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 Smearing Code PinkPosted on Nov 6, 2007By Marie Cocco WASHINGTON—In the beginning—back when most Americans believed Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when Donald Rumsfeld was known for his quick verbal jabs and not the quagmire in Iraq, and when President Bush still could hope to be revered as a great wartime president—the women of Code Pink would stand quietly on the broad sidewalk in front of the White House and hope someone would pause to take their fliers. I never did. Nor did I see more than an occasional tourist pause briefly, more out of curiosity than agreement with the grandmotherly ladies in their pink windbreakers. The women were genial enough, but so far beyond where the collective mind of the American public was in 2003 and 2004—still in sync, if not in complete sympathy, with the president’s policies in Iraq—that they were easily ignored. They were ignored by Democrats. They were ignored by Republicans. And they were ignored by the Bush White House, which paid them no mind—even when they helped to organize massive anti-war protests—because Bush paid the tens of thousands of street protesters no mind, either. Now Code Pink, whose tactics have become increasingly confrontational and disruptive as the Iraq war has wound on, has become an applause line in a presidential speech. It is a turning point and an unnerving preview of ugliness still to come. “When it comes to funding our troops, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground, and less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters,” Bush said in a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation. This is not the most dangerous sophistry in which Bush has engaged over the past seven years. But it is a precursor to the Nixonian demonization of dissenters that looks to be a hallmark of next year’s presidential campaign, complete with the distortions and untruths that helped undo the presidential campaign of decorated war hero John Kerry in 2004 and ended the Senate career of Vietnam veteran and triple-amputee Max Cleland of Georgia. Deconstructing the Bush smear is simple. “Some in Washington”—notice no one is named—should spend more time worrying about terrorists and funding the troops. Well, Democrats in Congress have funded the troops, at the levels Bush has sought and sometimes with more money than he’s requested for Afghanistan and for veterans. In this sense, Democratic congressional leaders aren’t listening to either MoveOn.org or Code Pink. If they were, funding for military operations in Iraq would have been cut off by now. And, most likely, the abysmally low public approval ratings that Congress gets in national polls would be higher. Though MoveOn.org is linked to Democrats (it was started in protest of the Clinton impeachment and routinely funds Democratic candidates), Code Pink is not. The group has been almost as critical—and practiced its unnerving, in-your-face protests—toward House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton. Code Pink members have been “sitting outside my home, going into my garden in San Francisco and angering my neighbors, hanging their clothes from the trees, building all kinds of things ... (putting) couches, sofas, chairs, permanent living facilities on my front sidewalk,” Pelosi complained at a lunch with journalists recently. As for Clinton, Code Pink has tried to overrun her New York offices, trailed her around Washington and dogs her at fundraisers. The group targets both Pelosi and Clinton on special Web sites (PelosiWatch.org and ListenHillary.org). Democratic congressional committee chairmen have thrown Code Pink members out of hearings and had them arrested. Democratic lawmakers have confronted their Code Pink confronters in the hallways—most famously when Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey of Wisconsin was caught on tape in an angry tirade, lecturing the protesters about the realities of the legislative process. There is no evidence whatsoever that “increasingly Congress is being run by Code Pink,” as White House spokeswoman Dana Perino charged after a protester with red dye on her hands was arrested while badgering Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a hearing. But a lack of evidence did not stop Bush from launching a disastrous war. Certainly it will not stop him from hurling divisive political broadsides. The only antidote to official disinformation is truth. It is missed, deeply, by a discontented public that yearns for an end to the Iraq war and a change in this nation’s course. Marie Cocco’s e-mail address is mariecocco(at)washpost.com. © 2007, Washington Post Writers Group Previous item: Robert Scheer Debates Ralph Nader Next item: Oprah's Learning Curve Elsewhere: . CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.
By Sharon Ash, November 8, 2007 at 2:25 pm # When you become too shrill (i.e. Sheehan) or too offensive (i.e. Code Pink), you wind up doing more harm to a cause than good. And that rule applies on either the left or the right. The vast majority of people reside within that great big bell curve of life, aka normal, not in the left or the right extremes. The belief system of the masses, which resides within the bell curve, changes slowly and sometimes without enough critical thinking, and it is always in distrust of the extremes. The right, with their use of fear during the Bush Administration, caused the masses to shift their thinking much faster than could ever otherwise have been accomplished. The lesson from that rapid shift by the masses, is that a rapid shift of beliefs, by the majority, can be a very dangerous thing for a society. Great masses most safely move slowly. The masses actually owe a great deal of thanks to the extremes on the left, for screaming loud enough so that the masses have now heard and are beginning to show some signs of doing some critical thinking. There are even some signs that the masses are getting this fear factor thing which has, and is being used, against them, figured out. The left now needs to make a more moderate shift toward the middle to work toward solving the problems of this country and wrestling the grip away from the radical right wing. And, the left must use a method which is not shrill or divisive. The left has the attention of the masses, but shrill screaming does nothing to solve the problems and it runs the risk of the masses becoming weary. The right, the far right, I hold out little hope for their trying to work toward a middle ground, it has something to do with how their brains are wired, but I do believe there is some hope within the left. If our country’s democracy is to be restored, it will be by the moderates and the left finding common ground.
By Chuckwagonchuckie, November 8, 2007 at 1:31 pm # So if the truth is known the Democrats wanted the war in Iraq as much as the Republicans. Now they are in power,we are no where near leaving Iraq and Bush is now wanting to zap Iran.
By Jeanine Molloff, November 7, 2007 at 1:51 pm # Maybe we can ‘smear’ them back. Kucinnich pushed through a ‘privileged resolution’ forcing a House vote on impeaching Cheney. The move has survived the first hurdle--being passed on to the House Judiciary Committee. I would urge all those interested in justice to contact each and every member of this committee. The Congressional switchboard number is: (202)224-3121. The House Judiciary membership is as follows: This is the entire House Judiciary Committee who must consider the privileged resolution to begin impeachment trial against Cheney. You call the capital switchboard and have them contact each office. Hope all of you decide to stop complaining and actually give these arrogant MMM in congress some migraines. Jeanine Molloff
By iIke Kay, November 7, 2007 at 8:41 am # Dear Marie Cocco, I am thankful that some of the Washington Post’s writers who are concerned with the drift of this country toward fascism. Limiting dissent, the backbone of democracy, and support of vociferous Americans, like Medea Benjamin who appears in my documentary, and realize like your group, that we are in deep trouble if we wipe out dissent. Truly than we have begun the slide down the long slippery slope to fascism I was in Europe on the morning of 9/!11 and began writing a work titled “Mountain Storm” I finished it four days later. I foresaw all f the events that would take place in these 7years of Bush leadership, Including hanging on to power at any cost. The Iraq war was inevitable since it all but assured the Bush reelection. I closed the 200 page document with this statement: “ Bin Laden is a very clever man, he knew how George Bush would react, he thought very carefully how he could bankrupt America. The tragedy of 9/11 and George Bush in power is that it will replace the emphasis of where American resources should go, the fight against Global Warming and the degradation of the environment” the first priority, and terrorism but dealt with strategically. I could not get this document published. It was equal to treason since the entire US congress and judicial system was on a witch-hunt. Any document like mine would have made me a suspect for arrest. I considered publishing in the newly formed Al Jazera but dismissed that idea, since I would not have been taken seriously in the West and it would have been used as propaganda. It did not take a lot of work for Bush, Rove and Cheney to accomplish their goal; to use fear and a false war to win reelection. The American people have been conditioned by long years by television advertising to accept the so-called “truth” fabricated in multinational board rooms and broadcast by a controlled media. The circle of mind control is complete in America and the G-8 nations. The above combination aids and abets this condition of an ignorant and compliant public. The American people are free to choose between several brands of tooth paste and polluting vehicles produced by the big three in collusion with the oil companies. Marie Cocco, you write for the media conglomerates and know that the important stories and messages are subverted at the editor’s dictate and the publishers pleasure. Also, we all know television journalism offers no help for the public to be educated in its choice or point of view. The media is represented by the Russerts and Williamsons of the world who marginalize candidates with questions about UFOs and religious prayer. Ms Cocco, you know that many in your group try to offer some other point of view in support of truth and fair appraisal of fact in main stream media, but must rely on CommonDreams or other places that do not touch the general publics mind. We are truly in a drift toward the “Brave New World”. However, given this condition the abuses to the public by the Bush administration have been so extreme that 75% of the population have seen through them, reflecting the polls for this government In one final note: One of the most important editorials here on Common Dreams is the FCC hearing chaired by Michael Copps who sees the danger of media conglomeration and is trying to save us all from it. I suggest you all read that editorial. GOOD LUCK TO THOSE OF YOU WHO STILL CARE ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC IDEAL.
By poonchkie, November 7, 2007 at 7:36 am # I admire the courage of the code pink ladies for standing up to the most corrupt and scary administration in US history. With the ability to make people disappear or face felony charges of assault just for speaking to the grand poobah or his henchmen/woman, we live in fear of the new laws that allow our government to monitor our every word and move. Condi Rice is almost as scary looking as Cheney and the woman who approached her during the hearings must have nerves of steel. As a Navy veteran and the mother of two sons who also served our great country, I would not sacrifice myself or my children to the Bush/Cheney grist mill.
By Corey Morris, November 6, 2007 at 12:27 pm # QUESTION WHAT YOU SEE? Why is code pink funded by the Ford foundation? Why is code pink funded by the Rockefeller foundation? Who benefits from pink clad ladies with pick tiaras making fools of themselves? How do code pink protesters make it into congressional hearings and get within inches of top government officials?
By thomas billis, November 6, 2007 at 8:36 am # The poor stupid American public.To be fooled by George Bush making one of his many if you are not with us you are against speeches is absurd.The reason the public is so docile is tha 98% of us do not have somebody involved in the Iraq war.So as cold as this may seem America does not care.Need proof.Republicans all of which except for Ron Paul support this war are viable in the next election.Put their kids over there and code pinks membership would jump substanially.You start a real draft with no exemptions and this war will be over in a heartbeat.
By Mike Schau, November 6, 2007 at 8:25 am # Are we on the same planet, folks? Code Pink..what a loathsoome bunch of heads in the sand nitwits. They encourage the terrorists worldwide with their antics. I have asked friends over their serving in Iraq and they all say these wack jobs do NOT speak for them. They want support, not protests. Wake up. Add Your Comment |
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