http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/politics/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Fri, 01 Mar 2002 11:43:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1427/blacks_on_the_ballot/ Roland Burris, an African-American making his third run for governor of Illinois, is facing a familiar challenge. The former attorney general and state comptroller must find a way to excite his core black supporters without alienating the white voters he needs to win. Burris is a serious candidate in the gubernatorial primary because of bloc voting by the black electorate, which makes up about 25 percent of Democratic primary voters. But he must downplay this support lest he be accused of playing the “race card.” His white opponents, however, can proudly appeal to their ethnic supporters free from backlash. It’s a vexing dilemma, but one that most black candidates seeking a multiracial mandate must confront. But more candidates seem willing… elections politics David Sirota Fri, 19 Jul 2002 10:45:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1553/dithering_democrats/ Gore Vidal’s dictum—“America has elections instead of politics”—has never been more true. As the bipartisan duopoly slouches toward November, the electorate appears by every measure to be deeply uninterested in the choices before it. Just look at the record low participation in the 16 states that held primaries this spring. On average, only 16.2 percent of eligible voters bothered to go to the polls, a drop from the 1998 midterm elections (17.6 percent) and less than half the high-point primary participation in 1966. Nine of the states with early primaries this year reported the lowest turnouts ever. “No one should have expected that the events of September 11 would have increased political participation,” says Curtis Gans, director of the Committee… politics David Sirota Fri, 08 Nov 2002 21:00:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/497/a_matter_of_conscience/ When Paul Wellstone died, Americans lost a principled voice that never shied from speaking truth to power. Progressives lost one of their finest national leaders. And In These Times lost a friend, a charter subscriber and a faithful supporter. One would be hard-pressed to name another national progressive figure whose leadership either commands or deserves such allegiance. In their eulogies, one senator after another remarked that Wellstone was a man of convictions. (“Unlike most of the rest of us,” they all but added.) Wellstone also stood out on Capitol Hill as a person who put his convictions into practice with a political strategy that valued the potential of applied democracy. In light of a humiliating Election Day defeat, the Democratic… politics David Sirota Fri, 20 Dec 2002 11:14:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/419/rebel_yell/ Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott’s retroactive endorsement of Jim Crow apartheid, at Sen. Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party on December 5, was a rebel yell in the wrong venue. His days are numbered as majority leader and, if he follows others who have lost congressional leadership posts, he may leave the Senate altogether. Lott’s gaffe was a gift to Democrats and others seeking to show how the cynical use of racism help build the modern GOP. Ever since Lyndon B. Johnson enlisted the Democratic Party in the civil rights movement in the mid-’60s, the Republicans have attempted to exploit the white backlash. Their success is manifest in the solidly GOP South. Although many Democrats have been slow to exploit their windfall,… politics race social justice David Sirota Mon, 20 Jan 2003 01:15:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/422/bush_attack_on_older_workers/ President Bush may or may not go to war against Iraq, but we do know that he has already declared war against the economic well-being of the middle class and working families of this country. While he cuts back on Medicare and the needs of veterans, he wants even more tax breaks for the very richest people in this country. While he pushes efforts to privatize Social Security, there is no attempt to raise the minimum wage above its paltry $5.15 an hour. While he expands disastrous trade policies that have already cost us millions of decent-paying manufacturing jobs, he is proposing to slash the pay and benefits of federal employees through a massive and dangerous outsourcing scheme. While our… corporations economy labor politics David Sirota Mon, 20 Jan 2003 02:10:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/421/nuclear_north_korea/ It's a diplomatic issue, not a military one," the Bush administration keeps telling the world. The go-slow, wait-and-see approach the United States is taking with North Korea's nuclear weapons program stands in stark contrast to its aggressive posture toward Iraq. While there may never be a one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with nuclear proliferation, the current crisis in North Korea demonstrates why diplomatic efforts will be far more effective in stopping the new nuclear danger than pre-emptive military strikes. North Korea's announced intention to pull out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is only the most recent disturbing action taken by the regime of Kim Jong Il over the past few months. In meetings with U.S. officials in early October, North Korea… politics asia David Sirota Mon, 10 Feb 2003 11:00:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/424/the_real_american_taliban/ It is not surprising when The Nation features an article about the Bush administration’s assault on women’s reproductive rights. But when the New York Times prints a huge Sunday editorial titled “The War Against Women” that takes up two-thirds of the op-ed space, something is afoot. That January 12 piece gathered together a range of seemingly minor items—who was appointed to such-and-such unheard of commission, what was the U.S. position at a U.N.-sponsored conference held on the other side of the planet—and showed how, when put together, they constitute a domestic and international offensive against the health and safety of women and children. Remember when Laura Bush (who may be—I am very sorry—the most cynically deployed first lady in our… gender medical and health politics social justice David Sirota Mon, 24 Feb 2003 01:30:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/429/sweeps_week_war/ The latest pronouncement by our Cowboy-in-Chief about the possibility of war dipped into the president’s vocabulary of the vernacular: “The game is over.” Could the administration be looking to popular culture for more than just catch phrases? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal pointed out a new development in television that is disappointing, inevitable and curiously reminiscent of Bush’s governing strategy. The Journal reported that “sweeps week,” long the haven of stunt programming designed to breathe momentary life into established series (with such attention-getting stunts as celebrity guest stars and the opening of various tombs and vaults), has become a sad, self-contained mini-season all its own—designed to expire ingloriously after the advertising rates are secured. Upcoming during this… media politics war in iraq David Sirota Fri, 28 Feb 2003 15:38:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/434/technical_foul_against_title_ix/ Every weekend, like millions around the country, I witness a revolution. I go to a sports facility, outdoors or in, and watch girls and young women flex their muscles, sweat and compete to win. On the sidelines, family and friends passionately cheer on the girls. When I was in high school and college, this was unheard of: Girls sat on the sidelines while the boys got to play. And then in 1972, as a result of the women’s movement, came Title IX, the law that banned sex discrimination in schools in both athletics and academics. This legislation was signed into law by none other than Richard Nixon. Here are just a few measures of the law’s impact: In 1971, fewer… gender politics social justice David Sirota Mon, 10 Mar 2003 10:00:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/435/total_information_control/ “Size of protest—it’s like deciding, well, I’m going to decide policy based upon a focus group,” said George W. Bush, trying to dismiss the millions of demonstrators who took to the streets on February 15 to protest the administration’s plans for war with Iraq. Bush said what he did, no doubt, because White House strategist Karl Rove had discovered through focus groups that Americans view “focus groups” as a negative. The Defense Department, at the request of the Senate, has put the price tag on war with Iraq at $95 billion—and 99 cents. But the Pentagon has yet to release an estimate of the human cost, and the Senate hasn’t requested one. (Could it be that “conflagrating innocent civilians” is… activism media politics social justice war in iraq David Sirota Fri, 14 Mar 2003 13:46:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/436/spies_like_us/ In its drive to sell the world on its plans for war with Iraq, the Bush administration has deployed its intelligence agencies to spy on friendly governments and to doctor evidence to prove Iraqi wrongdoing. On January 31, Frank Koza, a National Security Agency official, sent a “Top Secret” memo to NSA agents and British intelligence, informing them that the NSA is spying on U.N. Security Council members “for insights as to how membership is reacting to the on-going debate.” In that memo, leaked to the Observer of London, Koza wrote that NSA is monitoring all communications of “UN Security Council members (minus US and GBR of course).” Specifically, Koza asks his agents to use their electronic surveillance “product lines”—bugging… government: administration media politics war in iraq David Sirota Fri, 09 May 2003 14:32:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/447/the_progressive_war/ Among the many effects of the terrorism attacks of September 11, 2001, was the ideological shift they provoked among those on the left. Many left-leaning commentators were so disconcerted by some of their fellow travelers’ responses to the attacks, they jumped straight into bed with the neocon war party. Journalists like Christopher Hitchens, Paul Berman, Ron Rosenbaum, Greil Marcus and Dan Savage are five of the most prominent of these prowar progressives. But several others, including comedian/commentator Dennis Miller, said they too were shocked rightward by the left’s reflexive, “blame-America” reaction to 9/11. The U.S. response to terrorism pushed me in a different direction. Sure, I was surprised, terrified and angered by the cold savagery of the hijackers and the… international affairs politics David Sirota Mon, 19 May 2003 11:30:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/445/the_war_at_home/ This lull between the war in Iraq and whatever adventure the Bush neocons next drag us into provides an opportunity to focus on the war at home. The battlefield is mapped: tax cuts, military spending, environmental deregulation, booming prisons, a health care crisis, curtailed liberties … It is a first step to demonstrate on a weekend afternoon, directing anger and ridicule at an emperor who would be naked were it not for media costume managers. But where do we go from there? The Democratic primaries are one place to begin. Candidates who opposed the war, including Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, Carol Mosely Braun and Al Sharpton, should be supported. Kucinich, while great on the issues, has failed to inspire with… elections politics election 2004 David Sirota Wed, 28 May 2003 16:09:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/450/isn_that_special/ France has charged that U.S. media are publishing misinformation received from anonymous Bush administration officials who are orchestrating a “disinformation campaign aimed at sullying France’s image and misleading the public.” If the charges are true—and, based on the documentation provided by the French government, they appear to be—the White House is engaged in a domestic covert operation to pervert American public opinion. Such campaigns are illegal under the laws governing U.S. intelligence agencies. In a May 15 letter to members of Congress, the Bush administration and the U.S. media, French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte draws attention to eight reports that appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, MSNBC and Newsweek ([url=http://www.info-france-usa.org]http://www.info-france-usa.org[/url]). The stories range from France’s… media politics war in iraq David Sirota Fri, 06 Jun 2003 12:15:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/452/neocon_convergences/ A funny thing happened while following the money trail of the neoconservatives who have hijacked U.S. foreign policy. The path led to a network of financial and intellectual resources that also is dedicated to neoracism. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation has been the economic fount for the neoconservative notions of global affairs now ascendant in the Bush administration. According to a report by Media Transparency, from 1995 to 2001 the Milwaukee-based foundation provided about $14.5 million to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the think tank most responsible for incubating and nourishing the ideas of the neocon movement. The Bradley Foundation also made grants totaling nearly $1.8 million to help fund the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), the… politics race social justice David Sirota Fri, 06 Jun 2003 12:30:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/451/smokescreen_of_compassion/ With much fanfare, President George Bush has committed the United States to fight AIDS. “The suffering in Africa is great. The suffering in the Caribbean is great. The United States of America has the power, and we have the moral duty to help,” Bush said on May 27 as he signed the Initiative To Fight AIDS Abroad. His largess beamed around the world, Bush was infused with the glow of compassionate conservatism. Increasing funds to treat and prevent AIDS is a good thing. Yet giving kudos to Bush for his AIDS initiative is like praising Dracula for visiting a Red Cross blood bank. An estimated 40 million people in the world now have AIDS. By 2010 that number is expected… medical and health politics David Sirota Mon, 16 Jun 2003 10:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/453/needed_a_vast_liberal_conspiracy/ For all the indoctrination going on—you know, gay recruitment, media bias, and liberal professor brainwashing—it’s awfully hard to find the central headquarters for the side that supposedly won the culture war. Believe me, I’ve tried. I know the right has recruitment centers and even training programs for young people interested in joining—and possibly leading—the conservative movement. There’s the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), which funds dozens of conservative college papers and several full-tuition scholarships in addition to running a speakers’ bureau and various conferences for future conservative leaders. Recipients of the ISI’s largess include Larry Arnn, the current president of Hillsdale College, as well as younger conservative leaders like Marc Theissen, who edited the ISI-sponsored Vassar Spectator and until recently was… politics David Sirota Fri, 20 Jun 2003 11:00:01 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/458/next_stop/ Such optimism. Such scheming. Such giddiness. It has been nearly 40 years since so many have felt so compelled to fight back, to take on an imperial president and oppose a sweeping corporate agenda. The antiwar movement, celebrated or otherwise, is the big story. The outcome of the assault on Iraq was no surprise. The war was over before organized opposition, which significantly delayed its launch, could stop it altogether. But this antiwar movement is different. It refuses to demobilize. As many who took to the streets now realize, the war wasn’t the main issue, after all. It was, and is, the Bush administration. Consequently, this antiwar movement promises to be a feature of the political landscape, at least through… activism politics social justice election 2004 war in iraq David Sirota Mon, 23 Jun 2003 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/455/banana_republicans/ Moving to any new city can be disconcerting, but Washington seems farther away from Chicago than just 700 miles. It’s not just the local vernacular of “mark-ups” and “scoring,” all the ink spilled on obscure backbenchers and legislative minutiae, or even my stroll every morning past the young Stepford Republicrats heading for Capitol Hill in their brand new navy blazers. I couldn’t pin down my uneasiness at first, though I certainly noticed the omnipresent concrete barriers outside government buildings, the blinking “Code Orange” warnings on the freeways, and the F-16 flybys that regularly rattle my windows. I won’t be the first to observe that Washington is starting to feel like the seat of a Latin American dictatorship. Not long ago,… politics David Sirota Mon, 28 Jul 2003 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/461/sells_like_teen_spirit/ The nice thing about living in Washington is that on your way to the mall you can see ads promoting Lockheed-Martin’s Super Hercules airplane—“a totally new, advanced, fully integrated digital weapons system.” A study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania recently found that lobbyists spent $105 million during the 107th Congress on such advertising—designed for members of Congress, not the public. The nice thing about living in New York is that you can go see Josh Hartnett expound on the future of the Democratic Party. Talk about making love and not war. The Dems could do worse. Hartnett looks better in a swimsuit than John Edwards, even. He’s adorable, he’s a Midwesterner, and last month… media politics regulation David Sirota