Inbox: Torture And Tortured Elections
What If You Want To Vote Them All Out?
Since I wrote this column, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows approval for Congress at an extreme low. Will voters toss out Democratic incumbents as well as Republicans, or will they wave break for the Dems?
Thanks for your comments about the national elections this year. In a very narrow and limiting sense, it is a correct observation. However, if there is any hope for our nation, we must wrest ourselves from the kind of morose pragmatism that underlies the logic you laid out. Essentially what you say is that, though things are awful right now, there is no hope that they can be made better.
Looking at this year's elections in the beginning of 2006, many Democrats pondered what the world would look like if George W. Bush and the Republicans continued to do so much strident damage to our country and the world that the people in charge of the national Democratic Party, by default, were placed into control of Congress.
What would change?
The answer, as your own reasoning aptly points out, is that very close to nothing would change. If the Democrats in Congress actually have had different ideas for how the direction of America, why were they not showing it? What is the Democratic platform, really?
I can tell you what I want to achieve as a Democratic state legislator in Connecticut, like health care for everyone, decent education for all and stopping the middle class and poor from taking the unfair weight of our regressive state tax system. But these are not just things to put on campaign advertisements and then, like the national Democrats do, give up Democratic principles in an effort to be "pragmatic" enough to "win the moderate vote." Democrats, like me, in the Connecticut legislature are actually working to get them done.
What is the sense of electing Democrats who will put a different face on much the same policies? That is what the primary in Connecticut was all about. Joe Lieberman was the Democrat who helped to defeat universal health care the last time we had a Democratic president, he is the most outspoken pro-war "Democrat" and, most important of all, he was a creator and leader of the Democratic Leadership Council — the corporate-funded organization charged with making the Democratic party almost the same as the Republican Party. I note with interest that it was only after Joe Lieberman was put and risk of losing his own party's nomination in his own state that national Democrats have started to have the courage to stand up to George Bush on the war and occupation in Iraq.
There is a depth to the present political events in our country that simply does not lend itself to the kind of superficial analysis you have made. For real change to occur to America, for the Democratic Party to step beyond just being the "other party" when the Republicans are so clearly bad, Democrats of principle must stand up for what we believe in. And we must stand up to national Democratic political operatives whose own "be moderate to win" logic has cost us the last two presidential elections, control of Congress for a decade and a right-wing Supreme Court for a generation.
This is not just about having politics with a conscience. In the real world most people want a real alternative when they are going to vote. Contrary to the false reasoning that Democrats may either have our principles or win, we will only win if we work to make America better by sticking with what we believe.
TIM O'BRIEN, State Representative (D-New Britain/Newington, CT)
I think you may be right that after the November election, the status quo may remain. However, the reason for it may be, in addition to the dirty tricks of Rove and company, many democrats are just fed up with their spineless leadership and decide to stay home. Also the voters have only herd Democrats whine about the wrong policies of this administration and Republican dominated congress. They have not seen any plan to solve the nation's problems. Why should a voter vote for an unknown?
SURESH CHITNIS
You have described the painting but you have not described the painter or his motives. The Democrat Party has split. But they have been on the verge of splitting for years, so why now? Because campaign finance reform, McCain-Feingold, has found for the left an independent source of funding, the 527's, which allow the left to exercise its own agenda without the need for the consensus decision of moderate Democrats. And the voice of the hard left has never been acceptable in America. That is why Democrats will not only not gain traction in 2006, but will probably lose more ground.
HOWARD LOHMULLER
I love your political columns and agree with most of your opinions.
If Democrats were to gain control of the Senate, with supeona power, I do think that meaningful investigations into corrupt Bush actions would ensue and could significantly change a great many things (and perceptions) in this country.
JEFF DUNNTorturing the Truth
If you're into hate mail, read on. Contrary to what Bill O'Reilly's loyal minions wrote in, I actually did not argue in this column that torture should never be used. My point was simply that the president has not told the American people the truth. That was enough to sort the old liberal bias, unpatriotic, you're a pinko stuff.
I've lived my whole life in the west — and I am amazed at how few people speak the truth of what has happened to the GOP — it's membership has always been racist, and that racism has been redirected towards a new, improved and acceptable group: muslims.
It is so obvious as to be embarassing.
And we all know who is behind this…crossover neocons — the same people who were fighting for equal rights for blacks and latinos just a generation ago.
It's sickening to see everybody ignore this even as Hollywood pumps out Islamic terror flicks on behalf of their crazy cousins in Tel Aviv.
Let's hear it for Braveheart; he nailed it — and they nailed him up
Do I see a pattern here?
JACK TRENT
Bush barbarism is taking us back to the great battle of the 7th Century!
VICTOR ANDERSON
Torture is morally neutral like guns and spy planes. Used by the good guys, fighting a just war, they are good. Used by the bad guys, pursuing evil aims like fascist jihad, they are bad.
Is torture worse than detonating a nuclear bomb? No, of course not.
Why should we disavow torture, when we would never disavow the use of our nuclear arsenal?
PAUL SMITH
The Dick Meyer editorial is proof that CBS is with the enemy and not with the USA. You will not be happy until the terrorists win and you are helping them. The Meyer editorial is lies. Where does the President torture people? Do you call sleep deprivation and loud noise torture? If so you are out of your mind. CBS: the best friend the enemy has.
BRUCE LENHARDT
Good going, Mr. Meyer. It's about time that a repreentative from the embattled main stream media speak plainly and, more importantly, truthfully.
LEE HAVEN
It is clear why you belong at the liberal CBS Network. If you have real proof of torture present it before you call the President of the United States a liar. And if we saved people by using torture on some of these thugs so what? These are not human beings anyway. Maybe you should spend a little more time looking into what radical Muslim fascists are doing, and a little less time protecting the rights of these animals. Tell the administration that Dick Meyer, Homeland Security Expert, and CBS News recommends that we put these Muslim animals up in the Holiday Inn, or maybe the Hilton or the Marriot. You have taken the enemies side in this war.
ED RICE
After reading the above mentioned article, I was absolutely livid. Has just about everybody lost their minds here? Especially Meyer! You want to compare being deprived of sleep to being charged with jump cables? Good heavens! Have we so quickly forgotten 9/11 that when we catch the people responsible and others who were deeply involved you think we should set them up in "Club Fed," give them a nice cushy robe and slippers, a massage, etc.? These people are terrorists! They are responsible for killing almost 3,000 Americans ON AMERICAN SOIL! Not to mention the embassy bombings, the USS Cole, and other terrorist acts they have committed against our country and others. I can tell you this much, if you want to torture me by stripping me down, covering my head with a bag, and embarassing me, go right ahead! It's better than being decapitated and having it recorded for all the world to see. America has gotten soft. I dare you to try and sell your view to a soldier who served in World War I or II and all the other wars in previous years. The left are trying to tie our hands and are turning our country and its military into a bunch of "wussies"! We are becoming the laughing-stock of the world. I yearn for the day when we can raise our heads proudly and say, "Don't mess with us or else" and then actually follow through on that "else"!
HEIDI HENNINGER
What a fool you are worrying about torture to men who would slice your head off in a moment and laugh in your dead face. I say do anything that is necessary to get these monsters to give all the information they can to protect American lives. But you want to play nice with them. Mr. Meyer I ask you, I challenge you. What would you do? C'mon big boy, if you were in charge what would you do? Give them trials with lawyers? Maybe send them home with a slap on the wrist? Fine them and release them? Tell them to be nice and not be bad anymore? It's so easy to criticize, but do you have a better way to deal with the animals who want us all dead?
MIKE P.
I could care less if we torture those guys that are trying to kill us and our way of life. I know that you have never put on a military uniform and faced Death face to face, but if you ever had, you would do whatever it took to get the information necessary to save lives and the lives of other people.
You are a coward and very un-American.
Remember what John Campbell wrote:
It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press.God Bless America.
It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, And whose coffin is
Draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
Bob Martin
If you still want to send in an e-mail, you'll have to read a real column to find the address.