MoveOn Remains Silent on Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan

[laststeamtrain]

MoveOn Remains Silent on Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan
By Tom Hayden, AlterNet
Posted on May 27, 2009, Printed on May 27, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/140264/

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

<snip>

This is not a simple matter of an organizational oligarchy manipulating its membership, although the avoidance by MoveOn’s leadership is a troubling sign. There is genuine confusion over Afghanistan and Pakistan among the rank-and-file. The economic crisis has averted attention away from the battlefront. Many who voted for Obama understandably will give him the benefit of the doubt, for now.

Silence sends a message. The de facto MoveOn support for the $94 billion war supplemental reverberates up the ladder of power. Feeling no pressure, the Congressional leadership has abdicated its critical oversight function over the expanding wars, not even allowing members to vote for a Decmber report on possible exit strategies. In the end, a gutsy sixty voted against HR 2346 on May 14, but many defected to vote for the war spending, including Neil Abercrombie, Jerry Nadler, Obey, Xavier Becerra, Lois Capps, Maurice Hinchey, Jesse Jackson, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Patrick Kennedy, Charles Rangel, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Loretta Sanchez, Rosa De Lauro, Bennie Thompson, Jerry McNerney, Robert Wexler, and Henry Waxman. .

<snip>

Appropriations chair David Obey in essence granted Obama a one-year pass to show results in Afghanistan. If the war appears to be a quagmire by then, he claimed, the Democrats will become more critical. Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered the same message; according to the Washington Examiner on May 6: “There won’t be any more war supplementals, so my message to my members is, this is it.” Pelosi’s words were carefully parsed, saying that the White House would not be allowed another supplemental form of appropriation, which is different from an actual pledge to oppose war funding.

This one-year pass means that the grass-roots peace movement has a few months to light a fire and re-awaken pressure from below on the Congress and president. In the meantime, here are some predictions for the coming year:

<snip>

BUDGET PRIORITIES: Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will deeply threaten the administration’s ability to succeed on the domestic front with stimulus spending, health care, education and alternative energy. Prognosis: false hope for “guns and butter” all over again.

<more>

http://www.alternet.org/story/140264/moveon_remains_silent_on_wars_in_iraq%2C_afghanistan_and_pakistan/

[MADem]

1. Gee, they sure couldn't shut up during a Presidential Primary, now, could they?

They're "off my list" since they decided they couldn't wait until post-convention to make an endorsement.

I'm fine with the job Obama is doing, so my ire isn't directed at him at all, it's just that I thought their insertion of themselves into the primary election process (gee-- they couldn't manage to do it in the previous contest), when they had donors who supported other candidates, was dead wrong and a plain effort to game the system and make themselves into Power Players.

For that reason, they'll never get a dime from me again, ever.

Nothing to do with the war.

Funny how the decisions of a few opportunists can affect an entire organization's outlook and focus--to say nothing of their donor pool.