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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div id=divtagdefaultwrapper><h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:7.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:25.5pt'><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/19/a-response-to-david-axelrod/"><span style='color:#333333'>A Response to David Axelrod</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class=postmeta style='mso-line-height-alt:9.0pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span class=postauthorintro><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#111111'>by</span></span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'> </span><span class=postauthor><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1E1E1E;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75pt'><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/author/qe4asema/" id=LPlnk356334><span style='color:#1E1E1E'>MYLES HOENIG</span></a></span></span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=postmeta style='mso-line-height-alt:9.0pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=postmeta style='mso-line-height-alt:9.0pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/19/a-response-to-david-axelrod/" id=LPlnk497284>https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/19/a-response-to-david-axelrod/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style='margin-bottom:15.0pt;overflow:auto' id="LPBorder_GT_15190479803220.870616186312295"><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="90%" style='width:90.0%;background:white;border-top:dotted #C8C8C8 1.0pt;border-left:none;border-bottom:dotted #C8C8C8 1.0pt;border-right:none'><tr><td valign=top style='border:none;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><div id="LPTitle_15190479803170.1311749798969697"><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:15.0pt;mso-line-height-alt:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI Light","sans-serif";color:#0078D7'><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/19/a-response-to-david-axelrod/" target="_blank"><span style='text-decoration:none'>A Response to David Axelrod</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:7.5pt;margin-bottom:12.0pt' id="LPMetadata_15190479803190.1815403461883811"><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:15.0pt;line-height:10.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif";color:#666666'>www.counterpunch.org<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="LPDescription_15190479803210.889459564429965"><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:15.0pt;line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif";color:#666666'>According to David Axelrod, and soon the entire mainstream media, minus Fox, I as a Green Party voter and candidate for Congress was duped by the Russians, as w<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></td></tr></table></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=postmeta style='mso-line-height-alt:9.0pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:24.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/#facebook" target="_blank"><span class=a2alabel><span style='color:#333333'>Facebook</span></span></a><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/#twitter" target="_blank" id=LPlnk808687><span class=a2alabel><span style='color:#333333'>Twitter</span></span></a><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/#google_plus" target="_blank" id=LPlnk954535><span class=a2alabel><span style='color:#333333'>Google+</span></span></a><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/#reddit" target="_blank" id=LPlnk624982><span class=a2alabel><span style='color:#333333'>Reddit</span></span></a><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/#email" target="_blank" id=LPlnk647163><span class=a2alabel><span style='color:#333333'>Email</span></span></a><a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/19/a-response-to-david-axelrod/print/" title="Print This Post"><span style='color:#333333;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=100 height=100 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:~WRD000.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender."></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>According to David Axelrod, and soon the entire mainstream media, minus Fox, I as a Green Party voter and candidate for Congress was duped by the Russians, as were hundreds of thousands of us nation-wide. We are so impressionable that what? $100,000 FB ads convinced me to vote for Jill Stein just to give Trump the edge? But why was I targeted? I live in Maryland which went 2-1 for Clinton. Guess the Russians didn’t want to take any chances and persuaded me to try to deny her Maryland’s 10 electors. Mr. Russian, try a more narrow broadcast for 2018. You might succeed in getting Greens, not Democrats, elected. (Wink wink, we got some running in Maryland!)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>As preposterous as Axelrod’s argument is, what’s frightening is that it will be carried throughout mass media, and certainly in their letters to their registered voters that Greens are a threat to their way of life (for the members of Congress for their luxurious lifestyles, coziness to lobbyists, salaries way beyond the average American, excellent health insurance.) With a Russian behind every Green’s back, no red-blooded American should endure the very thought that a democratic election actually means having different voices being heard, not just that of the capitalist parties, two wings of the same bird of prey.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>Axelrod’s main contention is that we Greens, Independents and other parties’ followers cannot think for ourselves. We have to be led by foreign agents capable of influencing us on matters that we feel so passionate about. For many of us, we oppose the imperial policies of the US. But who to vote for? Hmm. Russia, help us decide. The same can be said of so many issues. On the environment, anyone who really believes in it opposes fracking. It destroys groundwater, it’s alleged to have caused earthquakes in Ohio, and it’s a financial boon to the oil and gas industry. Candidate Clinton as Secretary of State promoted fracking all over the world. Russia! Help us decide who to vote for!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>War and Peace: Although peace is one of the 10 pillars of the Green Party, it’s not something all of us totally support in the way some interpret it. Many of us support the idea that foreign (and imperial) soldiers on one’s territory ought to be fought against with whatever one has at their disposal. The UN allows for all people to fight against occupation. That goes for US soldiers everywhere, Russians in Chechnya, Israel in the Occupied Territories, and against any other occupying force throughout the world. Candidate Clinton took the peaceful, progressive, advanced nation of Libya, and turned it into the hell hole it is, with open slave markets. Man, can’t decide if I should vote for Clinton or not. Can Russia help me?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>We Greens kind of don’t like Nazis. They walk funny in parades. Obama and Clinton brought Nazis into a European government for the first time since WW2 and turned them on fellow citizens in a near genocidal bloodbath against Ukrainians of Russian heritage. Now I see why Russia doesn’t want me to vote for Clinton. Thanks comrades for letting me see the light.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>Most Greens and Independents strongly support public education. The Republicans, with Ted Kennedy’s help, of course, gave us No Child Left Behind. Obama, however, put the nail in public education’s coffin with his (Rat) Race to the Top, nearly weaponizing NCLB. Clinton strongly supported charters. Hmmm. Who to vote for? Need some help, Ivan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>Lastly, although the list is truly endless, we Greens believe in Single Payer; get the health insurance industry out of our health care. They have manned the death panels for decades. Your candidate, Mr. Axelrod, said that Single Payer will never happen. She meant under her administration. Trump had praised it at one time. I guess Greens just had to vote for either Stein or Trump if health care (1/6 of the American economy) mattered that much to us voters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:7.5pt;line-height:20.4pt;word-wrap: break-word;max-width: 560px'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#111111'>The Democrats have been extremely imaginative in coming up with excuses for why they would pick the only candidate in America who could lose to Trump, and why fixing the primaries against Sanders was good for the Party. Awhile ago when the picture of Jill Stein surfaced with her dining with Putin the propaganda knives were being sharpened. Now that there are indictments of Russians, the proof is there that Jill Stein acted as a foreign agent for Russia. Forget all the economic collusion between Clinton, her foundation and the Russian oligarchs, the Green Party is the latest cause for her loss. Such an insignificant national party that couldn’t even garner more than 1% of the national vote is now the latest threat to our democracy and for the Democrats to have continued the Obama legacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>