� MUSINGS OF A PROGRESSIVE AS ELECTION DAY NEARS � By Don White � ���� Several weeks ago a progressive programmer at KPFK had Michael Parenti as a guest and the quite good interview went on for 35 minutes, with a second guest waiting in the telephonic wings to come on. At the very end of the give-and-take, the interviewer made a closing comment which prompted Parenti, a progressive icon and author of eighteen books, to say, "Oh yes, in the interest of being very upfront, I am voting for Kerry in November." � ���� There was an audible gasp from the programmer who seemed to be caught somewhat off guard. "Yes," Parenti went on, "but that says NOTHING about how I feel about Kerry; it says EVERYTHING about how I feel about Bush." � ���� It was clear the interviewer would have preferred to stay with Parenti and flush out the late-inning surprise, but he was obligated to move on to his next guest. It would have been interesting to hear Parenti's rationale for his Kerry vote. Certainly among respected progressives and radicals he is not alone. � ���� Overwhelmingly, in progressive circles, the motivation for a Kerry vote is described as a means to dismantle an illegitimate, unelected, irrational rightwing presidential administration which is heaping misery and suffering on millions of people both here at home and around the world. Parenti spoke for most progressives: "Its say NOTHING about how I feel about Kerry and EVERYTHING about my feelings about Bush." � ���� I learned a lot from the progressive, radical Filipinos during the dismantling of the Marcos dictatorship decades ago. Often I was one of the few non-Filipinos in strategy meetings near the end of that struggle. Once, when there was a strategic decision to support Aquino as part of the anti-Marcos plan, I said to my Filipino companeros, "It must be hard to support a bourgeois plantation owner who shares few of your ideals." � ���� "Don, this is a strategic decision; it does not reflect our politics. It is part of our dismantling of the dictatorship." � ���� Clearly they saw a major task ahead when they would have to take on Aquina and her policies. These were serious political people for whom I had enormous respect. They made a serious strategic decision for a short-term gain of removing a brutish, criminal dictator. Some U.S. progressives are doing that very thing now. � ���� Is there a dime's worth of difference between the two major parties? Peace Action says yes with an analysis that the Republicans have a 14% favorable rating on peace issues compared to the Democrat's 58% favorable rating. Others say that Supreme Court appointments will have a different political complexion and that a woman's right to choose is a differentiation which can't be ignored. � ���� But I am not making a case for Kerry, a man who has committed himself to policies on the war and fighting terrorism which are similar to Bush's. I am making a different point: that progressives are frightened by the possibility of four more years of Bush. Progressives are frightened for the country. Progressives see something deeper and more sinister than simply a Republican administration which is conservative. There is a growing sense that our country's future, the Bill of Rights, fundamental freedoms, personal security and the role of the U.S. in the world is on the chopping block. � ���� Former supporters of Ralph Nader, members of his 2000 team, have called for support for Kerry. Who are these people? Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Barbara Ehrenreich, Jim Hightower, Cornel West, David Barsamian, Ronnie Dugger, Gus Newport, Michelle Shocked, Studs Terkel, Norman Solomon and scores of others. Have they suddenly lost their respect and admiration for Ralph Nader?�� No. Have they suddenly found a candidate they can support with enthusiasm? No. � ���� They see a deeper, darker, more menacing threat to the country; they see an election which is fundamentally important in setting a course for the U.S. over the next decades. They see Bush and his war profiteers as a real threat to our democracy. � ���� I believe they are more like my heroic Filipino friends who, at a critical moment when it was necessary to dismantle the Marco dictatorship, decided to make a strategic decision to guarantee the dictator's fall. If they were asked today whether U.S. progressives are "selling out" and compromising their principles at a key moment, I think they might say, "That's one way to look at it.....or maybe it's an astute, strategic decision for a short term goal which is necessary for the country." � ���� But they might add, "Are they clear about the hard work and dedicated political energy they will need to deal with Kerry after this 'dismantling' is taken care of?" The inspiring Filipino movement has struggled, without pause, since the Marco dictatorship fell. We can do no less.
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