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A Quote From Howard Zinn

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Orwellian_Ghost Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 09:11 AM
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A Quote From Howard Zinn

"Let's remember that even when there is a 'better' candidate (yes, better Roosevelt than Hoover, better anyone than George Bush), that difference will not mean anything unless the power of the people asserts itself in ways that the occupant of the White House will find it dangerous to ignore.....Today, we can be sure that the Democratic Party, unless it faces a popular upsurge, will not move off center. The two leading Presidential candidates have made it clear that if elected, they will not bring an immediate end to the Iraq War, or institute a system of free health care for all."

"They offer no radical change from the status quo. They do not propose what the present desperation of people cries out for: a government guarantee of jobs to everyone who needs one, a minimum income for every household, housing relief to everyone who faces eviction or foreclosure. They do not suggest the deep cuts in the military budget or the radical changes in the tax system that would free billions, even trillions, for social programs to transform the way we live."

"None of this should surprise us. The Democratic Party has broken with its historic conservatism, its pandering to the rich, its predilection for war, only when it has encountered rebellion from below, as in the Thirties and the Sixties."


http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/24/7261
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nichomachus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 11:23 AM
Response to Original message
1. Sadly, the Democratic Party
and Barack Obama are doing exactly what Hoover did -- trying to work within the paradigm that brought the mess about, aiming for incremental change instead of bold, dramatic strokes -- waiting, waiting, waiting, hoping things would get better and telling us things were getting better (when they weren't) -- keeping close to the corporate powers, and relying for solutions on the very people who created the problems in the first place. That was Hoover.

FDR took chances, made bold changes no one expected, worked outside the box, and didn't care if he made enemies or not.

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Kitty Herder Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 11:26 AM
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2. K&R
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maryf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 05:31 PM
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3. K&R nt
good to remember...
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Orwellian_Ghost Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 06:26 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. Only
strong and consistent levels of people's movements will move the government away from it's current rightwards tilt. Online petitions don't count.

:hi:
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maryf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-12-09 05:44 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. And they twist the online petitions anyway...
Besides if people really knew how invigorating it really is to get out there in real life, fliers, clipboard, or just voice, there'd be more of us...Gotta say though it was an onslaught of emails, calls, etc. that got single payer to be discussed at all recently...Any which way we can, but the fresh air is best!!:applause: keep makin' noise, OG!!
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TBF Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-11-09 05:32 PM
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4. K&R n/t
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