[Peace-discuss] Calling All Activists: Dump the Unity Rhetoric, Think Long-Term

[Matt Reichel]

Calling All Activists: Dump the Unity Rhetoric, Think Long-Term
					Matt Reichel
					7/30/04


	It is with great pain that I have watched the Democratic National 
Convention over the last four days: partially because I have just had a 
reconstructive shoulder operation that has had me dependent on Vicodin to at 
least pretend that I’m not in agony, and partially because the Democrats 
have fully proven themselves to be no alternative to the Republicans. The 
purpose of these conventions is, of course, to convince the nation to rally 
behind the nominated candidate. If remotely successful, I should have come 
out of this convention being more supportive of the Democrats than ever 
before. Unfortunately for them, I have become more determined than ever to 
campaign against the Democrats. I believe that anyone holding progressive 
values will be betraying these values in casting their vote for John Kerry 
this November.
	The most intriguing and empowering statistics of the day are this: 95% of 
convention delegates were opposed to the continued occupation of Iraq, and 
over 50% of the entire country feels the same way. Believe it or not, we are 
living in an anti-war nation, and all we have are two decidedly pro-war 
parties. These facts reek of dysfunctional democracy. But what further makes 
the Democrats look anti-democratic and anti-Democratic coming out of this 
convention is that they didn’t allow debate on the Iraq issue: the single 
most important issue facing the United States today. When Medea Benjamin of 
CODEPINK entered the convention with an anti-war sign, she was immediately 
escorted out by police. Furthermore, Kucinich delegates were told to leave 
their anti-war regalia at the front door, and other delegates were told to 
remove scarves with the slogan: “Delegates for Peace.” As such, the 
Convention organizers and Kerry team went further than merely not debating 
the issues. They went so far as to squash one of the most popular political 
opinions of the day: that of being anti-war.
	On February 16th, 2003, the NY Times referred to the peace movement as “The 
Other Superpower.” The pavement was clearly laid for the road ahead. There 
was the party of war and imperialism in power, and then there was the rest 
of the world. The Democrats merely had to rise to the challenge of offering 
an institutional voice for these people in order to become the party of the 
“Other Superpower.” They have squandered this opportunity and, as a result, 
do not deserve the anti-war vote.
	The Democrats have instead opted for being the party of “Unity.” Even all 
of the great progressive speakers at the convention descended into senseless 
discourse about how important it is to create unity out of this dark hour. 
Dennis Kucinich did go on an inspiring tirade about how the real weapons of 
mass destruction can be found in our cities: homelessness, poverty, lack of 
health care, etc. However, he was not allowed to go as far as creating 
useful debate about Kerry’s and Edwards’ hawkish views. Furthermore, a week 
ago Kucinich allowed his issue delegates to concede the entire peace 
platform by agreeing to a reduction in troops rather than removal of troops 
(even this compromise has seemingly been un-recognized as Team Kerry 
continues to talk about expanding and internationalizing our presence in 
Iraq). Rather than raising a stink and refusing to compromise, the Kucinich 
delegates went ahead and did the impossible: compromised peace with war. As 
long as Kucinich remains a Democrat and remains united behind the Democratic 
leadership, he will continue to betray the values of those peace-loving 
people who put their support behind him.
	Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson Sr. and Jr., Howard Dean, Maya Angelou, and the 
rest of anyone who can be deemed progressive all gave speeches that hurt 
more than my recovering surgical wound. The theme was clear and consistent: 
unity to get us out of this dark hour. Obama (probably feeling the 
constraint of being the keynote speaker) gave a speech that was entirely 
empty of any left-leaning political rhetoric. His proclamation on the issue 
of peace was roughly: we need to ensure that we have enough troops anytime 
we go into a combat situation. The presumption is that Bush’s error was 
sending in too few troops. This mirrors what Kerry has consistently said, 
and makes one wonder if Bush isn’t the better peace vote: do we want the 
same number of troops or more troops? Obama went on to suggest that America 
is great because it offers opportunity to even people like him: skinny kids 
with funny names. In celebrating this beautiful land of opportunity, he 
suggests that people of all races, genders, and political affiliation become 
united behind the Democrats and help lead this nation to a better tomorrow. 
He outright asks for unity of all political affiliations, as if this is a 
dictatorship where we need to stop with our senseless bickering and just get 
united behind someone whose views run completely contrary to ours. This is 
the tragic dream of the Democrats in 2004: one that real democrats and 
progressive-minded people need to oppose with all of their might.
	 Ironically, the best and most politically-charged speech of the convention 
was given by a man named Ron Reagan. The atheist, liberal son of the late 
tyrant appealed to voters on the important issue of stem cell research. 
Further, he left an overarching message that conservatives and liberals 
alike need to listen to: get faith out of government. In an interview with 
the NY Times recently, Ron Reagan was asked if he ever plans on running for 
political office, and he responded by saying that he couldn’t possibly win 
an election because of his atheism. This is a sad truth in a country that 
pretends to separate church and state, yet continues to persecute Muslims 
and Jews alike, just decades after doing the same with Catholics. We 
continue to live in a “Purityrranical” society, and this is nothing short of 
shame.
		Kerry’s concluding remarks brought the unfortunate theme of unity together 
under the banner of a “Stronger America”. Kerry’s claim is that he will 
return this country to one that goes to war not because it wants to, but 
because it has to. Kerry obviously was given the same propagandistic history 
and civics education as most Americans if he believes that there was ever an 
hour where America didn’t just willingly bomb the rest of the world to 
smithereens. Kerry's policies will, in fact, mirror what the Democrats have 
done through  time: dropping two atomic bombs, waging an immoral and illegal 
war in Vietnam, carrying out a sustained bombing and starvation of Iraq 
through the 90’s, and waging genocidal war in the Balkans and Somalia in 
that same decade. This is the America of both the Democrats and the 
Republicans: one that agents for change must oppose in November. Unity to 
defeat Bush, and the slogan “Anybody but Bush” are not the answers. I refuse 
to be lectured about baby steps, because a real history of this country 
reveals that we have been forced into baby steps for centuries (it would not 
be particular to this current moment). This is the most right-wing and 
backwards Western nation on earth (Berlusconi's Italy and Putin's Russia not 
far behind), and this is largely because of the willingness of progressives, 
workers, minorities, the poor and underprivileged to consistently have their 
voices co-opted by the Democratic Party. What America really needs is a 
passionate and inspiring election boycott to take away all legitimacy from 
both parties, and to force the ruling class to re-think their mandate. By 
not voting, I will not be stained with the blood of the Democratic wars that 
will ensue over the next four years.
	Perhaps the only compelling argument given for joining the “Anybody but 
Bush” camp has been provided by the formidable Naomi Klein in Friday’s 
Guardian: “Dump the Distraction-in-Chief”. She argues that Kerry will be no 
different than Bush on core issues: free trade, the war on Iraq, corporate 
welfare and mass privatization, but that he will be more respected and 
intelligent in approach. The problem with the progressive movement today, 
she argues, is that so much attention is focused on the idiocy and 
inept-ness of the Bush administration as opposed to major systems problems. 
I couldn’t agree more. The “Bush is Stupid” rhetoric turns me off just as 
much as the “Anybody but Bush” rhetoric. However, I disagree with Ms. Klein 
in thinking that voting against our values as progressives this November and 
electing John Kerry is the best way to pave the way for broadening and 
empowering the progressive agenda. I believe that what is needed is more 
education about the systems of economic dominion employed by both parties: 
more voter outreach, more alternative media, and more hard work from the 
already overburdened activists on the ground. Elections are easy cop-outs 
for armchair activists. Electing Kerry may be tragic insofar as many people 
will feel contented, and thus feel that their journey for peace and justice 
is over. November is ultimately an unimportant bump in the road on the long 
journey to ending centuries of treacherous imperialism, enslavement, and 
war-mongering by the government of the United States of America. Nothing 
begins in November and nothing ends in November. Our fight began centuries 
ago with the first abolitionists and Native American rights advocates on 
this soil, and will continue unabashed well into the creation of a more 
perfect and less violent democracy in our future.

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