96% of MoveOn Members Did Not Show Support for the Pelosi Bill

[Jcrowley]

96% of MoveOn Members Did Not Show Support for the Pelosi Bill

Submitted by John Stauber on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 13:05.
Topics: activism | Iraq | politics | U.S. Congress

On Sunday, March 18, Sheldon Rampton and I wrote "Iraq: Why Won't MoveOn Move Forward?", an article now widely circulated online. It has helped to focus debate on whether the Democratic Party is really attempting to end the war in Iraq, or is content to simply manage the war for supposed electoral advantage in 2008.

The liberal advocacy group MoveOn has 3.2 million members. Yesterday MoveOn misleadingly claimed that the results from their recent member survey showed overwhelming support for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bill on Iraq. "The results are in from our poll on whether to support Speaker Pelosi's proposal on Iraq: 84.6% of MoveOn members voted to support the bill," according to MoveOn. However, this claim flunks the smell test and is far from accurate.

MoveOn is engaging in that oldest of PR games known as 'lies, damned lies and statistics." The truth is that 96% of MoveOn's 3.2 million members did not even bother to vote in their member survey. Most of MoveOn's members probably ignored and failed to open the email, or were disgusted by the slanted questions designed to show support for the Pelosi bill. MoveOn claims that slightly over 126,000 people voted in what I pointed out to them was a very biased pro-Pelosi poll. The MoveOn question essentially provided a choice of Pelosi and peace (Yes), or Republicans and war (No). Gee, guess how that one gets answered?

http://www.prwatch.org/node/5882

"MoveOn put out a dishonest poll that did not offer its members a real choice to end the war, and now the peace movement is lobbying activists to reform MoveOn or drop off its list," said David Swanson, a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, said in an e-mail to The Politico. "I unsubscribed from MoveOn this morning."

Why Won't MoveOn Move Forward?
by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton

This week marks the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. To commemorate the occasion, the online advocacy group MoveOn.org is organizing more than 1,000 candlelight vigils throughout the United States. "We'll solemnly honor the sacrifice made by more than 3,000 servicemen and women, and we'll contemplate the path ahead of us," states MoveOn's website. "We cannot send tens of thousands of exhausted, under-equipped, and unprepared troops into the middle of an Iraqi civil war. ... Honor the sacrifice. Stop the escalation. Bring the troops home."

MoveOn's 3.2 million members strongly oppose any continuation of the war, and the language above seems to suggest that MoveOn's leadership agrees. But MoveOn's organizing around Iraq has become notably ambiguous lately. Although it talks in general terms about bringing the troops home, specific timetables or meaningful steps in that direction are nowhere discussed. Most strikingly, MoveOn has adamantly refused to support the Iraq amendment from Congressional Progressive Caucus leaders Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey and Maxine Waters, which calls for "a fully funded, and systematic, withdrawal of U.S. soldiers and military contractors from Iraq" by the end of 2007.

Politically, the Lee amendment cannot pass; fewer than 100 members of Congress are expected to vote for it. However, the same thing is true of weaker legislation that MoveOn is currently supporting, in league with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha and David Obey. The Pelosi bill merely establishes "benchmarks" of progress in Iraq, so that all Bush has to do is certify that he is making progress on those goals to keep funding flowing for the war. Instead of withdrawing troops this year, the Pelosi bill talks about beginning to withdraw them in March 2008. Even so, it faces united Republican opposition and is not expected to pass the U.S. Senate, even if it is approved by the House of Representatives. And even if it does pass, Bush has already said he will veto it. So why was the Democratic Party leadership so determined to prevent the Lee amendment from even coming to the floor - and why has MoveOn.org avoided even mentioning the Lee proposal to its members?

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0319-28.htm

[reprehensor]

1. That is pathetic.

Thanks for posting this, J.

[Jcrowley]

3. It was very manipulative

and propagandistic. I have little tolerance for such flagrant disinformation. I'm not sure what the number of bills relating to the Iraq War is at the present but when I was lobbying in DC a a few weeks back the number was in the dozens and there were many different aspects to the many bills ranging all over the spectrum.

For MoveOn to suggest there are only Two choices is a way to Create The Reality that there are only two choices. That's how effective prpoaganda works.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Just what we need: one progressive group bitching about another.

[Jcrowley]

5. Stauber is right

And he backs it up with meticulous research.

Since when is exposing the truth called bitchin'? But if it is we need more bitchin' and less triangulatin'.

[Hissyspit]

4. I didn't vote in the email poll, either, when I saw what they were doing.

A big disappointment from them. And unnecessary. MoveOn can still make it right, though.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. My feelings exactly

and no, I didn't vote in the poll, either.

[Breeze54]

7. I didn't vote because it was confusing; as presented.

From my MoveOn e-mail from Nita Chaudhary, MoveOn.org Political Action
Monday, March 19, 2007 11:26 AM

Voting update: In case you're wondering, around 80% of MoveOn members voted to support the
Democratic plan for the supplemental. We'll announce the full results later this afternoon.

In an online survey over the weekend, 85% of MoveOn members... who answered the survey??
I wish MoveOn would post the results. I can't find it anywhere.

But I never got any e-mail about results. :shrug: Did any of you?

These attacks on MoveOn are pissing me off though, as they (we) have done lots to stop the war!

[Breeze54]

8. MoveOn did mention the Lee proposal in the e-mail I recieved.

"..and why has MoveOn.org avoided even mentioning the Lee proposal to its members?"

Not directly but with a link to an article.

House Panel Approves Bill To Fund War, Set Timeline
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/15/AR2007031500239.html

snip-->

The 36 to 28 vote in the House committee was also largely along party lines, except
for a no vote from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), an ardent opponent of the Iraq war
who wants troops out by the end of this year. Lee's vote was a bad omen for House
Democratic leaders, who can ill afford defections next week when the war-spending
measure reaches the floor.

and another article that was in my e-mail -

House Begins Debate on Iraq Spending Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-US-Iraq.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

And they DID post pics from the vigil, on the 19th, against the Iraq War




Pictures from Belmont/Ashland/Lincoln Peace Vigil in Chicago
Uploaded on March 19, 2007 by moveon

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