Why is Tom Hayden Surprised?

The Defunding of the Peace Movement -Grassroots ‘One Million Doors for Peace’ Push Begins Instead
by Tom Hayden [The Nation, August 15, 2008)
Last December I wrote an optimistic cover story for The Nation predicting that “peace advocates will likely have the best funded antiwar message in history” during the coming election year, as “tens of millions of dollars will be raised for voter education and registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns through the 527 committees which disseminate election messages independent of partisan candidates. ...”

...It was downhill from that point, for reasons that may never be explained.

Contrary to what Mr. Hayden may imply, it is obvious why money being sent to peace movements has fallen off. When people gave money to peace and social organizations that supposedly supported an end to the war, and when those organizations (like moveon and common dreams) turned that money over to support and promote the corporate democratic candidates without ever getting a concession, that is when I stopped supporting them. They never supported Kucinich, much less Nader or Green Party McKinney. Why is that? Are they beholden in some way to not upsetting the corporate status quo?

Has Tom Hayden ever supported a progressive candidate in the past 20 years, other than occasional lip service?

He never really gave Kucinich and Mike Gravel, much less Nader and Green Party McKinney, a voice. Those are the candidates that spoke on issues that the peace movement wanted to hear. And they were silenced and excluded from the debate. I didn’t see Hayden speak of the outrage of that action (or Obama or Hillary for that matter). Why? They don’t care about protecting the democratic process when it gets in the way of their victory.

Just think, if Tom Hayden has supported Kucinich (or Nader or McKinney) and allowed any of them to carry forward the peace message, there would have been a different conversation going on today. It would have given the peace movement an important step up in the pubic eye. It is not too late.

Tom Hayden, are you listening? Please support any true progressive candidate. Are you telling me that you can't find anyone among them who share the same important values as you? Can you tell me what values you share with Obama on the important issues? Other then you think he might be 'electable?' Oh, that is the main reason? Now I feel better.

"I'd rather vote for what I want and not get it, than vote for what I don't want and get it." Eugene Debs