Winning The
West: Progressives 'Stand Up'
By Joshua Frank
02 September, 2005
Countercurrents.org
There
is something going on in Montana. Call it neo-populism. Last November,
Montanans voted in favor of medical marijuana and shot down an initiative
that would have returned open-pit, cyanide heap-leach mining to the
state. Mining companies put up millions to raise support for the bill,
but
Montanans didn't bite. The barons were defeated.
Montanans also forced
Republican Gov. Judy Martz from office. She had a horrible record and
her popularity plummeted in the waning months of her tenure. In fact,
Martz was so hated that she decided not to run for reelection. Instead
of replacing Martz with another conservative, Montanans opted to elect
Brian Schweitzer, a wealthy cattle rancher from the state. Schweitzer
is fast becoming recognized as a prototype of the leadership the Democratic
establishment is looking for. Indeed, Democrats could learn a few things
from Schweitzer. He's vocal. He isn't fond of Bush's Iraq venture, insisting
that National Guard troops ought to return immediately and he lets up
know it. He thinks Bush's war on Social Security is also bogus. He is
working hard to put money back into the pockets of Montana farmers and
has a consistent record of speaking out against neoliberal trade agreements.
Besides, he's said he thinks Washington is blatantly corrupt.
"If I stay
in Washington for more than 72 hours," Schweitzer said after a
recent visit, "I have to bathe myself in the same stuff I use when
my dog gets into a fight with a skunk."
This doesn't mean
Schweitzer is a radical by any means. He's got a long way to go before
Trotsky enthusiasts will ever embrace him. Indeed, progressives and
others in Montana should continue to pressure Schweitzer to adopt the
issues they believe in.
That is how victory
is won.
This leads us to
an upcoming battle that may be of interest to those looking for a winning
formula out West. On the heels of Schweitzer's soaring popularity, there
is a Senatorial campaign that we ought to keep an eye on over the course
of the next year. Republican Conrad Burns, a Washington good-old boy
in the most disgraceful meaning of the term, is up for reelection. And
it's time he went down.
Unlike Montana's
ex-governor Judy Martz, however, Burns' poll numbers are steady, and
the upcoming election is going to be tight no matter who gets the nod
on the opposing side. Currently there are four Democrats hoping to challenge
Burns next year, Paul Richards, Jon Tester, John Morrison and Clint
Wilkes.
Richards is by far
the most progressive of the lot: he supports gay marriage, universal
healthcare, wants troops out of Iraq now and is an organic farmer to
boot. The most prominent Democrat hoping for the nomination is State
Auditor John Morrison. But there is nothing exciting about Morrison,
save his "iron-clad" support for Social Security. Other than
that he hasn't come out in favor or opposition of, well, anything really.
Clint Wilkes is a moderate ala John Kerry, so he's not worth the energy.
This brings us to Jon Tester, a Schweitzer Democrat who might just have
the right formula to tap into the populist undertones rumbling across
the vast Big Sky. Note: "might".
Tester, a Montana
State Senator and an organic farmer, was recently embraced by Seattle's
infamous rock band Pearl Jam, whose bassist Jeff Ament grew up in Big
Sandy, near Tester's family plot. PJ packed the Adams Center in Missoula,
Montana on August 29 to help raise money for Tester's campaign. It was
a huge success. Almost 5,000 fans attended paying over $40 a ticket.
But perhaps the larger significance is that Pearl Jam has a reputation
for progressive politics.
Back in 2000, Ed
Vedder, Pearl Jam's grouly front man, played numerous concerts for Green
Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Vedder is an advocate against
the death penalty, he's critical of the IMF and WTO, and during the
lead up to war in Iraq his band was on the front-lines denouncing
Bush's dubious war, even impaling a Bush mask while singing their anti-W
hit "Bushleaguer" in Denver, Colorado. But like so many other
former Nader supporters, Vedder and his band mates curbed their anti-war
sentiments in 2004 to support John Kerry's pro-war campaign.
PJ guitarist Stone
Gossard explained his rationale to Alternet: "Ralph [Nader] was
proven wrong, in terms of 'There's no difference between the candidates.'
I don't think we'd be in Iraq if Al Gore was president."
Sure, Gossard was
misinformed. Bill Clinton bombed Iraq, signed the Iraq Liberation Act
and imposed murderous sanctions through the UN. Unfortunately, Al Gore
supported all of the above. So to say that Gore wouldn't have invaded
Iraq is wishful thinking. But this was the effect of ABB. Reality didn't
matter.
So even though Pearl
Jam opposes the war, there is no guarantee that their man Jon Tester
does. Tester has yet to intimate a coherent position on Iraq - good
or bad. Does he want to pro-long the occupation? Or does he want troops
out now? He won't say. So folks in Montana should demand an answer immediately.
Was Pearl Jam's support for Tester, like their support for Kerry, unconditional?
If so, that's the worst move they could have made. Demanding nothing
of a candidate ensures they'll get nothing in return. But maybe Pearl
Jam did demand something of Tester in return for their support.
One can only hope.
If Tester is to
learn anything from Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, he better realize
that in order to win, he has to shoot it straight with the Montana public.
He can't be wishy-washy. Tester has to take a position, no matter how
unpopular it may be, and stand behind it through thick and thin. And
even though Republican Conrad Burns deserves the boot, progressives
and other activists should learn from 2004 and stick to their causes,
no matter how much they hate the guy. They should press Tester, or whoever
is nominated on the Democratic side, to oppose the war. Montanans will
respect and elect him for his courage.
That's how the West
will be won.
Joshua Frank, a Montana native, is the author of Left Out!: How
Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush, just published by Common Courage
Press. To contact Joshua or to learn more about his new book, visit
www.brickburner.org