The Next Ned Lamont?

The implications of the Lamont victory are still being hashed over.
One thing is certain; it is a victory for the overwhelming majority of Americans that think the Iraq War was a mistake and want our troops to leave.

It’s certainly a vote against the corporatist monopoly of our government and in my opinion, a vote against our “special relationship” with Israel.
Israel is no longer a tiny nation struggling to be born. It is a heavily armed military giant who is raining hellfire down on unarmed civilians and has been in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions as well as acting like it has never heard of the Geneva Conventions.
I just think Americans don’t like to see their hard earned tax dollars funding genocide and territorial ambitions: theirs or ours.

Progressive anti-war challengers are having a difficult time running against incumbent Democrats who have worn out their welcome with voters. Defeating a Republican candidate will be a snap after their battle to defeat the right wing ideologues and the failed political strategists within their own party.

One has to ask why the Democrats didn’t display any of the determination, sly manipulation and unity that they unleashed against progressives in their own party in trying to defeat the neo fascist agenda of the Bushists.

Hilary Clinton whom I will actively campaign against if she should decide to run for President in ’08 has a credible challenger for her Senate seat, Jonathon Tasini.
He is a writer, organizer and strategist and favors a populist agenda on economic and labor issues.

Tasini is against indiscriminant military adventurism in the Middle East and trade agreements that shaft American workers. He is for universal healthcare. Senator Clinton currently supports none of these sensible positions.
Tasini has a close relationship to Israel, (he has lived there and half of his family still do) but it hasn’t blinded him to the misguided hubris of its leadership. He thinks the US should take an active role in the peace process between Israel and Palestine and not support the current brutality and overreach.

He is currently being prevented from participating in the senatorial debates to be aired on a Time Warner affiliate NY1 on August 22nd. Using an “invented strategy” of the amount each candidate has in their campaign war chests, they invited a wealthier but less popular candidate to participate while giving Tasini the cold shoulder. Tasini is polling at 13% and the other candidate at a mere 5%.

It is an outrage and an indictment of our system of campaign financing that allows corporations to decide what the public should and shouldn’t know.
You can write the powers that be Robert.Hardt@ny1news.com or call Mr. Hardt, the Director of Politics at NY1 at 212-379-3330 and ask him to relent.
Here is my email.
As you can read, I am getting short tempered with media moguls screwing around with our one and only country.

Mr. Hardt,
Media have a responsibility in a representative democracy to operate in the public interest; to make certain that citizens have the information they need to make an informed decision.
In exchange for that service you are allowed to use and profit from the public air waves.
Your refusal to allow Mr.Tasini, a legitimate candidate for the US Senate to participate in the senatorial debates is an outrage.
It is not your right to decide who voters hear. It is your responsibility to make certain they hear everyone.
Almost everyone agrees that the number one issue in the upcoming election is the war in Iraq. Senator Clinton voted for this war and continues to support it. Mr. Tasini does not.
Given the stark differences between these candidates and the seriousness of the issue, it is unconscionable for you to block his participation.
It is every bit as bad as the disservice you did to this country when you and other corporate media knowingly repeated the deliberate lies of the Bush administration and misled this nation into an illegal and murderous war.
Now it appears you want to keep Americans from understanding that there is a way to force the leadership of this nation to end its criminality.
Carol DW