Our Last Chance to Get the Country Back on Course

Here's a message for reluctant Democrats, feminists and independents who can't seem to make up their minds and back Barack Obama: consider the alternative, and get over your existentialist angst. Too many things are at stake this year for any of us to be able to afford allowing John McCain to be elected by default.

For those who don't understand what I'm talking about, a little history lesson might be in order. In 1968, after Robert Kennedy's assassination, many of his and Senator Eugene McCarthy's supporters refused to back Hubert Humphrey, which gave us Richard Nixon, a prolonged Vietnam War and Watergate. And we can thank all the self-righteous radical purists who voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 for eight years of George W. Bush, the Iraq War, soaring energy prices, a disastrous economic policy, governmental contempt for fundamental civil rights, and the most conservative Supreme Court in memory.

Do we want to get out of the Iraq quagmire? It will not happen if John McCain is elected in November. Do we want to preserve what's left of a woman's right to choose? John McCain considers his pro-life ideology to be non-negotiable. Whom do we want appointed to the Supreme Court? John McCain has promised more justices like Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Do we want a realistic energy policy? Barack Obama intends to look to Al Gore for advice; John McCain is likely to ask the oil companies whom they would like to see as energy czar.

President Ford's belief in the existence of a free Poland in the October 1976 presidential debate ("I don't believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union") more than a decade before the collapse of the Soviet Union has long been considered the quintessential campaign gaffe. McCain's reference to a non-existent "Iraq-Pakistan border" should at least be a flashing yellow light for those who expect a U.S. president to have a grasp of foreign policy nuances.

Respected Republicans like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Indiana Senator Richard Lugar and Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel have made it clear that they could live comfortably with, even be a part of, an Obama Administration. This should reassure independents and conservative Democrats alike.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Indiana Governor Evan Bayh are among the prominent Clinton supporters who now enthusiastically campaign for Obama. This, together with Hillary Clinton's repeated endorsements of her former rival, should reassure the New York Senator's constituency.

Respected independent Democrats like Vice President Gore, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Joseph Biden and James Webb, and former Senator John Edwards enthusiastically back Obama. This should conclusively refute any suggestion that Senator Obama is somehow out of the mainstream.

Senator Clinton has called the Bush Administration's ever-increasing restrictions on women's access to birth control "a gratuitous, unnecessary insult to the women of the United States of America . These rules pose a dire threat to women's health, to health-care providers, and to uninsured and low-income Americans seeking care. It is a disgrace, but unfortunately it is not a surprise." McCain, meanwhile, refuses to even comment on why some insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control medication.

This leaves the scurrilous rumors that Obama is not a Christian (false), is a Moslem (false), has once upon a time been a Moslem (false), has taken his oath of office on a Koran (false), and that he and/or his wife Michelle somehow are terrorist or radical sympathizers (false, false, false). Senator Joe Lieberman will continue to try to scare elderly Jews in Florida into believing that Obama is less committed to Israel 's security than McCain even though Obama has an outstanding pro-Israel record, and failed flaks from the Bush White House will continue desperately disparaging Obama and defending McCain on cable news shows.

As the campaign heads toward November, anyone who thinks Al Gore would have made a better president than George W. Bush, that we should not have spent hundreds of billions upon billions of dollars on the Iraq misadventure that has cost thousands of lives, that a Gore Administration would have had better economic and energy policies than those that the next President will inherit, and that the next several Supreme Court appointments matter, must now confront one simple reality: John McCain will be more of the same, while Barack Obama will take us into a different direction. This election is our last opportunity to correct the course our country has been on for the past seven and a half years.

Menachem Z. Rosensaft is a lawyer in New York

Comments

[wwsword]

An Obama presidency would be disastrous for progressive democratic politics. There's no getting back on track with this guy if by getting back on track you mean moving back to and moving forward progressive values like civil and workers rights, feminism, and civil liberties.

[PublicAdvocate]

"And we can thank all the self-righteous radical purists who voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 for eight years of George W. Bush, the Iraq War, soaring energy prices, a disastrous economic policy, governmental contempt for fundamental civil rights, and the most conservative Supreme Court in memory."

No. Poor analysis. Lack of self reflection/weak core values make the Democratic party lose elections they should be landsliding. What about all the registered Democrats in Florida who choose Bush over Gore AND the Supreme Court who nominated Bush against the majority of Americans voters AND for Gore who ran a poor campaign and lost his home state of Tennessee AND for the cowardice of the Democratic majority in Congress to impeach Bush. The Democrats simply impose no check on Republican power.

Even Barack gave Bush a big win by siging away our Constitutional rights on FISA, giving retroactive immunity to telecoms and amnesty to the Bush/Cheny corp. retiring and admitting no wrong.

Nader is the true, the good and the authentic candidate and the clarion voice of Progressives for 40+ years.Fortunately, Ralph is running again and will be on the ballot on 45 states and can be written in in the remaining 5. Our nation has one last chance to restore Constitutional integrity, and the rule of law and justice.

[jcwtts1]

Thank you thank you thank you.... I've been saying it for months, not as well, but it is about time dems got it togeather.

[Mr Grey]

I agree. The choice couldn't be more clear for Democrats, Independents, Republicans, anyone who feels America is headed in the wrong direction.

[MissDirection]

Apparently Mr. Rosensaft is unfamiliar with central banking. He therefore hasn't a clue as to the real reason America is "off course".

[hoopesaz]

I think I smell Democratic fear mongering.

[FloridaShutterBug]

Thank you for a brilliant article. We can only hope voters with personal agendas, for whatever reason, will pay attention. We're so close now to the tipping point that I'm not sure our country can survive another four years of incompetence and self-interest.

This is the most important presidential election in my lifetime and I'm 64 years-old. I'm also a white, female Floridian who has lived in rural areas since I was 5 years-old. Will I vote for a black man for president? Absolutely! I believe with all my heart that he's our last chance.

Changing the way we run our country is our only hope of survival.

[MaddiK]

Al Gore lost not because of Nader, but because Bush"s brother teamed with Florida"s conservative officials and rigged the election " get your facts right. Democrats will NOT save the country, as we have been seeing how "much" Pelosi has been able to accomplish, or better yet, compromise. These career politicians are all in it for their own political gains, not for the country or the people. The only way to save our country is to vote for someone who"s truly on OUR side and not the big corporations like the other two parties. WWW.VOTENADER.ORG. It"s time for a REAL change.

[PublicAdvocate]

With a few notable Democratic exceptions such as Russ Feingold and Dennis Kucinich, Democrats simply go along with the Republicans too much of the time. The difference between McCain and Obama gets less and less as time goes on. Barack is now courting right wing religious conservatives with his faith based plan. Why vote for the lessor of two evils when Ralph Nader is available? The mediocre must not come at the expense of the good. Ralph has been fighting the good fight for 40+ years and is better qualified then either JM or BO to lead our nation out of its nose dive.
Democratic Examples:
*Not contesting the 2000 vote and conceding prematurely to Bush
*Voting to approve ultra right wing Supreme Court nominees Justice Roberts and Scalia
*Pelosi announcing that Bush will not be held accountable in her "impeachment is off the table" comment
*Voting for the anti-Constitutional Patriot Act that suspended Habeas Corpus and allows the President to name and imprison anyone he feels like as a "Terrorist"
*Voting for retroactive immunity for the telecoms and therefore anesty for the Bush/Cheney corp.
*Not ending the Iraq war immediately but continuing to fund Bush's disaster
*Allowing jobs to continue to be offshored and illegals insourced at the expense of American worker's and their families.
I challenge any "Progressive" to look at Nader's issues and plans at his website and compare them to Barack's and then draw your own conclusions.

[amcgovern]

I agree! If those people who voted for Nader never voted at all.. Bush still would of won. People need to stop blaming Nader. Nader is for the PEOPLE where Obama and McCain are not. Nader has 17 states including write-ins for ballots of this election and is still gathering more. Nader is the reason why we have the Clean Air Act. He has changed our country and people just ignore it. Democrats and Republicans are just about money just in different ways. Obama voted AGAINST making English the official American Language. France's official language is french, Germany's.. german.. America... nothing.

Vote Nader '08

http://statichub.com/writings/

[knowhelpnow]

Amen!!! If we don't unite what we face from global warming and and Mideast energy dependence will not only bring the USA down it will bring the world with it. These are not fluff stuff to joke about if we want a future for our children's children's we must UNITE.