Electoral Disappointments

While we're waiting to see whether Norm Coleman and Ted Stevens or their opponents/replacements will be the old white men of choice in the Senate as of the swearing in of the 111th Congress in 2009, here are a couple sobering tidbits from the last week:

Darcy Burner- One of the reasons I was so excited to move to the West Coast a couple months ago was the liberal atmosphere, and I have found that in abundance. Peace Action West has helped me keep up on a lot of the progressive campaigns out here that I haven't had time to be personally involved in. One of my favorites was that of Darcy Burner, a strongly anti-war, "practical progressive" (OK, that appellation churns my stomach a little bit) candidate. She was running against a former sheriff in Washington's 8th congressional district and lost narrowly. Like a good Red Sox fan, I let myself get excited by the joyous potential (another strong ally in the congressional battle to end the occupation of Iraq, a cause even more morally righteous than keeping the Yankees from an AL East crown [speaking of which see Dave Zirin's piece on the new Yankee Stadium in the latest issue of The Progressive on newsstands or at your school/local library]) only to witness a jarring late-season collapse and loss of lead.

The Passage of CA's Gay Marriage Ban- on the political "scale of losing", this one ranked somewhere between Bush's re-election and the Corrupt Bargain in terms of pain for its supporters. Seeing my gay friends morosely ponder life in Massachusetts as the results came in took a lot of the edge off of Obama's victory speech. Those of us living in the Bay Area can luckily still attend the on-going "No on 8" rallies and protests, gatherings which now, more so even than usual, can mark collective spiritual togetherness and uplift as one of their primary positives. In the week before the election, our house received material from the "Yes on 8" campaign prominently featuring Obama and Biden, and their quotes about opposing gay marriage. Obama's 200-point electoral victory would not have been jeopardized by speaking out firmly against constitutional bans on gay marriage. This is one area where greater courage and leadership from him during the campaign could have made a concrete difference in national politics beyond his own race. His appointment of Rahm Emmanuel as chief of staff makes me wary that more such cautious decisions will become the norm from the President-elect. However, that he is considering John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress for a Cabinet position as well is a hopeful sign. While not the most liberal voice at CAP, Podesta would nevertheless represent an important counter-balance to Emmanuel's dogmatic centrism.

In other news, check out the new issue of Tikkun, available at tikkun.org!

Another Reason I'm Pumped to Move to the Bay Area

Another Reason I'm Pumped to Move to the Bay Area



Peace Action West announced on its Groundswell blog the beginning of its "No Soldier Left Behind" campaign kick-off on Thursday. This campaign has several impressive aspects. Their mission statement declares that: "Peace Action West advocates for a foreign policy that embodies the best values of the American people. As a membership organization, we foster broad-based civic activism to create a strong voice for peaceful and pragmatic solutions to global problems." As someone who has been involved in the writing of more than one anti-war mission statement, I have to admire the concision they have going there. Having the embodiment of the best values of the American people as a goal reflects not just an increased reclaiming of patriotic language by the left, but also a renewed confidence in American values as potential methods for finding solutions.



The Peace Action West (headquartered on Adeline St. in Berkeley- is that near the NSP, Will?) website also lists methods for effective letter writing, lobbying, bird-dogging and other important actions people can take to influence their legislators. The section marked "Activist Toolkit" in the "No Soldier Left Behind" part of the site highlights a few of the myriad stages and options for non-violent resistance to a bellicose and immoral government. Calvin and Hobbes once made fun of real-world methods for solving problems, where the stuffed tiger sarcastically proclaims "TO THE BATFAX!" But even Bruce Wayne's Batman toolkit doesn't have anything near the dozens or hundreds of methods employed by Gandhi alone in social justice movements. Peace Action West combines the top ten or so methods most readily available to citizens in the contemporary United States in a way that all activist groups should present them to their members.

I was disappointed by the lack of specific legislative goals on the Groundswell blog. Their main political reason for optimism was listed as the new voters and energy generated by the presidential election. But since the same post acknowledges that Obama's current plan for Iraq involves tens of thousands of troops staying in the country, at least in the medium-term, the general election doesn't seem to provide much hope for those wishing to end the occupation. According to Truthout, the House approved another $162 bn for the war, extending its funding through next June last week. The current round of funding came closer than any previous discussion to generating a firm deadline for troop withdrawal, with Rep. Pelosi's "bridge" representing an imperfect but positive step. If the pressure is maintained throughout the next year, there is a very good shot that next summer could mark the beginning of total troop withdrawals. All indications are that more favorable executive leadership will be in place, but the impetus, we know from history, must be provided by the citizenry.

I still recommend pressuring Congressional representatives to sign onto HR 1078 as co-sponsors. Currently it has nine co-sponsors, only 151 behind a resolution calling on Bush to place a naval blockade on Iran. It is in the House Foreign Affairs Committee right now. This is the legislation introduced by Keith Ellison that would go a long way in advancing the Global Marshall Plan by giving it the support of the US House for implementation. So, wherever you are, keep being pesky, and we'll get there eventually!