We are in the most important political battle of the century. Our government is so rampantly corrupt that the public and documented disappearance of 12 billion dollars passes with barely a fuss. When Iraq is buying arms from China apparently because US provided arms were sold to 'insurgents'. When the US supports torture and runs death camps, and concentration camps in the US and around the world. When Corporations are the only "citizens" that matter. When their corporate contrbutions not only determine who is elected, but who runs. When they write the laws.
And we are being told, once again, to hold our nose and vote for the lesser evil.
More below
We have been told, since the election of Reagan that we must accept the establishments choice. We must pursue an accomodationist strategy by supporting moderate republicans like Bill Clinton, Zell Miller, Joseph Lieberman et al. That we must bow to the DLC or lose to a much darker evil. Support Kerry blindly or accept Bush as president **please stop laughing**. That we must silence 'radicals' like Howard Dean, John Edwards and Russ Feingold. If we just wait a little longer, congress will do something! Just donate and volunteer and after just one more election they will have the power to do what we want.
How much longer are we going to be good little serfs? How much longer are we going to fall for the same .. old.. tired.. con?
The truth is the time is now. We gave them the power. We handed the Democratic party one of the most stunning victories in american history. Despite their unwillingness to fight. Despite their servility before the traitorous right wing. We handed them the ultimate power in the american form of democracy, the power of the purse.
What did we get? We got a raise in the minimum wage. After decades of using it as a ploy to 'bring out the base' the way the GOP uses school prayer. We got some other minor reforms after having them used to con us the way the far right uses school prayer and flag burning.
But what we wanted, what we demanded, was the return of Democracy. The return to an america based on the rule of law and the constitution. An america when Citizens rather than corporatons had the right to petition their government. Where Congresspeople rather than lobbyists wrote our laws. Where corruption ends careers and begins prison terms rather than becoming a chuckling point amongst the talking heads as they interview the now very wealthy corruptors. And along with that we demanded the end to this corrupt, evil war. That we, above all, do not create another slaughter.
And that my friends is why you cannot support Hillary Clinton to become our nominee.
Hillary Clnton, of course, is not a bad person. But she is, by her stances, at best a moderate.
The War: She wholeheartedly supports the war in Iraq. Her problem with that war is not that we went. But rather how it has been mismanaged. And if you listen to her words, she makes it clear. (She has never been dishonest about it. Honesty, in truth, is one of her strengths.) Many of her supporters will argue that this isnt true. That it is an attack on her and somehow an unseemly one. Their arguments generally lead along the line of "she is just saying that to get elected", and then tell you that Really she means just the opposite. Their argument is in effect that she is lying "like they all do" to get elected because she fears what the gop is doing to the country. In other words.. their claim she is lying is the very reason we should trust her....
The Economy: Hillary Clinton, like her husband, wholeheartedly supports Nafta, Gatt and the WTO. And while you'll still find the occasional corporatist making claims about their benefits, benefits, they've been pretty widely debunked. "Free Trade" and "Globalisation" have been disasters for the United states. Our industrial sector is in the last stages of its' permanent disappearance. Our intellectual service industries are following the same route. And soon we will see the financial and other remaining sectors traded out in the global race to the bottom. This corporatist economic approach in particular also makes anything Hillary might support Environmentally irrelevant. Quite simply along with a race to the bottom on labor standards, human rights and wages, this philosophy also end games in the eliminations of Eco Standards.
Health Care: Hillary has a plan. In fact you would be quite justified in the idea that it was Hillary Clinton more than any other politician who brought National Health Care back to the forefront while she was married to Bill. But we must remember that Hillary is firmly supported by the vested interests in the health care industry. Are we really supposed to believe any candidate funded heavily by the Health care industry is ever going to allow a National Health care system whos primary concern isnt funding those middlement who make our health care so expensive and hard to attain? Or should we perhaps expect to increase their 20% 'cost' over equivalent federal programs. We cannot end the health care crisis without first removing those causing it.
Iran: And this, finally, is the one reason no democrat should support Hillary. Hillary Clinton firmly, openly and brazenly backs a War with Iran. You can expect to hear loud wails from her supporters (more likely her paid supporters) that this isnt so let her speak for her
U.S. policy must be clear and unequivocal. We cannot, we should not, we must not, permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons. And in dealing with this threat as I have said for a very long time, no option can be taken off the table.
If you thought that was a statement by Bush or one of the other Neocons you can be forgiven. Arguments of course have been made, again, that 'she didnt mean it' and was merely 'appeasing aipac for votes'. But , first of all, arguing that you should trust someone because of your claim they're willing to lie is a bit ridiculous. Secondly of course is her vote for War with Iran. As it was put at Firedoglake:
Wednesday’s vote on the Lieberman - Kyl resolution, condemning Iran and allowing the designation of its Revolutionary Guards as a "terrorist" entity, was a litmus test for candidates seeking the Presidency. The vote separated the wise from the foolish, and Senator Clinton voted — again — for foolish.
Make no mistake. This was an authorisation to go to war with Iran. Remember that Bushco claims to be at "war with terror". There can be no more clear statement that you support a war on Iran than declaring their military officially a 'terrorist organisation'.
So comes the question. Do you want yet another Republican in democratic clothing? Admittedly one more along the lines of Olympia snowe. But in these times we need an FDR. A Lincoln. A Teddy Roosevelt. Not an insider 'moderate' and DLC member. Not another servant of the wealthy, regardless of their good intentions. This time we need an Edwards. Or barring that a Biden, Dodd, even Obama or Kucinich.
These are the times that call for Great men and women. Leaders. Patriots. Heroes. not politicians and compromisers. Wouldnt you like to be able to tell your grandchildren "i fought for you" when they ask how it all happened. How the corporations and the rich became our rulers. How we lost our freedoms. How we watched the greatest Democracy in history fail? Wouldnt you like to be able to tell them proudly, that you were on their side?