What's MoveOn.org Afraid Of? [View All]

[Al122]

Today Norman Solomon, one of the handful of real journalists left in America and author of outstanding works such as "Target Iraq" and "War Made Easy" posed the following question to MoveOn.org, an organization that promotes an "Out of Iraq Petition" on the homepage of its website: Will you poll your membership on whether to endorse Senator Hillary Clinton, who is for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely or Jonathan Tasini, who is for the immediate, safe withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq?·

Jonathan Tasini got 40,000 signatures from New York Democrats to get on the ballot, 25,000 in excess of what is required by law. Thirteen percent of New York's registered Democrats said they preferred Tasini to Clinton according to the most recent Marist poll. Many of these Democrats are undoubtedly also MoveOn members. According to Mr. Solomon, Eli Pariser, MoveOn's executive director claims that he has heard almost nothing from members on Tasini. Well that's certainly not the case anymore as the question was perhaps the single most frequently posted item on today on MoveOn's "Action Forum" with the numbers coming in overwhelmingly in support of Tasini (I counted at least 15 separate posts registering almost 300 votes in favor of a poll).

New Yorkers who are are supporting Tasini are doing so for reasons other than the Iraq war. Tasini is also for Medicare for All, an idea originally proposed by Senator Ted Kennedy on Medicare's 40 year anniversary in 2005, reigning in the power of out of control corporations, an end to "free trade" agreements that are destroying what's left of the middle class, addressing the root causes of "illegal" immigration (i.e. the effects of those same "free trade" agreements on Mexico and Central America), full marriage equality for gay couples and the impeachment of both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

Mrs. Clinton, by contrast, has become the largest recipient of contributions from the health care "industry," right after Rick Santorum and now coincidentally (or perhaps not so) favors an incremental approach towards eventually providing 40 million hard working Americans with insurance (hope they can hold out for her). Mrs Clinton supported NAFTA and permanent "Most Favored Nation" status for China and recently voted for a "free trade" agreemtent with the Arab nation of Oman. She also supported the odious, offensive and totally unnecessary "Defense of Marriage" Act. And, as for coming out for impeachment or even trying to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for their inumerable crimes, well don't hold your breath.

So Eli, please be true to MoveOn's mission statement and "give every member a voice in choosing the direction for both MoveOn.org." (http://www.moveon.org/...).

Let us have a vote on whether or not to support Tasini.