The following is a selection of recent letters sent to the World Socialist Web Site concerning our June 18-20 series “Why the Nation remains silent on Cindy Sheehan’s departure from the Democratic Party” (Part One, Part Two, Part Three).
In an interview with Brian Lamb, on CSPAN recently, Nation editor Katrina van den Heuval predicted Hillary would be the next president and viewed alternative party choices as “spoilers.” In their follow-ups on the last debate, Nichols and Ruth Conniff of the Progressive focused on Hillary’s exchange with Wolf Blitzer, and David Corn, also of the Nation, concluded that Hillary “won the debate because she wasn’t clobbered.”
So much for their previous vow not to support a war-mongering Democrat. The writing is on the wall.
RV
18 June 2007
* * *I quit the Democrats the week after the vote on the war funding. Your article is great, and I really appreciate you taking the Nation and particularly the Democrats to task. The thing I cannot figure out is why Dennis Kucinich wants to subject himself to another round of insults by the Democrats. Unless I read him completely wrong, he does not seem like your run-of-the-mill dirty politician, so why is he staying with the Democrats?
LS
USA
22 June 2007
* * *Excellent exposés on this front recently. This info (Cindy Sheehan’s indictment of the Democratic Party’s playacting and deceit, being partners with Bush & Co. in the capitalist war profiteering racket) is very difficult to come by now.
I hope you will continue with even more sharp exposés on this, but it needs to actually get into the hands of more honest activists in and around the antiwar, anti-militarist actions.
The capitalist war-making is a “bipartisan” program of both the Democratic and Republican parties, who both get their mass financing and marching orders from the ruling bourgeoisie.
NC
18 June 2007
* * *Part II is a real eye-opener. The bit about Donovan floored me. Begin devoting your attention to similar strata in the so-called human rights movement—I think you’ll find the same thing.
JH
19 June 2007
* * *The best thing about the Nation magazine is that it never goes away. I admit that once upon a time a couple of years ago, I actually subscribed to the damn thing. One day it occurred to me that it had about as much regard for socialists as it does for Cindy Sheehan—i.e., ignore us long enough and we’ll go away.
But I still get little cards and the occasional letter from TN asking me to renew. And I reply to every one of them: “Why would I spend another cent on your damned rag? etc., etc.”
Then a couple of months later, I get another request. You cannot insult these people enough no matter how hard you try. No wonder Cindy got the cold shoulder.
John Nichols needs to start talking less about Jeffersonian Democrats and maybe more about New Deal Democrats. He can even start with a few baby steps: full employment, decent healthcare, and stopping stupid wars that the vast majority of Americans don’t support.
FDR was no saint (the Solid South remained solid, for one thing), but I’d like to think he wouldn’t put up with the reality of Americans going without decent food and medicine in this day and age. Meanwhile, the Democrats keep breaking their arms patting each other on the back for their “victory” by taking their party even further to the right.
PL
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
* * *The difference between the Republicans and Democrats are the same as two street gangs fighting over turf. Think of the Crips vs. the Bloods or Capone vs. Moran. It’s only a question of which “gang” receives the connections and spoils from their corporate masters. Corrupt campaign finance laws, and very limited ballot access by other political parties, insure the result that corporatism will remain supreme.
Cindy Sheehan’s bravery was used by Democrats as long as she was needed. Once the opportunity came for the Democrats after the 2006 elections to de-fund the war, they made up “show legislation” to demonstrate their opposition to Bush. When the rubber hit the road, and Bush vetoed the bill, they quickly abrogated their campaign promises.
Cindy Sheehan became expendable.
LS
23 June 2007