No, hope does not gallop in like Paul Revere. And it certainly doesn't
arrive breathless from a corporate party convention.
Movements for peace and social justice can bring realistic hope -- not
with rhetoric but with the tough daily tedious uplifting work of political
organizing.
Yes, we'd be better off with John Kerry in the White House instead of
the Rove-Cheney-Bush regime. And the only way that's going to happen is if
enough people in swing states vote for Kerry on November
2.
But I'm already getting tired of the bulk email messages claiming that
Kerry is the embodiment of progressive dreams. Please. We can
simultaneously walk, chew gum and be clear about the reality that Kerry
embraces a centrist matrix of militarism and corporatism -- and, at the
same time, in a world of contradictions, it's extremely important that
George W. Bush lose the election on November 2... Let's not make stuff up.
And let's not imitate the Democratic Party's hype machine. Just because you
think people should hold their nose and vote for Kerry, don't act like
there isn't a stench.
Meanwhile, it's unfortunate some progressives feel compelled to claim
that overall the political differences between Kerry and Bush are
insignificant. Sounds righteous all right -- but for anyone who's been
paying attention to the Bush administration for nearly four years, it
shouldn't pass the laugh test.
I agree with the Greens For Impact
organization: "The presidential election of 2004 is not a debate about
voting your fears or voting your conscience. It is not an academic or
theoretical exercise. Real people's lives are at stake. Women, people of
color, the GLBT community, our nation's poor, and many others, save for the
privileged few, will face real consequences from the outcome of this
election. As a result, we must view the effect of our votes collectively,
not merely by what they mean to us as individuals."
I don't agree with people who say that it's not worth concerning
ourselves much about who wins, that we're powerless to affect the results.
Activists know firsthand that what we do, or don't do, can have profound
effects. Greens For Impact (which urges support for Green Party
presidential candidate David Cobb in safe states and Kerry in swing states)
points out: "In six states -- Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico,
Oregon, and Wisconsin -- the 2000 presidential victor won by fewer than
7,500 votes. The margins in 2004 will be potentially so slim that our
collective voice can have an IMPACT."
Will we be stuck with the likes of Bush, Cheney and Rove for another
four years? For the next three months, we should do a whole lot more than
hope not. We have less than a hundred days to go. Let's make each one
count.
Norman Solomon is co-author, with Reese Erlich, of "Target Iraq: What the
News Media Didn't Tell You." His columns and other writings can be found at
www.normansolomon.com.
