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A necessary balance-sheet on the Gonzalez campaign and other articles
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FRONTLINES, the newspaper of the Left http://www.sf-frontlines.com
Just Published!
The Gonzalez Campaign: A Necessary Balance-sheet
This Election Changed the Political Landscape in San Francisco. The Perspectives for the Left By Carlos Petroni
We have purposely delayed this balance-sheet. We wanted the main actors of the drama to speak for themselves before we spoke about them and the historic events of the last three months of last year’s political life in the City.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
For a Green Presidential Campaign in 2004
By Howie Hawkins
"I have no interest in a third party candidacy. None," says Kucinich. "I want to do it the other way -- bring third party candidates into the {Democratic] Party and get support in the primaries."
-- Ruth Conniff, "The Peace Candidate," The Progressive, April 2003
[Kucinich] recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "The Democratic Party created third parties by running to the middle. What I'm trying to do is to go back to the big tent so that everyone who felt alienated could come back through my candidacy."
-- CounterPunch, April 2003
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Greens speak up: The Regime We Must Change is Bipartisan
By Howie Hawkins and Ron Ehrenreich
Can peace and freedom activists resist wars abroad and repression at home by supporting a presidential candidate who supports war and repression?
One would think that the answer to that question would be obviously no! Yet Paul Street and Michael Albert answer yes in the November 2003 Syracuse Peace Council Newsletter.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Bush's Iraq: an appointocracy
Washington wants carefully selected groups to do its bidding. Iraqis marching in the streets want the vote By NAOMI KLEIN
'The people of Iraq are free," declared U.S. President George W. Bush in Tuesday's Stateof the Union address. The day before, 100,000 Iraqis begged to differ. They took to the streets of Baghdad shouting "Yes, yes to elections. No, no to selection."
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
The Avocado Declaration (Part1)
By Peter Camejo
INTRODUCTION
The Green Party is at a crossroads. The 2004 elections place before us a clear and unavoidable choice. On one side, we can continue on the path of political independence, building a party of, by and for the people by running our own campaign for President of the United States. The other choice is the well-trodden path of lesser-evil politics, sacrificing our own voice and independence to support whoever the Democrats nominate in order, we are told, to defeat Bush.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Camejo's Avocado Declaration (Part 2)
OPPOSITION IS RISING
Opposition is rising against Bush. The massive overwhelming majority of the world is against Bush's war policies. The resistance to the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the inability of the U.S. media and government to prevent the world from hearing the truth about these events, is weakening Bush's standing. The corporate interests and their media apparently want to make a great effort to get Bush elected, but if this becomes too difficult, the Democratic Party will be prepared to appear as an "opposition" that will continue the essence of Bush's policy with new justifications, modifications and adjusted forms.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
George Bush will have caused the poisoning of hundreds of thousands By Frederick Sweet www2.iraqwar.ru
When this war ends, George Bush will have caused the poisoning of hundreds of thousands more humans than he said Saddam Hussein poisoned.
In its 110,000 air raids against Iraq, the US A-10 Warthog aircraft launched 940,000 depleted uranium shells, and in the land offensive, its M60, M1 and M1A1 tanks fired a further 4,000 larger caliber also uranium shells. The Bush administration and the Pentagon said there is no danger to American troops or Iraqi civilians from breathing the uranium oxide dust produced in depleted uranium (DU) weapons explosions.
Selective memory and a dishonest doctrine
By Noam Chomsky
All people who have any concern for human rights, justice and integrity should be overjoyed by the capture of Saddam Hussein, and should be awaiting a fair trial for him by an international tribunal.
An indictment of Saddam's atrocities would include not only his slaughter and gassing of Kurds in 1988 but also, rather crucially, his massacre of the Shiite rebels who might have overthrown him in 1991.
At the time, Washington and its allies held the "strikingly unanimous view (that) whatever the sins of the Iraqi leader, he offered the West and the region a better hope for his country's stability than did those who have suffered his repression," reported Alan Cowell in the New York Times.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Also read our daily updated "Newswire" section
Visite nuestras páginas en español.
Just Published!
The Gonzalez Campaign: A Necessary Balance-sheet
This Election Changed the Political Landscape in San Francisco. The Perspectives for the Left By Carlos Petroni
We have purposely delayed this balance-sheet. We wanted the main actors of the drama to speak for themselves before we spoke about them and the historic events of the last three months of last year’s political life in the City.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
For a Green Presidential Campaign in 2004
By Howie Hawkins
"I have no interest in a third party candidacy. None," says Kucinich. "I want to do it the other way -- bring third party candidates into the {Democratic] Party and get support in the primaries."
-- Ruth Conniff, "The Peace Candidate," The Progressive, April 2003
[Kucinich] recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "The Democratic Party created third parties by running to the middle. What I'm trying to do is to go back to the big tent so that everyone who felt alienated could come back through my candidacy."
-- CounterPunch, April 2003
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Greens speak up: The Regime We Must Change is Bipartisan
By Howie Hawkins and Ron Ehrenreich
Can peace and freedom activists resist wars abroad and repression at home by supporting a presidential candidate who supports war and repression?
One would think that the answer to that question would be obviously no! Yet Paul Street and Michael Albert answer yes in the November 2003 Syracuse Peace Council Newsletter.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Bush's Iraq: an appointocracy
Washington wants carefully selected groups to do its bidding. Iraqis marching in the streets want the vote By NAOMI KLEIN
'The people of Iraq are free," declared U.S. President George W. Bush in Tuesday's Stateof the Union address. The day before, 100,000 Iraqis begged to differ. They took to the streets of Baghdad shouting "Yes, yes to elections. No, no to selection."
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
The Avocado Declaration (Part1)
By Peter Camejo
INTRODUCTION
The Green Party is at a crossroads. The 2004 elections place before us a clear and unavoidable choice. On one side, we can continue on the path of political independence, building a party of, by and for the people by running our own campaign for President of the United States. The other choice is the well-trodden path of lesser-evil politics, sacrificing our own voice and independence to support whoever the Democrats nominate in order, we are told, to defeat Bush.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Camejo's Avocado Declaration (Part 2)
OPPOSITION IS RISING
Opposition is rising against Bush. The massive overwhelming majority of the world is against Bush's war policies. The resistance to the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the inability of the U.S. media and government to prevent the world from hearing the truth about these events, is weakening Bush's standing. The corporate interests and their media apparently want to make a great effort to get Bush elected, but if this becomes too difficult, the Democratic Party will be prepared to appear as an "opposition" that will continue the essence of Bush's policy with new justifications, modifications and adjusted forms.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
George Bush will have caused the poisoning of hundreds of thousands By Frederick Sweet www2.iraqwar.ru
When this war ends, George Bush will have caused the poisoning of hundreds of thousands more humans than he said Saddam Hussein poisoned.
In its 110,000 air raids against Iraq, the US A-10 Warthog aircraft launched 940,000 depleted uranium shells, and in the land offensive, its M60, M1 and M1A1 tanks fired a further 4,000 larger caliber also uranium shells. The Bush administration and the Pentagon said there is no danger to American troops or Iraqi civilians from breathing the uranium oxide dust produced in depleted uranium (DU) weapons explosions.
Selective memory and a dishonest doctrine
By Noam Chomsky
All people who have any concern for human rights, justice and integrity should be overjoyed by the capture of Saddam Hussein, and should be awaiting a fair trial for him by an international tribunal.
An indictment of Saddam's atrocities would include not only his slaughter and gassing of Kurds in 1988 but also, rather crucially, his massacre of the Shiite rebels who might have overthrown him in 1991.
At the time, Washington and its allies held the "strikingly unanimous view (that) whatever the sins of the Iraqi leader, he offered the West and the region a better hope for his country's stability than did those who have suffered his repression," reported Alan Cowell in the New York Times.
Read the complete article at: http://www.sf-frontlines.com
+++
Also read our daily updated "Newswire" section
Visite nuestras páginas en español.
For more information:
http://www.sf-frontlines.com
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
The balance sheet on the Gonzalez campaign is excellent and contains some very old Rules of Thumb I thought I would highlight.
1. A progressive, pro-tenant candidate must always take a strong stand on all workingclass issues throughout the campaign and not retreat.
2. The black vote, while small, remains the swing vote in San Francisco since it is usually a bloc vote. The same is true nationally and historically. It is for precisely that reason that the Democratic Party does everything it can to keep its 90% of the black vote nationally so as to perpetuate its constant goal of keeping the Reds out of office (and Greens too) by sounding militant and then when elected, carrying out the same capitalist agenda as the Republican Party since it is funded by the same corporations for the same reason: to perpetuate capitalism. It is long overdue that the Democratic Party be tossed out of the black community, which it does not represent and routinely abuses with election fraud, as it did in this election. Gonzalez won 36% of the 6619 votes of Bayview Hunters Point, a property owners community that is about 50% African-American, and most of the other 50% is also non-white. That is quite remarkable and proves with a strong campaign, he could win at least 50%, and probably more of Bayview. The key in that community is stopping the election fraud.
3. The socialist organizations in this town, most of whom consist of registered voters, must become more involved in local politics if they are to have any credibility and viability. These semi-annual peace crawls, consisting mostly of people who do not live in San Francisco, are no substitute for grassroots organizing, and it is that grassroots organizing that will bring far more people to the peace marches, and stop the election fraud. Remember, we have 764,000 people in San Francisco, yet celebrate when 200,000 turn out for the peace marches, when most of the 200,000 do not live here. This cannot continue. At the very least, the socialist community must run a candidate for supervisor in District 9 this year. Tom Ammiano should be retired; the Gonzalez campaign made that very clear.
4. The basic issue in every mayor's race since 1979 when rent control was established is rent control, and every tenant understands that. It is the defense of rent control by Gonzalez that moved the tenant community, who are 50% of the voters in, and only in, a high voter turnout election, to vote for Gonzalez. There is nothing more sacred in San Francisco to the workingclass than rent control. There must be massive voter registration and encouragement to vote absentee among tenants in every election by pro-tenant candidates. That will require phone bank follow-up to make sure people have signed up for receiving absentee ballots, and have completed it and mailed it as quickly as possible. It can be done and is far more important than TV ads and slick campaign literature. The tabloid was a sufficient campaign piece, the bonus campaign piece being the Tenants' Union's Anybody but Gavin leaflet, itemizing Gavin Newsom's horrible voting record. There was no need for all the slick campaign pieces, TV ads and the like. The biggest need was for campaign buttons, which were extremely popular among tenants, but hard to obtain. Those are much cheaper and good fundraisers as well. At $1 each, they sold as fast as they were made, and never enough were made. That is the one item that should be mass-produced from the beginning, along with a tabloid.
5. The election fraud must be and can be stopped. The Health Department lists of the dead must be used each month to purge the voter rolls, as the law requires but has not been done for at least 2 years from what I learned. There are about 150,000 names sitting on those rolls of dead and moved voters that must be purged, and that can easily be done after the November 2004 election, when it is supposed to be done. The Gonzalez campaign must be sure it is done. The organizations that are known to have connections to the election fraud apparatus must have their connections to the City ended. They include SLUG, TURF, Glide Church, Amos Brown's 3rd Baptist Church, Nation of Islam, A. Phillip Randolph Institute and Walden House. There must be far more poll-watching at all the polls where there were problems in December 2003, and all other polls in the workingclass communities.
6. Please remember the workingclass is international and as tenants, our need for rent control, universal. We are black, brown, yellow, red and white, with the same enemy, in the same fight, and on that basis, we must unite.
Keep fighting!
1. A progressive, pro-tenant candidate must always take a strong stand on all workingclass issues throughout the campaign and not retreat.
2. The black vote, while small, remains the swing vote in San Francisco since it is usually a bloc vote. The same is true nationally and historically. It is for precisely that reason that the Democratic Party does everything it can to keep its 90% of the black vote nationally so as to perpetuate its constant goal of keeping the Reds out of office (and Greens too) by sounding militant and then when elected, carrying out the same capitalist agenda as the Republican Party since it is funded by the same corporations for the same reason: to perpetuate capitalism. It is long overdue that the Democratic Party be tossed out of the black community, which it does not represent and routinely abuses with election fraud, as it did in this election. Gonzalez won 36% of the 6619 votes of Bayview Hunters Point, a property owners community that is about 50% African-American, and most of the other 50% is also non-white. That is quite remarkable and proves with a strong campaign, he could win at least 50%, and probably more of Bayview. The key in that community is stopping the election fraud.
3. The socialist organizations in this town, most of whom consist of registered voters, must become more involved in local politics if they are to have any credibility and viability. These semi-annual peace crawls, consisting mostly of people who do not live in San Francisco, are no substitute for grassroots organizing, and it is that grassroots organizing that will bring far more people to the peace marches, and stop the election fraud. Remember, we have 764,000 people in San Francisco, yet celebrate when 200,000 turn out for the peace marches, when most of the 200,000 do not live here. This cannot continue. At the very least, the socialist community must run a candidate for supervisor in District 9 this year. Tom Ammiano should be retired; the Gonzalez campaign made that very clear.
4. The basic issue in every mayor's race since 1979 when rent control was established is rent control, and every tenant understands that. It is the defense of rent control by Gonzalez that moved the tenant community, who are 50% of the voters in, and only in, a high voter turnout election, to vote for Gonzalez. There is nothing more sacred in San Francisco to the workingclass than rent control. There must be massive voter registration and encouragement to vote absentee among tenants in every election by pro-tenant candidates. That will require phone bank follow-up to make sure people have signed up for receiving absentee ballots, and have completed it and mailed it as quickly as possible. It can be done and is far more important than TV ads and slick campaign literature. The tabloid was a sufficient campaign piece, the bonus campaign piece being the Tenants' Union's Anybody but Gavin leaflet, itemizing Gavin Newsom's horrible voting record. There was no need for all the slick campaign pieces, TV ads and the like. The biggest need was for campaign buttons, which were extremely popular among tenants, but hard to obtain. Those are much cheaper and good fundraisers as well. At $1 each, they sold as fast as they were made, and never enough were made. That is the one item that should be mass-produced from the beginning, along with a tabloid.
5. The election fraud must be and can be stopped. The Health Department lists of the dead must be used each month to purge the voter rolls, as the law requires but has not been done for at least 2 years from what I learned. There are about 150,000 names sitting on those rolls of dead and moved voters that must be purged, and that can easily be done after the November 2004 election, when it is supposed to be done. The Gonzalez campaign must be sure it is done. The organizations that are known to have connections to the election fraud apparatus must have their connections to the City ended. They include SLUG, TURF, Glide Church, Amos Brown's 3rd Baptist Church, Nation of Islam, A. Phillip Randolph Institute and Walden House. There must be far more poll-watching at all the polls where there were problems in December 2003, and all other polls in the workingclass communities.
6. Please remember the workingclass is international and as tenants, our need for rent control, universal. We are black, brown, yellow, red and white, with the same enemy, in the same fight, and on that basis, we must unite.
Keep fighting!
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