An Open Letter to Democrats - Listen to Galloway and Learn Something

[Al-CIAda]

An Open Letter to Democrats
Listen to Galloway and Learn Something

By STAN GOFF

Dear Democratic Elected Officials of the United States (with damn few exceptions),

I am writing this open letter to call your attention to the remarks made day before yesterday, May 17, 2005, to the United States Senate, by British MP George Galloway of the independent Respect Party. I do this because he serves as an example of why your party should be abandoned by the U.S. working class, by U.S. women, by oppressed nationalities in the United States, and by anyone who professes to be a progressive or a leftist.

George Galloway did that for which you have proven incapable; he spoke as an opposition. Since there seems to be a great dark space in the middle of your heads where the notion of opposition should be <caron> a void filled by parliamentary molasses and the pusillanimous inabilty to tell simple truths <caron> I suggest you all review the recordings of Galloway's confrontation with Republican Senator Norm "Twit" Coleman to see exactly how effortless it is to stand up to these cheap political bullies (watch the video). While you are at it, you can watch your colleague Carl Levin demonstrate exactly what I mean about most of you and your party, as he alternately hurls petulant cream-puff insults at Galloway and kisses Coleman's stunned, clueless ass to give that toothy dipshit some comfort in the wake of Galloway's verbal drubbing.

----
Here's a hint.

People follow those who speak plainly and fight. Aside from Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, and Cynthia McKinney (not surprisingly Black women who know where it goes if you let rich white men get away with giving you a bunch of shit) and a precious few others, the Democratic Party is not only just another party controlled by big capitalists; it is not even a good *capitalist* opposition party (much less a real opposition).

You don't deserve anyone's support, not even as a tactical matter any longer, because you end up doing ritual verbal combat then give the "cornpone Nazis" of the Republcan Party any goddamn thing they want. That's why Galloway rhetorically spanking that soap-opera-looking shitbird was the most satisfying thing many of us have seen in months.


----

con't-

http://counterpunch.org/goff05192005.html

[hector459]

1. Time is right for a third party. It could happen! n/t

[JRob]

7. Until we abolish the electoral college there will never be a viable...

third party. Of course if Frist succeeds in eliminating the filibuster we may not even have a viable second party (although their viability is pretty much already in question).

Our only option may be revolt.

[Tesha]

13. Actually, the Electoral College has nothing to do with Congress...

Actually, the Electoral College has nothing to do with Congressional
elections and is no obstacle at all to a third party winning some
of those; they're settled state by state (Senate) and district-by-
district (the House).

Piss off a few more liberal voters and the Democratic Congress
critters could start seeing themselves displaced by a third-party
on the left. (Bernie Sanders is the shining example right now.)

Tesha

[JRob]

16. Correct, I understand that but...

I still believe that until a third party has a legitimate shot at the WH that the prospects for congress are weak on the larger National scale...

[GirlinContempt]

2. Might be time for

a new SYSTEM

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Right on. The current system doesn't cotten to well to third parties

or representive democracy.

[GirlinContempt]

4. I'd be more in favour

of participatory democracy. And I think party systems are failing. But, really, at this point it's starting to look like ANY change would be a good change.

[cquik18]

5. Amen!

The jive-asses who pose as Democrats, like Joe Biden and Harold Ford JR. (BOTH of whom voted FOR the bankruptcy bill that's going to rip Americans a new one) ain't hearing it, though...most of the Dems on Capitol Hill are mealy-mouthed, jive-turkey, milquetoast knee-pad queens...VOTE THE RAT BASTARDS OUT!

"I'm George Galloway, BIYATCH!"

[JRob]

6. Love it... He certainly showed the DEMs what it means to "have a pair"

[Apollo11]

8. In Glasgow, everyone talks like that ...

Galloway is nothing special. And he is not like some great genius who has all the answers. He is on record (and on videotape) kissing Saddam's ass (metaphorically) - saying how he salute's Saddam's courage. Galloway supports the insurgents who carry out the suicide bombings and car-bombings (at least he doesn't speak out against them). He describes the ELECTED Iraqi government as a "puppet" of the Bush Administration, which is more evidence that he supports the insurgents. So if you think this guy is the future of politics in the free world, I cannot share your opinion.

If a left-liberal third party stood a chance - then Nader would have got more votes than he did in the last 2 elections. The best hope lies in building support for progressive democrats who tell the truth - including about the Iraq war. People like Al Gore, Howard Dean, Barbara Boxer, Michael Moore, and others ...

www.algore-08.com

:)

[CWebster]

10. stick around for awhile and get a clue.

You don't even realize that you are parroting US propaganda as truth. It never even occurs to you to question it - but then claim the best path for US politicians is the truth.

[viva la resistance]

11. Very true. I don't feel his guilt or innocence has anything to do with

what he said about our administration. Its not like his
credibility makes it any less true. He said what we all would
kill for a chance to do and that is beat them senseless with
the fact our administration has blood on their hands big time.
Galloway was awesome I've never, ever seen a Senator get ass
raped on live T.V. or anywhere in that case. lol

[JRob]

17. Ah, I believe the comment was about "having balls" not about...

the man's politics or intellect...

Diplomats and politicians that are TRULY attempting to resolve issues by peaceful means tend to try NOT to alienate those from whom they are seeking something... Obviously you must know the man's mind as you choose establish (for him) positions on issues that you have no facts on. Stating that he "supports the insurgents" is your opinion based on very republican like logic... I was expecting to read "he doesn't support out troops". Finally, I have not personally read anything about Galloway being "the future of politics in the free world" and that is not my opinion.

I have never voted for Nader or any third party for reasons that I need not explain here. However the viability of third parties and Nader suffer at the hands of the established Democratic and Republican parties. Read some of the allegation of Nader as to how he has been faced by one road block after another.

[MsUnderstood]

19. The point is Apollo

regardless of Galloways previous actions, when the Bush administration called him to testify based on lies and forgery, instead of tucking his tail and saying "I'm sorry, master, please forgive me. . ."

He fought back, described the lies, and used the opportunity to put them on the defense for their bullshit.

If Kerry had done a bit more of that rather than saying "I still would have voted to give the president the okay for the Iraq war. . .my war record stands on its on merit. . .Here is what I will do as president (but failing to hammer on the president again and again on what he did wrong). . ."

Some democrats think fighting back is the wrong avenue cause it brings us to their level. Some say that it is better to remain peaceful and have conversation (you can't have a battle of wits with an unarmed party). Galloway reminded us (to steal from Kenny Rogers) that sometimes you have to fight when you are a democrat. That being angry doesn't make us wrong.

I don't care about Galloway's past, what I loved was hearing his thick accident tell them "I told you so" again and again and again. I wish our Senators would stand up and do that every time.

I wish our Democratic party would call a press conference (and get it reported) to talk about the Newsweek scandal. I wish our Democratic party would talk again and again about the forged documents that our president used to call us to war. I wish our Democratic party would begin impeachment hearings on the president, knowing full well they won't get very far, if only to bring the administration out into the light and so that history can say they were few and brave (instead of few and cowardly).

[bvar22]

20. Welcome to DU. But man, you been living in the shadows.

"He describes the ELECTED Iraqi government as a "puppet" of the Bush Administration, which is more evidence that he supports the insurgents."

From Flush's mouth to the ears of the uninformed. If all you've been exposed to is the US Media, you have an excuse. But if you hang here very long, you will be expected to take responsibility for your knowledge of the facts and the logical validity of your positions.

I salute the Iraqi peoples' courage, but you DO know what they were voting for? Don't you? (HINT: US OUT of IRAQ NOW!!!)
Do you know about Bremer's 100 edicts, and how much real freedom an Iraqi government will have under US Occupation?

"The US administration expects the new Iraqi "government" to legitimize and enforce the Orders on behalf of US corporations. The "new" Iraq will look like a K-Mart with oil pumping stations.

"The elections were a US trap. The Iraqi people have been deceived into voting for a US government. Instead of ending the Occupation peacefully by the ballot box, Iraqis actually voted for the continuation of the Occupation and US domination. Western liberal elites and the "anti-war" organizers, who endorsed and hailed the elections as "praiseworthy," should be ashamed for not only betraying their own moral conscience, but also the Iraqi people."

The new Iraqi parliament is a farce. The Bush administration is using this farce as a model of colonial dictatorship, in which few (Iraqi) expatriates or natives are allowed to manage their own affairs, while the Occupation and US control of Iraq's oil resources will continue. In this way, the US will create legitimacy to its ongoing occupation of the Iraqi people. It is important to remember that just after the elections, the US refused to provide a timetable for troop withdrawal, and the US Occupation of Iraq was no longer the focus in Western and US media.

http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/041205Hassan/041205hassan.html

Please Google Paul Bremer 100 Orders and do a little reading. Not surprisingly, the US Media barely mentioned them.
"Puppet Government" is MUCH closer to the truth than Freely Elected Iraqi Government.


Your statement is a logical fallacy anyway. Telling the TRUTH about the Puppet Government does NOT imply support for the insurgents.
I can be against the US Occupation and not automatically for the insurgents. That assumption is bushspeak.

Again, welcome to DU. You are entitled to your opinion. I take issue with your other assertions, but enough for now.

[EST]

31. Had I your gift for eloquent accuracy combined with your obvious

ability to communicate it, I would...
However, I would like second your position and add a bit.

People come here for a variety of reasons including camaraderie, damage repair, investigative think-tanking, and, of course, much, much more. Probably high on the lists of most is the opportunity to learn. Although most of us show up with an armload of political notions, personal prejudices, and still smoldering from the fight, one thing that is simply a requirement is a mind open enough to warrant the label we are often hung with-tolerance-the tolerance that gives one the space to thoughtfully consider the "evidence" at hand and eagerly to reconsider one's position on any issue.

The one intolerance that is always welcome is that of which the BFEE is totally ignorant and, I fear, nearly all politicians sadly lacking, namely, integrity-an obvious quality of most who've been around here awhile.
That integrity demands, if the poster is serious, the responsibility of not spreading around such obvious crooks and liars talking points.

I feel like I'm lecturing (sigh.) Thanks for sharing so clearly.

[Apollo11]

43. rebuttal

I cannot accept that "the new Iraqi parliament is a farce". As far as I know it's not just Bush who wants the new Iraqi government to succeed. Most world leaders want the new Iraqi government to succeed. Certainly that's the position of the European Union (including France and Germany - who opposed the US-UK invasion of Iraq).

George Galloway seems to be staking out a different position on the far-left fringe. By saying that the elected Iraqi government is a "puppet" of occupying forces (US & UK) he does imply that it would be legitimate for those who oppose the occupation to seek to overthrow their new government by any means necessary. This is what I mean by supporting the insurgents - even if it's implicit rather than explicit. Galloway never condemns the insurgents because he holds Bush and Blair responsible for ALL the violence in Iraq.

Like if I was in France in 1941 I would have said that the Vichy regime was a "puppet" of the Nazi occupiers. So I would have felt justified in joining with the armed resistance to attack the agents of that regime, and of the occupying forces.

For George Galloway, Iraq in 2005 is in the same situation as France in 1941. For me, the situation is different, because I believe (hope!) that democracy can be made to work in any country. And even if I do not agree with the decisions that Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld and Blair-Straw have taken in the past 3 years, when I look ahead to the future, then I want the new Iraqi government to be successful.

I also believe that the Democratic Party can be a vehicle for positive change in the future, if we support leaders like Al Gore, Howard Dean, Barbara Boxer and others. The other view expressed here is that liberals should abandon the Democratic Party and put their efforts into building a Third Party. If you want to join the Greens then go ahead - but this Discussion Forum is primarily intended for supporters of the Democratic Party - no?

[xxqqqzme]

33. he's something special when

he speaks like that in the senate. He may B common as dirt in Scotland but he is way above any representative we now have.

[CWebster]

9. Well, they don't speak for us

They are locked into this contrived 80's version of the middle while they milk the corporate teat.

Kerry, for example, gave a morally indignant performance on the senate floor, but he still trumpets this illusion about Iraq, which is echoed in other DLC corporate types that can't utter the truth because they might threaten their AIPAC and K street funding.

That makes them USELESS to us.

[Al-CIAda]

12. Yes sir. n/t

[Al-CIAda]

14. .

[Al-CIAda]

15. .

:toast:

[hvn_nbr_2]

18. "cornpone Nazis"

:rofl: :spray:

[bvar22]

21. Why did Levin jump in to cover Normie's ass?? Because...

"Because Galloway didn't, as some are saying, expose the Republicans.

Someone with a full frontal lobotomy could expose a Republican politician.

He exposed the spinelessness of the Democrats."
Carl jumped in and closed ranks with the republicans to protect the Money Machine.

Have ANY other Democrats jumped in with an opinion on Galloway?

Where is the blind faith crowd? OMG, He bashed the Democrats. He must be on the bush* payroll!!!! We MUST remain unified no matter where the Democrats try to lead us!!

[Michael_Bush]

22. It was EASY for Galloway

The committe had no authority over him as a British citizen and lucky for all of us, the committe was dumb enough to allow him to soapbox and got exactly what they deserved.

While we DO need a bit more fire in our politicians, we DO also need to work together because the public at large (for better or more often worse) demands that we do.

That said, we still shy away from conflict when we shouldn't. America (the drooling public) knows Boxer was calling Condi a lier but she shied away from actually doing it when Condi challenged her. No matter which side you are on, it exposed Boxer as a wimp. I think Condi is an idiot but to many she look strong and commanding, something America wants right now.

The public at large wants to see politicians working together to make us safer. Rove is very talented at making us look like impotent fools and a little fire would cure that but I haven't seen many Democrats who can outsmart Rove.

[bvar22]

23. Rove is easy to "outsmart".

Simply stand and tell the truth. No strategy, no planning, no entrapment, no compromise is necessary. If a Galloway spoke from the floor and infront of the cameras every day, Rove would be history.

[Al-CIAda]

25. DittfuckingO!

:toast:

[rhett o rick]

27. Yeah right and if chickens could fly - somethin somethin - Do u really

that the repukes would let him do that again? The Dem's wouldn't even let him. He exposed the emperor without clothes, embarrassing both Parties. You say telling the truth will win out. Where, on the street corner. You can't get the truth in the media. Maybe on AirAmerica. That ain't going to hurt Rove one bit. He is in the drivers seat so hold on tight.

[Al-CIAda]

28. BULLSHIT EXCUSES.

Where is DEAN on these LIES? He will be on the Sunday shows. Will he speak out on this? On the Downing memo? What about Kerry? What about the issue whoring Hillary? ANYFUCKINGBODY in so-called 'leadership'???

[bvar22]

32. We can start by demanding...

...that the people we pay to represent us actually do their jobs.

The pot is simmering, but hasn't yet begun to boil. The ESTABLISHMENT Democrats were FORCED to make a concession to us. THEY WERE FORCED to elect Dean to the Chair. They actually opposed him and supported a pro-Corporate lackey, but the VOICES from the grassroots (OUR VOICES) frightened the Establishment Dems into throwing us a bone. They are working to undercut Dean, but are VERY aware of who he represents and the power of the grassroots GIANT that has been awakened.

I understand your cynicism, but you (we) really have no other choice but to keep screaming LOUDER.

The Democratic Party would be very foolish to bet that they can pull the same move to the right for CorpoMoney shit they pulled in 2004. The Democratic Party got away with running as Republican-Lite and taking the LEFT for granted in 2004, and we still held our noses and voted for the Party, but it won't happen again.

Lead, Follow, or get out of the way.

[Michael_Bush]

29. So, that working pretty good so far eh?

Problem is you can't handle the truth. Actually, I am sure you can but I just had to say that.

Seriously, the problem is the public has no way of knowing the truth. Fox says one thing, "we" say another and they don't trust the media becaus of "mistakes".

Rove set up Rather and Rather bit, hook, line, and sinker. Strike one. Newsweek bit, strike two. Hopefully the media starts doing its job of askiing HARD questions AND keeping in mind that anything they get from the pentagon or the white house may be yanked out from under them.

Same goes for politicians, when people like Boxer drop the ball, we look like idiots further reinforcing peoples opinion that what we say isn't worth listening to.

[Al-CIAda]

30. More BS you are shoveling, sorry. Speak the truth with force and convictio

conviction, armed with proof and FACTS.

YOU can't handle the truth. Our 'leaders' are either PUSSIES or COMPLICIT!

[Al-CIAda]

24. I agree with you on some points, but say Bullshit on parts you contradict

yourself.
-----
"While we DO need a bit more fire in our politicians, we DO also need to work together because the public at large (for better or more often worse) demands that we do.

That said, we still shy away from conflict when we shouldn't. America (the drooling public) knows Boxer was calling Condi a lier but she shied away from actually doing it when Condi challenged her. No matter which side you are on, it exposed Boxer as a wimp. I think Condi is an idiot but to many she look strong and commanding, something America wants right now.

The public at large wants to see politicians working together to make us safer. Rove is very talented at making us look like impotent fools and a little fire would cure that but I haven't seen many Democrats who can outsmart Rove."

-----

You are saying Boxer should have called her a liar (Which I STRONGLY agree) yet you also say the people don't want that -yet they see Boxer as a wimp for not doing it. Boxer would have been viewed as the 'strong and commanding' if she called a lying sack of shit, a lying sack of shit.


Carl Rove simply goes where the decent do not go, and isn't afraid to attack 'strengths' with outright LIES.

WE NEED TO CALL THEM ON THIS, fuck.

[CWebster]

26. "Working together"

means Dems must bow to the bullies' will and if they don't succumb then the bullies will change the rules.

That isn't working together--that is working alone.

Good piece on the subject:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/225017_galloway20.html

[Al-CIAda]

44. Good piece. n/t

[Dr Fate]

34. You want DEMs to speak the blunt, 100% TRUTH about Republicans????

What are you a "DEM basher" or somthing?

[Al-CIAda]

35. Kick...now more than ever (5/22/05)...

[Al-CIAda]

36. .

[Al-CIAda]

37. .

[Al-CIAda]

38. Once more...bump

[ClassWarrior]

39. Send this to your elected Dems - ALL OF THEM!!!

Let them know how we expect - no, DEMAND that they act!!!

NGU.

[Al-CIAda]

40. Good idea, damned cowards. n/t

[Ksec]

41. Can we draft Galloway to come here? Seriously ..nt

[Al-CIAda]

42. Unreal isn't it. I almost say we deserve what we get.

A nation of fools and vegtables.