View From The Left Coast

Mike Thompson recently voted for a measure aimed at doing more spying on American citizens, has voted in favor of continued funding for the illegal occupation of Iraq, and has voted in favor of bills to enable the Bush administration to keep Guantanamo prison/torture camp open. Even though the Courts have ruled it is a violation of US law to do so. Last month Mike voted for a little thing called the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act” (Look it up. If you liked HUAC, you’ll love this) It was written by another Blue Dog Democrat, Jane Harman. While Mike SAYS he’s against the war, against torture, against spying on Americans, his voting record says otherwise. So why would Democrats vote for a guy who talks Democratic but votes (and works, as treasurer of the Blue Dog PAC) against Democratic values? Beats me.

On the other side of the spectrum is Dennis Kucinich. He’s a Democratic Congressman too, from Ohio. He was one of six Congress members (out of 406) to vote against the New HUAC. Kucinich hasn’t gotten a lot of press (he was just excluded from the Democratic debate in Iowa because his campaign manager had the gall to work out of his home) because he doesn’t have millions of dollars, isn’t a TV star, and had the effrontery to sponsor a measure to impeach Dick Cheney. Under our system, that means he’s toast politically. But if you want to take the trouble, look up Kucinich’s record, and compare it to Thompson’s. Then ask yourself who more closely reflects your values.

Kucinich is also the ONLY Democratic candidate who has consistently voted against the war, against domestic spying, against torture and against NAFTA and the WTO. Hillary and Obama have voted FOR the war, FOR domestic spying, and are in favor of invading Iran. Mike too.

And in the past seven years, can you name ANY humanitarian, human rights or peace measures that have passed through Congress? And how many Attorneys General who pushed for torture, how many invasions, surges, violations of treaties and kidnappings, murders and tortures have been committed in our name? Plenty.

So Mike and his friends are getting SERIOUS money from people who profit from war, drugs, and keeping health care unaffordable because they are all on the same team. And Kucinich gets to sit out the debate.

And the hole gets deeper and deeper.