith on the war or a democratic centralist group run by a born-again Stalin or Kim IL Sung is silly and a variety of ultraleft spin all of its own. Everyone knows they're split six different ways, that most antiwar stuff gets blocked by Blue Dog Dems lining up with the GOP, and that they have a too-small-but-still-decent 'Out of Iraq' Caucus plugging away and being helpful, even if Pelosi and Reid don't approve.
Third, anyone who thinks we need to overthrow the Dems and replace them with a better party as a prerequisite to ending this war, I'd love to see you make the case, along with a plan to move forward on it. Meanwhile, I'd bet good money that a Democratic Congress and/or a Dem or GOP president will be in power when the order is given to bring all the troops home, even if they're not the engine driving such an event. Our problem is figuring out how to get from here to there, a process that will include taking down some Members of Congress, electing some new ones, and working with some there now, regardless of party, among many other things in the streets out in the hinterlands.
Harp away on everything that's wrong with every candidate, but in the upcoming months, if nothing else, just get busy expanding the electorate with new antiwar voters and get them to the polls. You don't have to endorse anyone; the new voters will figure it out by themselves.
Keep On Keepin' On
Carl Davidson
http://carldavidson.blogspot.com
[Carl Davidson in a UFPJ steering committee member, and a founder of Peace and Justice Voters 2004 in Chicago. He now is based in Western PA]
...Why do you use capitalization so haphazardly here when you're careful with it on afterdowningstreet.org? It makes you seem like half the knuckle-typing nuts out there on the Web.
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