August/September 2003
The
Progressive Story of America
Bill Moyers
Democratic
Leadership Council Sows Division
Robert Borosage
21st
Century Communication Plus Whole-Hearted Support Can Help Create A Strong
Candidate
Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD
Dennis
Kucininch's Grassroots Presidential Campaign Builds Momentum
The
Politics of Heroin
Derrick Jensen
Deflation
and the "D" Word
Doug Dowd
Radical
Healing Through the Conscious Practice of Ayurveda
Myrica Morningstar
Interview
With Ram Dass
John Darling
An
Evolutionary Agenda for the Third Millennium
Alan Sasha Lithman
On
Thawing and the Energy Cycle
Peter Moore, MFCC, CGP
New
Warriors
John Darling
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
Deborah
Mokma, Editor
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
After Bill Moyers spoke to the Take Back America Conference last June (see page 6) author and activist Frances Moore Lappé thanked Moyers for providing precisely the mixture of perspective and hope that progressives need as we prepare to challenge the right in 2004. That, Moyers explained, was the point of his address.
And that, I believe, is the point of supporting a “dark horse” candidate who pundits and the media claim doesn’t have a chance (when they even bother to mention him at all). Dennis Kucinich, in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for President, is raising issues which, while they may not provide for the success of his candidacy, reflect the real needs of our country and its citizens. A rare politician who speaks truth to power, Kucinich speaks honestly from the heart, not to the polls, and his platform is addressing the needs of the people, not corporations—healthcare, education, jobs, the environment, social justice, and the effects of globalization.
Bill Moyers pointed out in his speech to the Take Back America Conference that the efforts of the Populist movement of the early 1900s did not provide for the success of the party but did provide for the successful embracing of their agenda. “The populists were denounced, feared and mocked as fanatical hayseeds ignorantly playing with socialist fire … the People’s Party was a spent rocket by 1904. But if political organizations perish, their key ideas don’t—keep that in mind, because it gives prospective to your cause today … One of my heroes in all of this is William Allen White, a Kansas country editor—a Republican—who was one of them. He described his fellow progressives this way: ‘What the people felt about the vast injustice that had come with the settlement of a continent, we, their servants—teachers, city councilors, legislators, governors, publishers, editors, writers, representatives in Congress and Senators—all made a part of our creed. Some way, into the hearts of the dominant middle class of this country, had come a sense that their civilization needed recasting, that their government had fallen into the hands of self-seekers, that a new relationship should be established between the haves and the have-nots.’”
Our civilization once again needs recasting. And as Margaret Mead so accurately stated, committed citizens can change the world, and are the only ones who ever have.
Here’s how author Barbara Ehrenreich and seven other writers and organizers explain their support of Dennis Kucinich:
“We want a candidate who will stop the war on the poor. We want a candidate who stands for peace, respects international treaties and institutions such as the UN and the International Criminal Court, and tries to resolve problems through negotiation. We want a candidate who will defend the separation of church and state, and the individual rights guaranteed us by the Constitution. We want a candidate who opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and who stands for women’s reproductive rights and recognizes that these rights depend on universal health insurance. We want a candidate who will address questions of global economic imbalance and stand up for the rights of immigrants. We want a candidate who will challenge racism domestically and internationally … Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate who not only agrees with all these points but has developed policies to support them—like starting a cabinet-level Department of Peace; supporting unions and the right to organize; cutting the bloated military budget; restoring environmental regulations; withdrawing from NAFTA and the WTO and challenging IMF/World Bank policies; repealing the Patriot Act; upholding Roe v. Wade; working for universal health insurance; and abolishing the racially and economically biased death penalty. Because we feel that he comes closest to representing our priorities, we have decided to support Dennis Kucinich for President.”
In July, the US House of Representatives voted 400 to 21 on a spending bill that blocks the FCC from approving deals that would allow networks to own stations reaching more than 35 percent of the national audience. MoveOn.org reported that “Thanks to you [MoveOn members], phones rang ‘off the hook’ according to House staffers. In the hours before the critical vote, voices from the public changed minds in the Congress.”
We the people can change the minds of our elected officials, and our support of Dennis Kucinich identifies the issues which we want to see addressed. As Congress came to a close in July Kucinich was battling for the public interest with efforts to save Head Start for pre-K children, protect workplace safety standards, oppose anti-worker trade policies, and challenge White House efforts to scapegoat a mid-level functionary for deceptions that led to the Iraq war. Continuing his long-standing effort for more affordable prescription drugs, Kucinich helped win passage of a bill allowing reimportation of medicines from Canada and other countries—a bill he called “the pill that will cure the drug companies of their greed.” On the last day of the session, Kucinich continued his leadership on genetically engineered food by introducing six bills that would protect consumers, food safety and farmers’ rights, while making biotech companies liable for their products.
If you believe these issues are important for the future of this country, consider supporting Dennis Kucinich’s campaign for the Democratic nomination. Even if his candidacy is unsuccessful, the show of support he receives will illustrate the priorities of a segment of this country which is much larger than the media or the pundits have admitted thus far. And, if author and internationally known lecturer Jean Shinoda Bolen is right (see page 10), “… twenty-first century communication plus whole-hearted, altruistic support makes it possible for Dennis Kucinich to become the Democratic candidate who beats Bush … Roughly, this far ahead of the election, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were little known governors from small southern states.”
As of July 24 the Kucinich campaign passed the $2 million mark in fundraising, and had grown stronger and more visible. There have been grassroots progressive Democratic campaigns before but none have raised the funds they’ve raised so early.
I don’t think it’s about believing whether or not Dennis Kucinich can win, I think it’s about believing in the importance of the issues he is raising. Clearly healthcare, education, the environment, the economy, and our shared future have not been well-served by the current or previous administrations. It’s time to gather together and show the strength of our numbers. There are more of us than we realize, this is indeed a larger group of thoughtful people than ever imagined, so let’s get busy and let our voices be heard.
