-Caveat Lector-
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Nader-Gore: Rebutting Gloria Steinem
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000 23:48:26 -0500 (CDT)
From: Carol <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Organization: ?
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000 12:31:28
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Mitchel Cohen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Rebutting Gloria Steinem
:
Here is an interesting rebuttal to Gloria Steinem's blast at Nader, in
support of Gore, by North Carolina Green Lisa Thurman.
To add my own two cents: While Lisa writes that she is "a long time admirer
of Gloria Steinem" and "this is the first time I have ever disagreed with
Gloria Steinem," those of us who have been around a while know that Gloria
Steinem has been, from the start of her career, a hatchet-person for the
Democratic Party leadership. Let us not forget that Steinem used to date
Henry Kissinger, and that she was a conduit for CIA funds in the 1950s to
student gatherings in Europe. The radical feminist group, Redstockings, has
systematically exposed phony-feminist Steinem's work on behalf of the US
ruling class, and has challenged Steinem to debate its members on this and
other issues -- a challenge Steinem has assiduously avoided.
- Mitchel Cohen
Brookyn Greens / Green Party of NY
A Green Party member's rebuttal to Gloria Steinem's, "Top Ten Reasons
Why I'm (Gloria) Not Voting For Nader"
10. Gloria: He's not running for president. He's running for federal
matching funds for the Green Party!
Lisa: Wrong, Nader is not even a Green Party member. He chose the
Green Party because of it's values. He is seeking to create awareness
and to help support the progressive green social movement.
9. Gloria: He was able to take all those perfect progressive positions
of the past because he never had to build an electoral coalition, earn a
majority vote, or otherwise submit to democracy.
Lisa: Neither did you, and look what influence you had on society,
Ms. Steinem
8. Gloria: By condemning Gore for ever having taken a different
position - for example, for voting against access to legal abortion when
he was Congressman from Tennessee - actually dissuades others from
changing their minds and joining us.
Lisa: So, are you saying that Gore waffles on the position of
reproductive rights?
7. Gloria: Nader is rightly obsessed with economic and corporate
control, yet he belittles the movements against a deeper form of control
- control of reproduction, the most intimate parts of our lives. For
example, he calls the women's movement and the gay and lesbian movements
"gondal politics, " and ridicules the use of the word "patriarchy," as
if it were somehow more less important than the World Trade
Organization. As Congressman Barney Frank wrote Nader in an open letter,
"your assertion that there are not important issue differences between
Bush and Gore is either flat inaccurate or reflects your view that...
the issues are not important... since you have generally ignored these
issues in your career.
Lisa: One of the Green Party's ten key values is feminism. Ralph
Nader has been a powerful and influential spokesperson for the Green
Party and the ten key values. And Gloria, what have you done for the
environment?
Mitchel: And another thing -- Gay activist leader Scott McLarty and
many others have met with Nader on these issues and have convincingly
rebutted the lies put forth by Barney Frank, the leadership of the National
Organization for Women, and other apologists for Gore. You can find some of
this at www.counterpunch.org.
6. Gloria: The issues of corporate control can only be addressed by
voting for candidates who will pass campaign funding restrictions, and
conducting grassroots boycotts and consumer campaigns against
sweatshops? not by voting for one man who will never become President
Lisa: The issues of corporate control can only be addressed by
building local grassroots opposition to corporate control and to put
people in office, at the local level, who demonstrate green social
values. Nader is a powerful spokesperson for this grassroots movement.
7. Gloria: Toby Moffett, a longtime Nader Raider who also served in
Congress, wrote that Nader's "Tweeledum and Tweedledee assertion that
there is no important difference between the major presidential
candidates would be laughable if it weren't so unsafe". We've been
bamboozled by the media's practice of being evenhandedly negative. There
is a far greater gulf between Bush and Gore than between Nixon and
Kennedy and what they mean to history.
Lisa: Nixon and Kennedy were both more progressive and socially
liberal then either Bush or Gore
Mitchel: Gloria WOULD cite Toby Moffett (hey, why not Henry Kissinger
too, while yer at it, Gloria?). Moffett, a former Congressman, was a
vice-president at Monsanto, and a leading advocate for the biotechnolgy /
genetic engineering industry. Gore is the pre-eminent shill for genetic
engineering. To rewrite Moffet's sordid history in this manner is typical
Steinem hypocrisy.
4. Gloria: Nader asked Winona LaDuke, an important Native American
leader, to support and run with him, despite his possible contribution
to the victory of George W. Bush, a man who has stated that "State law
is supreme when it comes to Indians" -- a breathtaking dangerous position
that ignores hundreds of treaties with tribal governments, long standing
federal policy and federal law affirming tribal sovereignty.
Lisa: Perhaps an excellent debate would feature Gloria Steinem and
Winona La Duke discussing fear of George Bush versus building a
progressive green social movement.
Mitchel: Well, Gloria, didn't hear YOU out there advocating to include
Winona in the Vice Presidential debates, at letting her speak for herself!
Typical racist disempowerment, while pretending to be "concerned."
3. Gloria: If I were to run for President in the same symbolic way, I
hope my friends and colleagues would have the good sense to vote against
me, too, saving me from waking up to discover that I helped send George
W. Bush to the most powerful position in the world.
Lisa: Blame it all on the evil Nader who has a whopping 5% of the
national vote. How close to blaming the victim/under dog can you get.
That's like blaming a young girl for being raped because she wore a mini
skirt. Wow, if Ralph just wouldn't wear that mini skirt, then the whole
world would be a safer place.
2. Gloria: There are one, two, three, even four lifetime Supreme Court
Justices who are likely to be appointed by the next President. Bush has
made clear by his record as governor and appeals to the ultra-rightwing
that his appointments would overturn Roe v. Wade and reproductive
freedom, dismantle remedies for racial discrimination, oppose equal
rights for gay and lesbians, oppose mandatory gun registration, oppose
federal protections of endangered species, public lands, and water - and
much more. Gore is opposite on every one of these issues. Gore has made
clear that his appointments would uphold our hard won progress in those
areas.
Lisa: Nader is NOT Gore's problem. Gore is Gore's problem.
Mitchel: Gore voted FOR Anthony Scalia. Democrats voted overwhelmingly
for Rehnquist as Supreme Court Chief Justice. And many Democrats voted for
Clarence Thomas as well.
1. Gloria: The art of behaving ethically is behaving as if everything we
do matters. If we want Gore and not Bush in the White House, we have to
vote for Gore and not Bush - out of respect for the vote and
self-respect. I'm not telling you how to vote by sharing these reasons.
The essence of feminism is the power to decide for ourselves.
Lisa: You just told us how to vote.
Mitchel: We DON'T want Gore and not Bush in the White House. We want
the Greens to begin creating a real alternative.
Gloria: It's also taking responsibility for our actions. Let's face
it, Bush in the White House would have far more impact on the poor and
vulnerable in this country, and on the subjects of our foreign policy
and aid programs in other countries. Just as Clinton saved women's lives
by rescinding the Mexico City policy by executive order as his first act
as President - thus ending the ban against even discussing abortion if
one received U.S. aid - the next President will have enormous power
over the lives of millions abroad who can not vote plus millions too
disillusioned to vote here.
Lisa: It's interesting that you should bring up Clinton's examples
of dedication to women and the poor. Clinton supported NAFTA which
helps eight year old Mexican girls leave their home communities to work
as slaves in foreign owned sweatshops. Clinton also provided us with a
good case study of sexual harrassments on the job. And, wasn't it Clinton
that signed that Welfare Reform bill that sent thousands of children out
into the streets and into homeless shelters?
Gloria: Perhaps there's a reason why Nader's rallies seemed so
white, middles class, and disproportionately male; in short, so
supported by those who would be hurt if Bush were in the White House.
Lisa: Gloria, your rallies weren't white and middle class? What
Nader rallies have you been to? There are lots of women at the social
green rallies I've been to. Perhaps more women. Our local Green Party
steering committee consists of five women and four men.
Gloria: Think self-respect. Think about the impact of our vote on the
weakest among us. Then we can't go wrong.
Lisa: Yes, vote Nader and LaDuke!
Submitted by:
Lisa Thurman, organizer
Green Party of Western North Carolina
with a few additional comments by Mitchel Cohen, Brooklyn Greens, Green
Party of NY
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