Almost ten years ago, on September 22, 1998 an online citizens group launched the netroots era with a campaign called Censure and Move On:
Across the United States today, a diverse group of online Americans launched an Internet political campaign and petition drive called Censure and Move On. Angry and disgusted by the behavior of our representatives in the nation's capital, we are using email and the world-wide web to crystalize public opinion.
Censure and Move On is a bipartisan group of concerned citizens organizing around a single issue: speedy resolution of the Lewinsky sex scandal. We are not affiliated with or funded by any other organization. [snip] Censure and Move On is "flash campaign", possible only through the organizing capabilities of the Internet. Using email and the web, we can focus a broad and deep consensus in the American public into action.
Today we all know that group as MoveOn.org. MoveOn.org's members have voted overwhelmingly to endorse Barack Obama for President.
the roots of the netroots
It's easily forgotten that those of us who signed that petition and joined MoveOn.org were not only registering our opposition to Congress and the impeachment proceedings but we were also calling for the Censure of President Bill Clinton.
It wasn't just Move On, it was Censure and Move On. I'm going to reprint the original letter in full below:
Disgusted citizens organize on the Internet:
Urge Congress to Censure and Move On
Across the United States today, a diverse group of online Americans launched an Internet political campaign and petition drive called Censure and Move On. Angry and disgusted by the behavior of our representatives in the nation's capital, we are using email and the world-wide web to crystalize public opinion.
Censure and Move On is a bipartisan group of concerned citizens organizing around a single issue: speedy resolution of the Lewinsky sex scandal. We are not affiliated with or funded by any other organization. The vast majority of the American public understand that a continuing obsession with this scandal will do great damage to our institutions, our economy, and our power and prestige in the world. We expect our representatives to understand this as well, and show real leadership. Now that the special prosecutor's report is in, the issue is totally in the political domain. A resolution of Censure is clearly the only path to speedy closure.
Censure and Move On is "flash campaign", possible only through the organizing capabilities of the Internet. Using email and the web, we can focus a broad and deep consensus in the American public into action. Our strategy begins with an online petition drive to highlight public opinion to our representatives and the president. If the Congress opens an impeachment process or otherwise delays the matter's resolution, we will shift focus to highlighting this issue in the fall elections.
The Censure and Move On petition is found at www.moveon.org. The petition web page simply states the Congress must, "Immediately Censure President Clinton and Move On to pressing issues facing the country." In addition, the page includes directions for sending campaign email to friends and associates, and directions for becoming more involved in the campaign.
The email campaign began at 9am PST today, with the first dozen signatories each sending their email notices out to several dozen friends.
That is the real roots of the netroots movement right there.
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Bill Clinton and us
I'd like to talk about that for one second and speak frankly, knowing that not everyone will share my views.
While I respect his time as President and his humanitarian work, I think putting Bill Clinton anywhere near the White House again would be ultimately damaging to the Democratic Party. I think most young people, members of the netroots and MoveOn members can see that clear as day. I think too many in the Democratic Party have operated out of a kind of sense that Bill Clinton and his powerful network of friends and corporations still rule our party.
Not me.
Not a lot of us.
I think Bill Clinton's brand of the politics is hurtful to our chances of growing the Democratic Party in the 21st Century. He is not my choice for the leadership of our political party or someone I want to return to the levers of our government. His role in this presidential campaign has only reaffirmed this conclusion for me. To be frank, many of the machinations of the current Clinton campaign strike me as coming from Bill Clinton and his brand of the politics of the past. Like many in our party, I don't know where Senator Clinton the candidate ends and Bill Clinton the ex-president begins. I have real reservations about what would be a Clinton dynasty in the White House. There's a presumptiveness to their campaign...a presumption that they are above the rules, that spin is always okay even when it goes against the truth...that I fundamentally mistrust.
And, yes, this does go back over ten years.
I'm 39 years old and cast my second vote for President for Bill Clinton in 1992 as a 23 year old. I was part of a generation that was supposed to Rock the Vote. We helped elect Bill Clinton President.
But just because we opposed his impeachment in 1998 does not mean that we supported his brand of politics, his role in the losses our party suffered over the 1990s, and the fact that he lied to us and betrayed our trust in a way that was, at the end of the day, not right. That petition was called Censure and MoveOn for a reason. Many of us, for as much as we respected Bill Clinton, also felt the need to register our own sense of what was, in point of fact, a very real betrayal of the public trust.
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what we can do: opening a discussion
Both aspects of Censure and MoveOn were important. Impeachment and the Ken Starr investigation were wrong. But so was the conduct of our President.
If you signed the original Censure and Move On petition, I'd be interested if you'd share your thoughts below, whether you agree or disagree with my point of view. In particular, I'd like to know what you think of Bill Clinton's role in the current nomination campaign. I can respect your views either way.
It's your right to characterize what you meant by signing that petition in your own words.
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what we can do: taking action
There's a couple things you can do today that directly relate to MoveOn.
First, there's a new MoveOn petition you can sign. It's simple. Here's the text:
Full petition text:
"The Democratic Party must be democratic. The superdelegates should let the voters decide between Clinton and Obama, then support the people's choice."
And here's the link:
SIGN THE PETITION.
It's about trust. Trust in our party is important. The Super Delegates must not thwart the nomination process, especially given what that would mean: we would never know if an ex-President worked the levers behind the scenes to create a Clinton White House dynasty. We should all sign this new MoveOn petition.
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share your story
Second, if you support Barack Obama, like the majority of MoveOn members and readers of this website do, you can go to his website and fill out a simple form where you can tell your story to a Super Delegate. Tens of thousands of people already have, and it's a powerful way to convey your message in a respectful and targeted way through the Obama campaign itself. (If you have any doubts about this, click on the link, you will clearly see what this campaign is about.)
SHARE YOUR STORY WITH A SUPERDELEGATE
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Conclusion
I know that President Bill Clinton is a beloved figure in many quarters of our party. I wish him well.
However, I also think Bill has gotten a free pass from my generation for too long. We've rewritten the story of Censure and MoveOn to leave out the censure part. To speak honestly and in simple terms, I don't think returning Bill Clinton and his circle of advisers to the leadership of our party and the White House would be good for us as Americans or as Democrats. I am opposed to a Clinton dynasty. Judging from the role of Terry McAuliffe and Mark Penn, it certainly hasn't been good for this campaign. And, finally, the Clinton campaign is also clearly not reflective of what we've done together in this, the first decade of netroots politics.
Bill Clinton does not represent the change we are looking for. As Gary Hart wrote so eloquently today, they have broken the final rule of our party, that we are in this together.
And, while this subject has been taboo for the major media to talk about, I know that I'm not alone in thinking that the major reason this presidential campaign has come to this perilous juncture is the role of an ex-President and his powerful friends.
It's time to move on.
