Amid crystal chandeliers and filet mignon appetizers, South Carolina’s delegates munched and mingled just hours after hundreds of thousands of protestors demonstrated against their presence in New York’s hot summer streets. “I spent all day trying to find the protestors,” said one delegate in a phone interview earlier in the day. “I think they’ve overestimated the numbers.” The organizers, he predicted,… return to article
-
subscribe to print magazine
-
email this article to a friend
-
Reader Comments (22)Page 1 of 1 pages“We march to show the world our president doesn’t represent us.” That, I can confirm, is actually happening. Keep protesting, keep it up, send faxes (not emails) do what you can. Most people I know here, including conservative businessmen and card carrying members of conservative parties, are disgusted with Bush and his yeehah politics. They are astounded at the stupidity of his cabinet members, at the tacky fundamentalist claptrap that is pouring forth from the White House, at the destabilizing effects all this nonsense is having on our world, and especially at the sheer gullibility of Joe Sixpack. So finally, on Monday, I was able to point to my native New York and say: That is America too.
Posted by Marton on Aug 31, 2004 at 11:05 PM It is really amazing to me that this election is even close when you consider the following:
-Number of U.S. citizens without medical insurance increased to 44 million.
-The number of Americans in poverty is increasing, now at 36 million.
-Gas costs are killing family budgets while we still favor gas-guzzlers.
-The Fed is committed to raising interest rates and further curb growth.
-Both corporate and state pension funds are underfunded by trillions.
-Consumer debt and personal bankruptcies have risen dramatically
-We’re hemorrhaging jobs, the most lost since Hoover.
-Medicare, the new drug benefit and Social Security have a combined deficit of a $51 trillion and growing!
-The Iraq war is a bottomless quagmire already costing us $137 billion.
-Congress admits tax cuts benefited the rich, hurt the middle class.
-Worst of all: Homeland security is grossly underfunded with little being done about exposed ports, borders, railroads and nuclear facilities. For example, only 5 percent of the 13 million shipping containers coming into America’s ports annually are inspected. Plus, we have 15,000 chemical plants largely unprotected, when a single rail car loaded with 33,000 gallons of chlorine could kill 100,000 people.This election is being handed to Kerry on a platter and if he and his team cannot outgun the Bush slime machine then I am not sure what can. Moreover, if the American people are satisified with (and are stupid enough to accept) the circumstances this administration has created for their lives then they, the voters, get exactly the government they deserve. Ultimately, they will be raped, pillaged, wrapped in plastic, and dumped on the side of the freeway as a thank you for their support.
Posted by Michael on Sep 1, 2004 at 12:28 AM Please try to be clear when discussing this election with other folks.
GW Bush cannot be re-elected because he wasn’t elected in the 2000. He was APPOINTED. So he’ll either be elected (hopefuly not) or RE-APPOINTED, in which case, our democracy has ceased to exist, or he’ll lose.
I’m hoping for the latter, not banking on it though because he and his cabal will do anything to maitain control up to and including criminal activity.
Bush is an unintelligent, unpredictable and dangerous man whose inability to form a cohesive sentence makes me ashamed of this country.
The real terrorists are in Washington. Be scared and be sure you get a PAPER ballot. Better yet, bring your own!
Posted by Tom Z on Sep 1, 2004 at 2:24 AM I agree Tom,
Except I would add the criminal activity has been going on since the 2000 election fix and includes lies and cover-ups.
Think of it, get the stupidest man you can find, tell everyone he’s “saved”, promise the world to to the big corporations if he’s ‘elected’, and the slack-jawed hillbillies in the south and the left-hating WASPS will relate. All that’s needed is a climate of fear.
I blame that cock-sucking George Sr. He can’t get over his miserable failures as a one-term president so he needs to get his hands back into it.No more Bushes.
Posted by Neil on Sep 1, 2004 at 2:50 PM Yes some of us do hate a system that is based on making a few people extremely rich while more than 2 billion people on the planet “survive on less than $2 a day in income. We are angry about a government that takes us to war through lies and deception. We hate an electoral system that is driven by money and that subverts real democracy. We are upset that the corporate run media works with war mongers and defends the bombing of innocent people. We see that Enron like corruption is rampant. That 45 million people in this country are with out health care is unacceptable to us. That Congress voting millions of dollars to drug companies and HMOs instead of a real drug benefit under Medicare is Obcene. We see attacks on a womans right to choose, attacks on the right to marry whom ever you wish, and we see attacks on our civil rights. We have immigrants being paid sub minimum wages and we have other jobs being off shored to sweat shop conditions. We have laws that make it nearly impossible to organize unions and falling work safety standards. Meanwhile the quality of our food, water, air is also falling.
I would think hatred for this degree of evil is an appropriate response.
Posted by Tom Wison on Sep 1, 2004 at 5:52 PM What do I say to people who say they are voting for a third party because they don’t believe in either candidate?
Either Libertarian or Nader…
Posted by Sallie Gordon on Sep 1, 2004 at 7:08 PM If the American People would read the constitution and find out that they have been ripped off for over 80 years ,by a non governmental agency i.e. IRS then there would be true protest and we would keep our money and refuse to fund the wars, and other games the people in gonernment play.GIVE ME LIBERTY .ORG
Posted by Mike Emerson on Sep 1, 2004 at 8:04 PM this is in response to Neil.
not everyone in the south is a bush-lving hillbilly. i’m from north carolina, and everyone i know hates his guts. i totally agree with you though: no more bushes.
Posted by Candice on Sep 1, 2004 at 9:01 PM Candice,
Keep those posts coming!! Out here in the West, it’s almost impossible to tell thanks to a lackluster media. It’s heartening to read that there is sanity in the south too. . . it seems that anyone whose trust fund [notice I don’t say “earned”] is worth less than $1 million has absolutely nothing in common with the President. Why people can’t see that after the last round of tax cuts is truly mind-boggling.Anyways, Silicon Valley [the county of Santa Clara] has an unemployment rate of about 10% - and I’d guess things are not much better in North Carolina. It’s good to know Southerners also know when they’re getting screwed especially if it’s by one of their own. . .
Are rich people evil? No way, not inherently. As at least one honest member of congress recently put it, “Thanks to my family I’ve never even worked a day in my life - so why would I need George Bush’s f—cking tax cut!?”
Too bad the President doesn’t even realize how lucky he is, or what it’s really like to be one of the “American People.” Let’s show him what it’s like to be laid off in November.
Posted by Ed Mellon on Sep 1, 2004 at 9:33 PM the worst part is that bush isn’t even in charge, really, his new nickname should be pinocchio because every time he lies, that stupid smirk just gets bigger and somebody else is pulling the strings, he’s not even close to being intelligent enough. it’s the entrenched cronies behind the scenes, newly energized nixon and regan era fascists that were involved in all the global political and corporate dirty dealings then, and now they’re all assembled together at once and look at the results. i won’t repeat the facts as mentioned previously, needless to say that our government is out of control and out of touch with the needs of the people. we can only hope that if kerry wins that he will clean house and send those bastards back to whatever rock they crawled out of. i’m voting for the first time ever because i never wanted to vote for what i considered the lesser of two evils, now i think it’s worth voting for the lesser evil, and i’m almost forty.
Posted by tim erney on Sep 1, 2004 at 9:40 PM To Mike Emerson,
When I first got interested in politics, I looked to the Liberterian party and said, “That’s what I’m all about. Complete and total freedom for individuals.” Unfortunately, as I looked into it a little more I found they were only interested in corporate rights and maybe the individuals can tag along too.
The IRS requires real reform, not abolition. A flat tax system will only squeeze the middle class. Jefferson, Franklin, and the father of capitalist economics Adam Smith all believe a progressive tax system is the right thing.
Posted by Brian Nelson on Sep 1, 2004 at 11:46 PM Hello,
I’ve been a Democrat all my life and wonder what’s in store for us, America, for decades to come. I’m in a work place dominated by Republicans and I’m constantly bombarded by co-workers telling me that I’m on the wrong side, or as they call it, the “stupid” side. It bothers me to a degree, but I believe that after Kerry and Bush debate, people across America will see who’s best.
There’s a lot done behind the scenes that most of us don’t see, yet we’re quick to jump into conclusions.Anyway, does anybody know of a website where I could find samples of laws or bills passed by Democrats throughout history, that have been successful in some way, so I can show this to my Right-wing friends?
Posted by John on Sep 2, 2004 at 2:34 AM Hello John,
When Social Security was passed in the 1930s it had virtually no support from Republicans. Before Social Security many of the elderly were neglected and died from things like hunger and disease. The Democrats, by pushing for this program, helped to change much of that. MediCare, pushed by the Democrats in the 1960s was also another program that passed with out much Republican support. No one can deny the success of Social Security and MediCare—the two programs are responsible for a better quality of life for our elderly not to mention an increased lifespan. What is so interesting is that the very people who bash these programs are the very first ones sucking up at the trough when their chance comes (i.e Republicans).
The eight hour work day, the student loan program (also Pell grants for the poor), the interstate highway system, the Tennessee Valley project (which provided jobs and lifted many out of poverty), to name just a few.
The Republican party has no interests in the idea “united we stand, divided we fall.” We should all, as a matter of common decency, be concerned about our fellow human beings. The Republican philosophy is “divided we stand, united we fall.” This is evident in their positions on issues and their lack of support towards programs that help others beside themselves.
A good website for the history of the Democratic party is democrats.org (The Democratic National Committee). I am sure you can find all sorts of historical stuff there. Hope this helps. By the way, tell your friends at work that a working person voting Republican is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders—that’s really stupid!
Posted by Michael on Sep 2, 2004 at 3:18 AM To Sallie Gordon:
Arianna Huffington said it best: When your house is on fire, that’s not the time to start remodeling. First you have to put out the fire.
Posted by Linda Handelsman on Sep 2, 2004 at 4:33 AM This is in response to: “So much hate in all these comments”
You tell me that Bush’s asskissing of the Religious Right is not a bow to hatred. You tell me that it is not hatred which perpetuates this desire to add to the Constitution a bill which would outlaw gay people from the right to marry. You tell me that it is not hatred for the right to demonstrate and to express opinions and feelings that fuels the Republican’s trumping of “a return to morals and values”. Methinks the Republicans hate me even more than I hate them.
-JD
Posted by J.D. CERNA on Sep 2, 2004 at 3:47 PM I’m also from and live in NC and lived a long time in GA. I am proud of the protest march that occurred on Sunday and I took special interest in watching it on C-span because my brother-in-law participated (and he’s a real straight-arrow!). Just because our bogus “mainstream” media paints all the states red/blue doesn’t indicate that we all voted that way.
I thought BusinessWeek magazine did a very good expose on the inequality of the voting system not too long ago (though I’m not really business-minded) and the paperless voting machines are a nightmare. The electoral system is totally flawed and even though it may be argued that it’s been effective for 200 yrs and prevents a mob rule effect, I can’t buy it. Every vote should count and the state’s rights ought to be the leverage against “mob rule”.
The RNC deserves to be protested though I hope violence will be minimal, of course.
Good luck NY!
Posted by daydreamer on Sep 2, 2004 at 7:08 PM Candace,
I spent 5 months in Hickory, 5 months in Greensboro. Great places—loved going to Ashville.I miss the ice tea.
sorry to generalize like that.
Posted by Neil on Sep 2, 2004 at 8:21 PM Of course they didn’t notice: Karl Rove did his smoke and mirrors trick…
THE SUCCESS OF FAILURE
TURNING THE TABLES AT THE RNC
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it: W. C. FieldsGEORGE W. BUSH IS THE MAN WHO FAILED TO PROTECT US FROM THE WORST ATTACK ON AMERICAN SOIL IN ITS HISTORY!
You might have thought they were regaling King Arthur. But they weren’t. You might have thought they were recounting the exploits of Alexander the Great. But they weren’t. You might have thought they were extolling the virtues of an immensely successful world leader. But they weren’t. They were the RNC, cheer-leading for their idol, George W. Bush, - a man whose policies have been the most dismal failures in recent history.
On the first day of the Convention, speaker after speaker stepped to the rostrum to rave about George Bush, Superman, and George Bush, Hercules They lined up with practiced enthusiasm to kneel at the image of George, Bush, statesman and George Bush, Savior. Icons from among the party faithful came to convince the nation that their toad was really a prince. Their carefully scripted message was as transparent as it was ludicrous: George Bush, the failure, was being creatively morphed into George Bush, the magnificent success!
Full article:
http://www.tvnewslies.org/html/the_success_of_failure.html
Posted by Regt on Sep 3, 2004 at 6:22 PM Just wanted to add my thoughts. I’m from South Carolina, the “reddest” of the “red” states, and I am proud of the protestors in New York. They speak for me far more than my elected officials.
Posted by Kim on Sep 4, 2004 at 12:18 AM erf…the South Carolinian *does* know how to spell “protesters”, really…
Posted by Kim on Sep 4, 2004 at 12:23 AM Page 1 of 1 pages -
register a new account »Posting Security
Also by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Popular Discussions
- The 9/11 Faith Movement
Many Americans believe 9/11 was a conspiracy by the U.S. government
1979 posts since Jul 11 06 - What’s the 411 on 9/11?
891 posts since Dec 21 05 - Democrats: It’s the War
659 posts since Nov 1 05 - Was the Presidential Election Stolen?
462 posts since Jun 19 06 - A Fundamental History Lesson
The rise of National Socialism proved politics and religion don't mix
427 posts since Oct 10 05
© 2004 In These Times | Reprint Policy | Privacy Policy | Powered by Expression Engine | RSS Feeds
