It has been many years since I have been involved in electoral politics and I can tell you that it feels really good to be active. It feels especially good working to get New York represented by a progressive Democrat in Washington.
I know that many of my younger friends have abandoned the Democratic Party in hopes of finding more progressive candidates in the Working Families Party and the Green Party. I applaud your commitment to your values and I am happy to tell you that I often vote the WFP line.
At 48 years-old, though, I remain a registered Democratic and I am angry that the Democrats have become the party of lethargy instead of the party of progress, the party of inertia instead of the party of action.
I have found the recent history of the Democratic Party to be rather sad. From President Clinton's attack on American workers with the passage of NAFTA, to John Kerry's move to the right in hopes of painting himself a conservative, to Mrs. Clinton's right-wing pro-Bush voting record, to Barack Obama's charading as a liberal, I often wonder why I bother. Still, the Democratic Party is my party. It is the party of my parents and grandparents. It is the party of workers and unions. It is the party of fairness and open-mindedness.
It is time for thinking people of every political persuasion to push the Democratic Party back to its roots.
Many of my gay friends remain loyal to Mrs. Clinton, even though she opposes the rights of homosexuals to marry.
Many of my women friends continue to support Mrs. Clinton, even though her position on women's reproductive rights has shifted to almost mirror that of many East Coast Republicans.
Many of my friends of color plan to vote for Mrs. Clinton, even though her economic policies hurt inner-city residents and her refusal to legislate an increase to the minimum wage hurts those members of the Democratic Party who need her help the most.
Mrs. Clinton's support for President Bush, his failed economic policies and tax cuts, his immoral war in Iraq shows her to be further to the political right than most New Yorkers; and certainly more to the right than anyone I know in all of the United States.
Even though Mrs. Clinton supports the President in all his campaigns, she fails to bring any federal funding to the State and City that has been most dramatically affected by the criminal acts of September 11, 2001. New York City, in particular, is suffering because of her support of the President and his party's refusal to send any money to New York. If we are going to have a senator that supports the President, at least that senator should bring some funding home from Washington. Mrs. Clinton will never bring funding to New York.
At the New York State Democratic Convention last week, the state convention passed a resolution calling the War in Iraq an "error"! If the New York Democratic Party considers the war an error, Mrs. Clinton must be held to task.
Someone must engage Mrs. Clinton in a debate about her voting record, and Jonathan Tasini is trying to do it. Sure, she may get re-elected, but let's have her explain her unwavering support for a conservative agenda before we vote for her.
Jonathan Tasini is now beginning his drive to get on the ballot. He must collect 15,000 signatures of registered New York voters. Without a spot on the ballot, he cannot engage Mrs. Clinton in a debate.
If you are a New Yorker, I ask you to register to vote, sign the Petition to get Tasini on the ballot and make a contribution to Jonathan's campaign at his Contribution Page. Getting Tasini on the ballot will open the dialog that this nation deserves.
If you are not a New Yorker, I ask that you consider two things: (1) make a contribution to Jonathan's campaign at his Contribution Page; and (2) ask yourself why you support Mrs. Clinton, if you do.
Jonathan Tasini is a hard-working, pro-labor American who cares about the War in Iraq, the anti-worker policies coming out of Washington, and the state of our nation.
Read more about Jonathan here.
Howard Zinn endorses Jonathan.
Susan Sarandon and others endorse Tasini.
I hope you will consider supporting Jonathan in whatever way you can.
Thank you for reading this.
Peace.
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