We need to convince the editorial board of the New York Times, a leading voice of reasoned American political discourse, to retract their endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
She has failed to live up to the terms of their endorsement, and no longer deserves their continued support.
Like many in the progressive community, I've watched in horror as the Clinton campaign descended into madness.
Until a few weeks ago, discussions were civil between the Clinton and Obama supporters I know. That has all changed. Clinton's Machiavellian scorched earth approach has effectively poisoned all discourse, and has brought forward the worst in our electorate. In particular, Ferraro's baldly racist statements and Clinton's triangulating and tepid dissociation from them have created a deepening reservoir of anger in the Black community that I fear is explosive.
Clinton takes the progressive community for granted, and well she should. I will vote for her if she wins the nomination because the alternative, continued Republican control of the presidency and continued rightward shift of the Judiciary, would be plainly ruinous for the country. I will do so with the utmost disgust. Knowing this, she has blatantly pursued an identity politics of racial and gender division, and through her surrogate Ferraro has (and will continue to) campaign on white resentment and fear. Obama, perhaps lacking a taste for fratricide, has thus far held back from aggressive attack - believe me, Clinton has had it easy so far. But, this may be the only option left in the face of Clinton's onslaught. Thus, we spiral down.
As progressives, we are hostage to Clinton's tactics. But we need not sit idly by. As a start, I recommend petitioning editorial boards of select newspapers who were early endorsers of Clinton to retract their backing (through letters and/or online petition). Doubtless they are as dismayed as I by the recent antics of the Clinton camp. The New York Times is chief among these.
Starting this week, my friends and I are writing letters to RESPECTFULLY request NYT retract its endorsement. If anyone knows how to set up a credible online petition, I will gladly sign it. I will make this request not as an Obama supporter, but as a progressive and a concerned citizen. I will not request they switch their endorsement, but rather that they retract their current one.