[Peace-discuss] Ron Paul & GroundHog Day

[C. G. Estabrook]

[The BBC reports on MoveOn's latest move, hardly a wrenching surprise...  Their 
success is indicated by their getting the BBC to call them "a leading antiwar 
movement in the United States"!  A mockery...  --CGE]

	Anti-war grouping supports Obama
	A leading anti-war movement in the United States
	has opted to back Barack Obama for the presidency.

MoveOn.org claims to have 3.2 million members, and said it would start a 
campaign immediately to persuade them to support the senator from Illinois.

Mr Obama is vying with New York Senator Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic 
Party's candidate for president.

Election contests for both parties are held in more than 20 states on "Super 
Tuesday" next week.

Mr Obama has won more delegates than Mrs Clinton from the Democrats' contests so 
far, but polls suggest Mrs Clinton will have the edge in the states that vote on 
Super Tuesday.

For the Republicans, Senator John McCain has emerged as the front-runner after 
winning the primary election in Florida. His main rival is former Massachusetts 
Governor Mitt Romney.

Super Tuesday could be decisive for the Republicans, as in many states the 
winner of the contest takes all of the delegates on offer.

In the Democratic race, however, states award their delegates according to the 
proportion of the vote won - meaning the tight battle could continue for weeks.

'Desperate for change'

MoveOn said 70% of its members had backed Mr Obama over 30% for Mrs Clinton.

"Our members' endorsement of Senator Obama is a clear call for a new America at 
this critical moment in history," said MoveOn executive director Eli Pariser.

He says MoveOn's goal is to bring "progressive values" to Washington,

"Seven years of the disastrous policies of the Bush administration have left the 
country desperate for change."

Mr Pariser said America needed its next president "to end the war in Iraq, 
provide health care to every American, deal with our climate crisis, and restore 
America's standing in the world"...


Stuart Levy wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 07:53:14PM -0600, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
>> We have of course been "approached by Clinton and Obama supporters" -- more 
>> than approached: we've worked with them in the shape of the Democratic 
>> party front groups, MoveOn and "Americans Against Escalation in Iraq." (And 
>> theirs was a purposeful attempt at co-option of the anti-war movement; 
>> that's not what the Ron Paul campaign is doing.)
> 
> But at AAEI and MoveOn events, we did not stand in support of
> particular candidates.  We stood in support of issues.
> ...