Tom Hayden: The Silence of MoveOn

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090608/hayden

The Silence of MoveOn
By Tom Hayden

May 26, 2009

The most powerful grassroots organization of the peace movement, MoveOn, remains silent as the American wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan simmer or escalate.

When he met with Obama in February, Jason Ruben, executive director of MoveOn, told the president it was "the moment to go big," then indicated that MoveOn would not oppose the $94 billion war supplemental request, nor the 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, nor the increased civilian casualties from the mounting number of Predator attacks.

What was MoveOn's explanation for abandoning the peace movement in a meeting with a president the peace movement was key to electing? According to Ruben and MoveOn, it was the preference of its millions of members, as ascertained by house meetings and polls.

The evidence, however, is otherwise. Last December 17, 48.3 percent of MoveOn members listed "end the war in Iraq" as a 2009 goal, after healthcare (64.9 percent), economic recovery and job creation (62.1 percent) and building a green economy/stopping climate change (49.6 percent--only 1.5 percent above Iraq.) This was at a moment when most Americans believed the Iraq War was ending. Afghanistan and Pakistan were not listed among top goals which members could vote on.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090608/hayden">Continued...

:kick:

And to think I was even someone who put on "Bake Sales" for Moveon.....

Times change, don't they?

Corporate Lobbyists still have entrenched power while progressives are totally decentralized in power for random - often selfish - reasons. We quit large and somewhat influential groups and spread our money thinly around an endless array of weak, vain and impotent ad-hoc organizations.

Sorry, I don't mean to bag on you, personally, but it's been the same for years and it frustrates me to no end.

and now again.

the "pea-soup fog" effect of emotions running high, the degree of fear & urgency, the rush so we miss the 'fine print' while moving forward. Easy enough to look back where we weren't the problem is teaching later generations the warning signs, the fear-mongoring....after all, THEY HAVE the PLAYBOOK on how to become a dictator/commander-in-chief, what do we have? We need central columns, tent poles values that we will not back away from but defend, no matter what their words/threats are.