Howard Zinn and the responsibility of the electorate

[burythehatchet]

Howard Zinn: Obama "Is Going to Need Demonstrations and Protest and Letters and Petitions" to Do the Right Things

LS: Much of the performaces have to do with war -- and the direction we're headed in Afghanistan instantly leaps to mind. What do you think about Obama and the fact that he's following the trajectory of the Bush administration with the whole "war on terror"? You endorsed him, right?

Howard Zinn: Endorsed Obama? (Laughs.) Yes -- I endorsed Obama, I wanted him to win. I wanted Bush and Cheney out of there. I wanted change -- and the truth is I didn't have much choice. It was Bush or Obama. I chose Obama. And, in fact, I was hopeful. Not too hopeful, because I know something about American history. I know how much hope has resided in presidents, and I'm aware that presidents are political animals. I'm very much aware that Lincoln was a policitian and Roosevelt was a politician and, in fact, you might say the theme of my work is that we cannot depend on people in the White House. We can depend on people picketing the White House. So my attitude towards Obama has been watchful from the beginning in the sense that, okay, it's good to have Obama in there, I'm glad that he aroused a lot of people getting people involved in politics -- now I hope these people who have been aroused and energized will use that energy to push Obama in a direction different from the one he seems to be going in right now.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/130949/howard_zinn%3A_obama_%22is_going_to_need_demonstrations_and_protest_and_letters_and_petitions%22_to_do_the_right_things/

...or you can keep making excuses for him.

[stillcool]

1. Keep making excuses?

I understand that there are people who are appalled at what the new President has done, but I haven't heard of any of them picketing..well maybe Free Republic. Hell, people don't even call their Congressman, or Senator, when their about to pass legislation that directly affects their future. The idea of 'holding the President accountable' goes no further than saying how fucked up he is on the internet. It is such great theater though, isn't it?

[burythehatchet]

2. reading for comprehension would be a good start

[stillcool]

4. I was responding to your...

"Or you can just keep making excuses"...Did I not comprehend what you were inferring?

edit to add..I particularly liked this part of the article..

And if they want their children and children's children to live in a better world then they'd better get active and take a chunk out of the time that they're devoting to the rest of their lives and devote it to changing the world.

LS: Do you see any hopeful parallels between the kind of organizing that you saw decades ago and the organizing that some of the organizing that is going on now?

Howard Zinn: Yes, I do see parallels. We're still at the early stage of it. We haven't reached that level of action and organization and protest that we had in the 1960s, but as I go around the country I do see everywhere, there's a nucleus of a larger movement. There's a promise of a national movement in the fact that in every community I've been in there have been organizations and people who are active and doing things. So I'm hopeful, yes.

[Radical Activist]

3. Of course.

It can also be done from a standpoint of honesty and credibility. Flippant "same as the old boss" comments that equate Bush and Obama are not honest, not credible, and do nothing to help win people over or push Obama left. I've never heard Zinn take the approach. In the next paragraph he actually praises Obama, which is something a few posters here apparently hate doing.
You don't need to badmouth what Obama is already doing in order to encourage him to do more. He isn't Bush so a new tactic is called for. Zinn does that effectively in parts of this interview that you didn't paste.