- A Liberal's Eye View of the Democratic
Candidate's Forum in Philly; a look at the "liberal
media" and Former Democratic Party Chair, Governor Ed Rendell's
Opinion on Neocon Think Tanks and Media.
by Rob Kall, editor, OpEdNews.com, and in this case,
reporter and photographer (all photos by Rob Kall).
What they all agree on, Good news on Computer Voting,
lots of Pics.
I
went to the Democratic primary Presidential Candidates Forum in
Philly yesterday. At the forum, moderated by former
Crossfire host, Bill Press, seven of the nine Democratic declared
candidates participated. Southerners Edwards and Graham did not show.
Before the forum, I checked out the Dean Rally. The local paper
estimated 3000 people in attendance.
It was a big crowd, impressive, so early in the election race. Last
week, I attended a Dean "meet-up" in Princeton, NJ. My
impression of that event was that the people, in addition to wanting to
support Dean, are hungry to do SOMETHING. They want contact with kindred
political spirits. They want a place a forum where they can voice their
anger and frustration. Dean has effectively tapped into this cauldron of
emotions, and since about 40% of the US public feel that George W. Bush
stole the presidency, that's a lot of people with angry emotions.
Dennis Kucinich also had 25-50 visible supporters with banners and
signs in the vicinity of the Constitution Center. I didn't see any
groups of people supporting  any
of the other candidates. This tells me that Dean and Kucinich are where
the passion is in this early primary season. They were the first and
second place winners of the Moveon.org internet primary and they
continue to inspire people to take to the streets, to take action to
take back America.
 This Forum was
organized the the Sheet Metal Worker's Union, and Pennsylvania Governor
Ed Rendell, former general chairman of the Democratic Party.
There were about 700 Union leaders, 150 VIPs and about 40 members of
the press, including this row of video camera people from the networks
and beyond, including an Australian crew.
 Bill
Press's first question showed at least one area of agreement among the
seven candidates. He asked what they thought of the California
recall. They all said in one form or another that this was another
example of an attempt by the Bush administration, Karl Rove, the far
right, republicans to refuse to acknowledge the will of the voters, an
effort to steal another election.
Al Sharpton, undoubtedly the funniest, wittiest candidate that day
described the Bush teams approach as "Let's do it again until we
win." He added. We are experiencing a political hostile takeover of
the American political system." And commenting on Arnold
Schwarzenegger,
Joe Lieberman, the next funniest candidate of the day, said,
"Instead of focusing on the Terminator in California, focus on
getting the "job terminator" (Bush) out of Washington."
And on the chaos in California, he warned, "There is a danger that
we're going to look at this as another episode of Entertainment
Tonight.
Next, Press asked what each candidate would do for the economy.
Here too, the candidates had a lot to agree on-- that during the
Clinton presidency 22-23 million jobs were created, the deficit
was wiped out and a 5 trillion dollar surplus created. How Democrats are
the people who are fiscally responsible, that republicans no longer
balance budgets. Dean and Gephardt said to reverse the tax break. The
others said let the midle class keep their part, allow the abolishment
of the marriage tax to stand and reverse the breaks for the wealthy and
on inheritance.
At one point in the proceedings, Press, taking a glance towards the
audience, ad libbed, "Let's hear it for the liberal media.
Where are they?"
I popped up my hand, then, looking around, realized I was alone. I
pulled it down. It was a rhetorical question. A joke. And I took another
look at the fellow journalists and wondered if I really was a fellow
journalist. I applauded when a candidate said something I agreed with.
Every one of the other members of the press didn't. The difference is, I
identify myself as a partisan member of the media-- a progressive, tough
liberal.
I've heard from mainstream and former mainstream journalists that it's
unacceptable for journalists to express opinions on or off the job. It
can get you fired. Of course this doesn't apply to what Greg Palast
calls the "Foxified" media. There is news of Fox
News filing in court against Al Franken, for his use of the words
"Fair and Balanced," which they claim to have
trademarked. That's like a feces fertilizer plant trademarking the term
"tastes good,' or "Delicious aroma."
The point is that the right wing can censor, selectively report,
blatantly editorialize all they want and they play the Bush lie game.
The call a pile of crap a sweet smelling gift. This week Bush calls
forest rape-- handing forests over to commercial interests-- fire
protection. It's another sweet smelling pile of crap!
So, after the forum ended, I went up to Bill Press and told him I was
the lone media person to raise his hand. He smiled, then moved on to
more face time with the VIPs (even Smokin' Joe, the Boxing World Champ
was there with his entourage. )
Bill Moyers has said that the right has already started the class war.
Al Sharpton offers some strong barrages on the economic front.
Sharpton, replying to the economy question, said he would support a cap
on corporate CEO salaries. He said, "We need to absolutely expose
what deregulation has done to this country. If they can limit the
worksite, we can limit their greed."
Kerry said we want to keep the end to the marriage penalty and keep
the child credit but get rid of the high end of the Bush tax breaks and
put back the inheritance tax.
Sharpton and Kucinich oppose NAFTA.
Joe Lieberman commented on how Clinton took us "out of the
political wilderness." Sharpton, remarking that he's the only
ordained minister among the candidates, added, "Before you
can deal with the wilderness, you have to deal with the Burning
Bush."
Dean said that Bush is not funding homeland security, that one
third of cities are laying off police and firemen. "That's as dumb
as laying off soldiers during a war."
Gephardt, commenting on Bush's abject failure at building allies and
working diplomatically, said, "You, know, on the report card, where
it says 'plays well with others?' I think he got an 'F'. "
Al Sharpton said, "We can't turn out democrats if we don't turn
them on and we can't turn them on by acting like Republicans.
After
the forum was over, I had a chance to talk one on one with a few of the
candidates. I asked congressman Dennis Kucinich about voting theft.
What's the point of running for office if you know the votes are going
to be stolen like we know they were in Florida and like they probably
were in Nebraska, Georgia and Texas?
Kucinich
replied that he’s introducing a bill to deal with this in congress.
That's great news. It will require that all voting software be owned and
operated by the government, that there be a paper trail and that all
records will be accessible. It is absolutely essential that this be
fully in place and operational before the presidential elections.
Kucinich, in the post-forum press conference, said he
couldn't understand how any union could support a candidate who supported
NAFTA or the World Trade organization, and that anyone who had supported
the war was also an unacceptable candidate. He asked me how I
thought the forum went. I took it to mean how did I think he and the
others did. My quick answer was that it seemed like his presentation was
solid and well received. He spoke directly to the union members' needs and
interests.
But then, so did Gephardt, who has been collecting Union
endorsements left and right. (Hmm. I wonder if double entendre
applies here.) But Gephardt tells this story about how his mother
and father were union people and how he'll wield his presidential pen with
familial union thoughts at hand. I have to wonder who these sheet
metal workers, many of them big, bruising average Joes, will respond
to-- Gephardt, a big, broad guy who looks and talks like he just came off
a farm or Kucinich, a little, skinny, smart talking intense guy from an
Ohio city. Gephardt offered empathy and familial loyalty. Kucinich offered
rock solid support for their strongest policy needs. But it is so much in
the packaging. There's many a romance where the parties go for other
aspects besides the brains.
I told congressman Kucinich about opednews.com, that it
was a tough liberal, progressive news and opinion website. He thanked me
and said we need more of this kind of work and support.
I Couldn't resist getting this shot of me with Dennis Kucinich.
Just as I was getting ready to leave, I saw Governor Rendell standing,
apparently with an aide. I've been wanting to talk to Rendell for months.
After all, he was the general chairman of the Democratic
Party. I went up, introduced myself as publisher of a progressive
website, described how I'd written half a dozen articles on the need for a
democrat/ left counterpart to the neocon think tanks. What did he think of
the project John Podesta had put together (American Majority Institute)
and the one that George Soros had just put $10 million into (America
Coming Together?)
I wanted to ask Governor Rendell, because as the former general chair
of the Democratic party, in charge during the 2000 presidential elections,
he should know better than anyone about what the score is on this
question. As I've written in numerous
past articles, I believe that the left must create
counterparts to the billionaire funded right wing policy and advocacy
organizations, loosely labeled "think tanks" that the right has
wielded so effectively as weapons to systematically attack democrats,
president Clinton, and quite literally, the US government and its
democratic election process.
So I was pleased to hear him reply, "I like what Podesta is doing.
But that's number two. The first priority is we need a more aggressive
media." I asked him if he was familiar with Sheldon and Anita
Drobny's Anshell Media project. He was. (The Drobny's have committed $10
million in seed money to fund a liberal national radio talk show network.
Al Franken is a name often associated with being one of the radio talk
show hosts.)
At that point, Howard Dean, having finished with his one-on-one
on-camera interview with Bill Press came up to our group. Apparently the
two governors were getting together.
I walked out the front door of the Constitution Center. There, at the
other end of the mall was Independence Hall, where Jefferson and Franklin
and the other founders signed the constitution. I walked a bit lighter,
feeling buoyed by hope that we have a shot at taking back America, booting
Bush the lying thief out of office, and feeling good that I'm a part of
the "aggressive media" that Governor Rendell says we need,
feeling good that I was there to raise my hand to represent the liberal
media. Because next time, maybe more of us will be there, and more of us
will raise our hands.
A postscript. It occurs to me that if Ed Rendell feels we need a
more aggressive media, it's there waiting for him to help fund. While
opednews.com is a fast rising newcomer there are also a batch of
additional news and opinion web sites working hard to get the truth out--
moveon.org newsletter, commondreams, democraticunderground,
indymedia, alternet, buzzflash, tompaine, truthout,
smirkingchimp, guerillanews, makethemaccountable, peoplesvoice,
thesmokinggun, fair, tvnewslies, . To the best of my knowledge, most
of these, except for tompaine which has received strong funding, and
moveon.org, which is very successful at doing its own fundraising,
are working on a shoestring to survive.
Then there are the progressive print media with websites: MotherJones,
Utne Reader, The American Prospect, Progressive Populist, the
progressive, The Nation, In These Times. I have no doubt that
these are all helping to energize the awakening of a level of democrat
activism that hasn't been seen in decades.
Since my site is one of the web-only struggling sites, I'd like to see
the democratic party and its supporters come through with some funding to
help my site and the others. It's a major miracle what the sites listed
have done on a slender shoestring. I've heard that commondreams has had
some serious contributions and I am sure it has helped commondreams to
maintain their level of activity. Being in touch with a number of the more
accessible site leaders and founders, I know how tough it is for the
progressive media to survive. For most of us, it's not our day job. The
same people who are funding the big projects that might be could be and
hope to be should throw some serious money to the handful of liberal
progressive sites that are already getting the word out. This is an
investment that will pay off. Of course it doesn't just take millionaire
contributions. Howard Dean is on the cover of Time and Newsweek because
tens of thousands of people sent him average contributions of under
$100.00. We in the progressive media need the same kind of support. I just
got my $400 tax rebate from the government. I've earmarked all of it to
progressive causes and candidates. I think it's the best investment
I can make to hope for a good return in terms of quality of life for me
and my family. Think about it.
Rob
Kall rob@opednews.com
is publisher of progressive news and opinion website www.opednews.com
and organizer of cutting edge meetings that bring together world leaders,
such as the Winter Brain Meeting
and the StoryCon
Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story This
article is copyright by Rob Kall, but permission is granted for reprint in
print, email, blog, or web media so long as this credit is attached
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