For full disclosure, I'm no Hillary fan. And I'm not reposting this just to have a free jab at Hillary. I think she is the target of unfair attacks in many cases. I prefer to disagree with her positions on the war, economy, and the source of her campaign funding.
Memo from Jeff Cohen: We Need PDA for the Long Haul
I want to personally thank you for making PDA possible.
Many of you know me as the founder of the media watch group FAIR - or from my years as a political pundit in mainstream media (yes, even on Fox News!).
And I've met many of you this year as I've worked closely with PDA and with Tim Carpenter, one of our country's most respected progressive leaders.
During this dark time of endless war in Iraq threatening to spread to Iran with the complicity of certain Democrats, it sure is therapeutic to have PDA as an anchor for one's peace and justice activism.
A week ago in Western Mass, PDAers were part of a 700-strong audience that saw "War Made Easy" at a special screening hosted by my colleague Norman Solomon and the talented filmmakers from Media Education Foundation. The next morning, Tim, Norman and I held a strategy session with 20 activists to discuss ways of remaking the Democratic Party from the ground up.
Remaking a political party is not easy. But it can be done. It took rightwing forces a couple decades to transform and capture the Republican Party.
We need PDA for the long haul. It takes time to remake a party. If you can make a donation to PDA at this time, please do. And round up other sustainers.
As many of you know from my columns, I'm no Hillary Clinton fan. With PDA campaigning on and off Capitol Hill to prevent an attack on Iran, there was Hillary Clinton two weeks ago enabling Cheney/Bush yet again by supporting the Lieberman/Kyl provocation against Iran.
While Clinton earns the praise of Beltway pundits (see my recent column), thankfully it's grassroots Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere who'll decide the party's nominee. If it's Clinton, I'd see that as a setback for peace and justice Democrats. But perhaps only in the short-term. The good news is that progressive voices inside the party (and independent media) are stronger now than when the Clintons first came to national prominence 15 years ago.
No matter who becomes the Democratic nominee, PDA's moral voice will be needed in 2008 more than ever. Your support is helping to amplify that voice.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen