There is currently an ongoing dispute in Sacramento concerning protests against the war in Iraq at the downtown intersection of 16th Street and Broadway. While not especially large, it is a symbolic location because the Tower Theatre, a beloved old movie theatre that predates World War II, sits astride the intersection. Protests have been periodically taking place at this location for about the last year or so.

For those of you interested in the circumstances of this controversy, with the typical personality conflicts, go here and here, but my emphasis in this blog entry is upon the extent to which this dispute reveals more serious political inadequacies in what remains of the antiwar movement nationally.

As I posted on the indybay.org website, shorn of minor, ancillary issues:

Personally, as someone who resides in Sacramento, I have only attended this protest a couple of times, primarily because it became evident to me that it is more an anti-Bush protest in the guise of an antiwar one.

The protests, at least the times that I attended, focused exclusively upon Bush and the Republicans, with an understandably strong emphasis upon their "lies", implicitly supporting the intellectually dishonest position that the Democratic Party leadership in the House and Senate only voted for the Iraq war because they had been mislead. It is a "lie" that is as equally brazen, and as equally offensive, as the lies that Bush told to frighten much of the public into supporting the war.

In fact, 21 Democratic senators bravely went against the President, Senate Minority Leader Daschle and House Minority Leader Gephardt and voted against the resolution authorizing military force against Iraq, making much the same case, as did many prominent outside critics, like Hans Blix and Scott Ritter, that we make today, almost 4 years later. At least Bush stands by his war, however ineptly, while the Democrats cravenly manufacture excuses for their complicity.

I don't recall ever seeing any signs condemning people like Hillary Clinton, Joseph Biden, Joseph Lieberman and Dianne Feinstein for their votes for the war and their continued support for the occupation. Nor I have I recently heard that this event has begun to emphasize the prospect of a war against Iran, a war that, if launched, will have the same strong bipartisan support (Clinton is especially hawkish in this regard) that the war and occupation in Iraq does.

I have no doubt that the organizers and participants are sincere in their efforts, but, the reality is that the occupation is now over 3 years old, with no signs of being terminated, and with no real prospect that the Democratic Party will push for it, as we move forward towards a war in Iran. Sadly, the rallies at 16th and J have nothing to say about this, because they are centered solely around the historical and political fiction that the war and occupation are solely the preserve of the Republicans.

If there are people and organizations willing to organize protests, speaking events and presentations that honestly address the war and the real challenges in bringing it to an end in the face of bipartisan support for the indefinite occupation of Iraq, I'm interested.

Of course, that may mean there will initially be a lot less people there, because it will involve confronting Democrats as well as Republicans. But there are people elsewhere arond the country already doing so, and it must be possible to learn from them. It will also involve speaking out against a war against Iran NOW, instead of doing so from a position of moral righteousness after it is happens.

Again, this will be difficult, but my personal view is that our ability to mobilize opposition to the militarism of the US is enhanced by addressing it truthfully, even if it will initially encounter significant opposition, than by promoting a mythology that it is primarily associated with George Bush and the Republican Party.

It has always been my strong belief that any protest movement, or any political activity, for that matter, must have a strong substantive foundation and engage people with sincerity. Unfortunately, and it is unpleasant to have to say this, the antiwar movement in America today, because of its attempt to square the circle, and provide forums for opposing the war within the context of support for the Democratic Party, fails miserably on both counts.

It is this constraint that requires organizers to promote rallies around the mendacious principle that the Democratic Party leadership in the House and Senate voted for the war because they were mislead. People see through such nonsense very quickly, and disassociate themselves from it.

Finally, it is enlightening to observe how Democratic Party operatives respond to the more rigorous approach of CODEPINK:

The Take Back America conference, an annual event held in Washington DC this year from June 12-14, is supposed to be a venue for prominent progressives to gather and debate the major issues of our day. Their aim is to "provide the nation with new vision, new ideas and new energy." But choosing New York Senator and probable presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a keynote speaker and then stifling dissent against her pro-war position hardly seems the stuff of a new vision for America.

The peace group CODEPINK is widely known for bringing its anti-war message to the halls of power, including inside the Republican National Convention and at President Bush's Inauguration. But it has also targeted Democrats such as Hillary Clinton who support the war. "We have a campaign called Birddog Hillary," says CODEPINK's New York coordinator Nancy Kricorian. "We follow her around the entire state asking her to listen to the voices of her constituents and stop her support of Bush's 'stay the course' policy in Iraq. So far, she hasn't been listening."

Fearing that CODEPINK would openly confront Clinton on her pro-war policy, the organizers of Take Back America entered into negotiations with CODEPINK a few days before the conference. "We had lengthy discussions where they pleaded with us not to protest during her keynote breakfast address," explained Gael Murphy, one of the cofounders of CODEPINK. "Instead, we were told that we could distribute flyers explaining Hillary's pro-war position to the crowd inside and outside the hotel, and we would be called on to ask her the first question after the speech. We agreed."

However, when CODEPINK showed up on Tuesday morning in advance of Clinton's speech, the security guards refused to allow them to pass out flyers, even outside the hotel. "Take Back America violated the agreement from the moment we arrived," said Ms. Murphy. "Even though we had a table inside the conference, burly security guards blocked us and informed us that it was a private event, that we were not welcome, and they escorted us out of the building. We telephoned the conference staff who then told us that we couldn't enter the hotel, couldn't leaflet the event, the hallways-anywhere. They went back on their word and tried to quash even peaceful, respectful dissent."

A few CODEPINK women did manage to get inside the breakfast, however, as they were legitimate ticket holders. Once inside, the CODEPINK women soon realized that they had been deceived about the second part of the agreement: They would not be allowed to ask the first question, or any question, because Hillary Clinton would not be fielding questions from the audience. "We were really upset that we had been lied to by Take Back America, and that there would be no space at this 'progressive conference' to have a dialogue with Hillary Clinton about the most critical issue of our time-the war in Iraq," said Katie Heald, DC coordinator for CODEPINK. "We got up on our chairs holding up our hands with the peace sign, and were pulled down from the chairs. We tried to take out our banner that said "Listen Hillary: Stop Supporting the War" and it was grabbed from us. And when Hillary started talking about her Iraq strategy, criticizing Bush but not posing a solution, we shouted 'What are YOU going to do to get us out of Iraq,' but she ignored us."

Yes, it must have been a shock for the organizers of the event to encounter such confrontational tactics given their past experiences with the acquiescence of antiwar activists to the electoral urgency of Democratic candidates. I'm sure that they thought, do whatever you need to do to keep these people away, because they have no choice but to vote for us. A common instance of the contempt by which the Democrats hold anyone who participates in politics for reasons other than personal expediency.

Personally, I remain ambivalent about CODEPINK because I sometimes see these kinds of actions as a kind of fashion statement activism ("I yelled at Hillary! and she blinked for a moment!"). I wonder if they constitute a faux form of direct action, combining the excitement and fear associated with civil disobedience with a low risk of actual arrest and prosecution. I have, however, talked to some of the participants of CODEPINK in the past, such as Gael Murphy herself, one of the women quoted in the article, and their commitment to these issues cannot be questioned.

Regardless, I acknowledge that CODEPINK seeks, in its own inimitable way, to reinforce the integrity of the movement by requiring accountability from everyone associated with the war and occupation of Iraq. It is a concept that the organizers of the antiwar protests at 16th and Broadway, and the rest of the country, might seriously consider as a way out of their current predicament.

Labels: Activism, Democrats, Iraq War, Occupation of Iraq, Sacramento