If You Oppose the War: Influence Congress, Support Anti-War Candidates, and Influence the Media
Kevin Zeese
February 06, 2006
An Interview with Activist David Swanson
David Swanson is an anti-war advocate who works many forums to try to end the war. If you want to know what you can do to stop the war, David presents ideas below. He is a model for other to emulate. He is the Washington Director of Democrats.com and of ImpeachPAC.org. He is co-founder of the AfterDowningStreet.org / CensureBush.org coalition, creator of MeetWithCindy.org, and a board member of Progressive Democrats of America. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson serves on the Executive Council of the Washington Baltimore Newspaper Guild. He obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997. His website is www.davidswanson.org.
Kevin Zeese: Let's talk about the war and occupation of Iraq, Congress is the key battleground. They have the power to end the war and occupation because they control the funding and they have the power to declare war. What do you see in Congress right now? Are there hopeful signs for progress? Who would be some of the key leaders for ending the Iraq War in the Democrat and Republican parties?
David Swanson: Well, what powers Congress retains amounts to what powers they use and fight for. The Bush Administration is stripping Congress of powers at a tremendous pace. And Congress has abandoned claim to the power to declare war. Re funding, Bush illegally shifted money from Afghanistan to Iraq without asking for permission from Congress – and paid no penalty for it. Nonetheless, it would force Bush to a new level of dictatorial power grab were Congress to cut off all war funding, and were he to attempt to continue what seems to be his mission in life: killing Iraqis.
There is a bill in Congress to end funding for the war: H.R. 4232, the "End the War in Iraq Act of 2005." It has 15 cosponsors. That means there are 420 members of Congress happy to continue funding this massive crime.
There also are new supplemental spending bills coming up, which we can count on perhaps as many as 15 Congress Members to oppose (more if we fight for it). Three years into this war, and five years into the project of turning Afghanistan into a drug-grower's paradise, these wars are still being funded outside the regular budget, but always in combination with some relatively tiny funding for something decent-sounding, like money that will supposedly go toward aiding victims of a hurricane.
There are a number of other bills in Congress that could contribute to ending the war. H. CON. RES. 197 would ban the US from establishing permanent military bases in Iraq. This bill has 70 cosponsors. This means that 365 members of Congress are happy to create permanent US bases in Iraq.
H. CON. RES. 321 would allow the new Iraqi government to vote on whether to end the U.S. occupation. There are 25 cosponsors. This means that 410 members of Congress don't care about democracy in Iraq but just like to act as if they do.
H. J. RES. 73 would "redeploy" U.S. forces from Iraq "at the earliest practicable date" (whenever that is??). This bill has 97 cosponsors. While it would leave forces nearby and on alert, this is clearly a step toward ending the war. But 97 is no more a majority than 15 is.
H. J. RES. 55 would require the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq some day. It has 65 cosponsors, and a discharge petition to force it to the floor allowing amendments and creating debate has 60 cosponsors.
All of these bills can be found at http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/congress
All of these are House bills. The Senate is a desert. Rare as it is for House Members to respond to public opinion, in the Senate it's almost unheard of.
You also asked about leaders among the Democrats and Republicans. There are some. They are all Democrats or Independents. They are all in the Progressive Caucus or the Out of Iraq Caucus. They are very disproportionately women and African-Americans.
One whom I would single out is Lynn Woolsey. She's been at the leading edge of efforts to end the war. See http://www.woolseyforpeace.org
KZ: What can Americans do to impact Congress?
DS: Congress Members tend to obey the media. We can pressure the corporate media and build our own media to fight the marginalization of majority viewpoints. This is a lot of what the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition does – and DemocracyRising is a leading member of it.
We can also pressure Congress Members directly, through Emails, phone calls, faxes, letters, meetings, and protests. When all else fails, as it usually does, we can screw our courage to the sticking point and engage in the civil disobedience that is our civic duty. Occupy your Congress Member's office and refuse to leave until they agree to end the war and hold its architects accountable. Demonstrate in front of their houses, and plaster their wealthy residential neighborhoods with posters criticizing their positions on the war and on impeachment.
To get involved in nonviolent civil disobedience, visit http://www.iraqpledge.org
KZ: What should be done in the mid-term elections?
DS: Each individual citizen, absolutely regardless of what any other citizens do, should refuse to any longer behave as an amateur pundit and strategist and should insist on henceforth acting out the proper role of a citizen. That means no longer paying any attention to the lies that tell us that it's politically wise to support a candidate whom fewer people like. Campaign for, volunteer for, and vote for the candidate whose positions are closest to your own. You're not so strange. A lot of other people, if they follow the same rule, will back that same candidate. Enough, I'm confident, to throw Congress to a majority of non-Republicans.
KZ: What should voters who are registered with the Democrat or Republican Party do in the general election if their Parties candidate has been voting to fund the war and against amendments calling for an exit strategy?
DS: They should support and vote for an anti-war candidate regardless of party. We need a non-Republican majority of Democrats and those who will side with the Democrats but actually behave more democratically than do most Democrats. If there is no candidate who stands for immediately ending the war and impeaching Bush and Cheney, then you should run for office.
KZ: You were involved in a recent impeachment forum in Washington, DC. What is your view on impeachment? How can we move forward the issue of impeaching the president and vice president?
DS: I was, and thank you for putting that together and hosting it. Bush and Cheney have committed numerous impeachable offenses, including launching an illegal war based on lies, and spying on Americans without court approval. It is our duty to demand impeachment. It is our duty to ignore those who urge patience. The Republicans will not be forced into a minority unless candidates are willing to oppose them and give voters a reason to turn out and vote for change. Rather than planning to consider impeachment when and if they have a majority, Democrats and Independents should be shouting impeachment from the rooftops, drastically increasing their likelihood of achieving a takeover.
The polls show majority public support for impeachment and for pro-impeachment congressional candidates http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling. Impeachment is becoming a hot topic in the media http://impeachpac.org/impeachment-news. And impeachment is a live issue in Congress. Congressman John Conyers is leading the way and has introduced a bill that would create a select committee to investigate and make recommendations on impeachment. That bill currently has 16 co-sponsors. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/5768
If your goal is ending the war, you would be wise to focus first on getting your congress member to cosponsor this bill, H Res 635. It is only by exposing the lies that this war is based on that we are building opposition to the war. It may only be by removing Bush and Cheney from office that we ultimately end the war.
Whether we get to impeachment, much less removal from office, an investigation with subpoena power would serve an invaluable educational and political purpose. And, incidentally, there is no way that it could incriminate Bush or Cheney but not the other, so those worries about "But Cheney's worse" are misplaced. Besides, Cheney's running things now. Having him up front as an advertisement against the Republican Party is one of the things I'm least scared of.
KZ: Tell us about Impeach PAC?
DS: We've formed a political action committee at www.impeachpac.org to fund pro-impeachment congressional candidates. We've raised over $60,000 in small contributions. We're looking at a dozen candidates. We've endorsed one so far, Tony Trupiano in Michigan's 11th District. He's a fearless and truly populist candidate who I am confident will be sitting in Congress come 2007.
KZ: Who in Congress is leading the effort on impeachment?
Other than Congressman Conyers, Ms. Waters, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Capps, Mr. Payne, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Clay, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Owens, Mr. Stark, Ms. Lee, Mr. Oberstar.
But the real answer is that we are, and it won't go anywhere without us. With us, all of us, working hard, anything is possible.
David Swanson is an anti-war advocate who works many forums to try to end the war. If you want to know what you can do to stop the war, David presents ideas below. He is a model for other to emulate. He is the Washington Director of Democrats.com and of ImpeachPAC.org. He is co-founder of the AfterDowningStreet.org / CensureBush.org coalition, creator of MeetWithCindy.org, and a board member of Progressive Democrats of America. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson serves on the Executive Council of the Washington Baltimore Newspaper Guild. He obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997. His website is www.davidswanson.org.
Kevin Zeese: Let's talk about the war and occupation of Iraq, Congress is the key battleground. They have the power to end the war and occupation because they control the funding and they have the power to declare war. What do you see in Congress right now? Are there hopeful signs for progress? Who would be some of the key leaders for ending the Iraq War in the Democrat and Republican parties?
David Swanson: Well, what powers Congress retains amounts to what powers they use and fight for. The Bush Administration is stripping Congress of powers at a tremendous pace. And Congress has abandoned claim to the power to declare war. Re funding, Bush illegally shifted money from Afghanistan to Iraq without asking for permission from Congress – and paid no penalty for it. Nonetheless, it would force Bush to a new level of dictatorial power grab were Congress to cut off all war funding, and were he to attempt to continue what seems to be his mission in life: killing Iraqis.
There is a bill in Congress to end funding for the war: H.R. 4232, the "End the War in Iraq Act of 2005." It has 15 cosponsors. That means there are 420 members of Congress happy to continue funding this massive crime.
There also are new supplemental spending bills coming up, which we can count on perhaps as many as 15 Congress Members to oppose (more if we fight for it). Three years into this war, and five years into the project of turning Afghanistan into a drug-grower's paradise, these wars are still being funded outside the regular budget, but always in combination with some relatively tiny funding for something decent-sounding, like money that will supposedly go toward aiding victims of a hurricane.
There are a number of other bills in Congress that could contribute to ending the war. H. CON. RES. 197 would ban the US from establishing permanent military bases in Iraq. This bill has 70 cosponsors. This means that 365 members of Congress are happy to create permanent US bases in Iraq.
H. CON. RES. 321 would allow the new Iraqi government to vote on whether to end the U.S. occupation. There are 25 cosponsors. This means that 410 members of Congress don't care about democracy in Iraq but just like to act as if they do.
H. J. RES. 73 would "redeploy" U.S. forces from Iraq "at the earliest practicable date" (whenever that is??). This bill has 97 cosponsors. While it would leave forces nearby and on alert, this is clearly a step toward ending the war. But 97 is no more a majority than 15 is.
H. J. RES. 55 would require the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq some day. It has 65 cosponsors, and a discharge petition to force it to the floor allowing amendments and creating debate has 60 cosponsors.
All of these bills can be found at http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/congress
All of these are House bills. The Senate is a desert. Rare as it is for House Members to respond to public opinion, in the Senate it's almost unheard of.
You also asked about leaders among the Democrats and Republicans. There are some. They are all Democrats or Independents. They are all in the Progressive Caucus or the Out of Iraq Caucus. They are very disproportionately women and African-Americans.
One whom I would single out is Lynn Woolsey. She's been at the leading edge of efforts to end the war. See http://www.woolseyforpeace.org
KZ: What can Americans do to impact Congress?
DS: Congress Members tend to obey the media. We can pressure the corporate media and build our own media to fight the marginalization of majority viewpoints. This is a lot of what the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition does – and DemocracyRising is a leading member of it.
We can also pressure Congress Members directly, through Emails, phone calls, faxes, letters, meetings, and protests. When all else fails, as it usually does, we can screw our courage to the sticking point and engage in the civil disobedience that is our civic duty. Occupy your Congress Member's office and refuse to leave until they agree to end the war and hold its architects accountable. Demonstrate in front of their houses, and plaster their wealthy residential neighborhoods with posters criticizing their positions on the war and on impeachment.
To get involved in nonviolent civil disobedience, visit http://www.iraqpledge.org
KZ: What should be done in the mid-term elections?
DS: Each individual citizen, absolutely regardless of what any other citizens do, should refuse to any longer behave as an amateur pundit and strategist and should insist on henceforth acting out the proper role of a citizen. That means no longer paying any attention to the lies that tell us that it's politically wise to support a candidate whom fewer people like. Campaign for, volunteer for, and vote for the candidate whose positions are closest to your own. You're not so strange. A lot of other people, if they follow the same rule, will back that same candidate. Enough, I'm confident, to throw Congress to a majority of non-Republicans.
KZ: What should voters who are registered with the Democrat or Republican Party do in the general election if their Parties candidate has been voting to fund the war and against amendments calling for an exit strategy?
DS: They should support and vote for an anti-war candidate regardless of party. We need a non-Republican majority of Democrats and those who will side with the Democrats but actually behave more democratically than do most Democrats. If there is no candidate who stands for immediately ending the war and impeaching Bush and Cheney, then you should run for office.
KZ: You were involved in a recent impeachment forum in Washington, DC. What is your view on impeachment? How can we move forward the issue of impeaching the president and vice president?
DS: I was, and thank you for putting that together and hosting it. Bush and Cheney have committed numerous impeachable offenses, including launching an illegal war based on lies, and spying on Americans without court approval. It is our duty to demand impeachment. It is our duty to ignore those who urge patience. The Republicans will not be forced into a minority unless candidates are willing to oppose them and give voters a reason to turn out and vote for change. Rather than planning to consider impeachment when and if they have a majority, Democrats and Independents should be shouting impeachment from the rooftops, drastically increasing their likelihood of achieving a takeover.
The polls show majority public support for impeachment and for pro-impeachment congressional candidates http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling. Impeachment is becoming a hot topic in the media http://impeachpac.org/impeachment-news. And impeachment is a live issue in Congress. Congressman John Conyers is leading the way and has introduced a bill that would create a select committee to investigate and make recommendations on impeachment. That bill currently has 16 co-sponsors. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/5768
If your goal is ending the war, you would be wise to focus first on getting your congress member to cosponsor this bill, H Res 635. It is only by exposing the lies that this war is based on that we are building opposition to the war. It may only be by removing Bush and Cheney from office that we ultimately end the war.
Whether we get to impeachment, much less removal from office, an investigation with subpoena power would serve an invaluable educational and political purpose. And, incidentally, there is no way that it could incriminate Bush or Cheney but not the other, so those worries about "But Cheney's worse" are misplaced. Besides, Cheney's running things now. Having him up front as an advertisement against the Republican Party is one of the things I'm least scared of.
KZ: Tell us about Impeach PAC?
DS: We've formed a political action committee at www.impeachpac.org to fund pro-impeachment congressional candidates. We've raised over $60,000 in small contributions. We're looking at a dozen candidates. We've endorsed one so far, Tony Trupiano in Michigan's 11th District. He's a fearless and truly populist candidate who I am confident will be sitting in Congress come 2007.
KZ: Who in Congress is leading the effort on impeachment?
Other than Congressman Conyers, Ms. Waters, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Capps, Mr. Payne, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Clay, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Owens, Mr. Stark, Ms. Lee, Mr. Oberstar.
But the real answer is that we are, and it won't go anywhere without us. With us, all of us, working hard, anything is possible.
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