Fight back against right-wing agenda

Tim Wheeler

With a note of defiance, leaders of the broad democratic movement 
vowed a determined fight back against George W Bush's extreme 
right-wing agenda in a second term. While soberly reflecting on 
the gains of the Republican right in the November 2 election, 
they rejected calls for retreat or compromise.

"We will never give up", said Kim Gandy, president of the 
250,000-member National Organisation for Women. "We must fight 
back against Bush's regressive policies on every issue. Now is 
not the time to be timid. We must not give in to an agenda that 
endangers our rights, our freedoms, our liberty, and our lives."

Gandy hailed the women's equality movement and its allies for 
their efforts in turning out 56 million votes against Bush-
Cheney. She urged a grassroots effort to block any Supreme Court 
nominee or cabinet member "who would deny our rights and 
liberties" and called on Senators to filibuster Bush nominees who 
would turn back the clock on women's equality.

Referring to the one-million-strong women's rights march on 
Washington last April 25, she added, "We must continue to march 
for women's lives across the country — expanding our million 
marchers into millions of voices speaking up for women's rights."

Richard Trumka, peak union body AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer, also 
sounded that undefeated note in a post-election interview at the 
federation headquarters. "This was the biggest election 
mobilisation we have ever had", he told the People's Weekly World 
(World) newspaper. It included 250,000 union volunteers and 5000 
staff working full time across the nation, with 78,000 volunteers 
in four battleground states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and 
Florida.

"Working people make this nation work", Trumka said. "The problem 
is that the nation isn't working for working people. That's why 
it was so easy to mobilise union members in this election. They 
are looking for someone who will stand up for them against the 
corporate interests."

George Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans, 
praised the thousands of ARA volunteers who pounded the pavement 
to get out the vote. He warned of "difficult days ahead for older 
Americans", citing Bush's threat to privatise Social Security. 
"The Alliance and its allies will not allow this to happen", 
Kourpias said. "We will continue to lead the fight to protect a 
Social Security system that provides guaranteed benefits for 
comprehensive health care seniors can depend on through Medicare, 
including affordable and accessible prescription drugs."

Tony Fransetta, president of the 118,000-member Florida ARA, told 
the World that, while Bush won by pandering to the Christian 
right on issues like gay marriage, "now he wants to spend his 
political capital on issues that are completely different, like 
privatising Social Security". With these policies, said 
Fransetta, "the rich will get even richer and the poor will fight 
to hold onto what they've got."

"True religious values look after the well-being of all God's 
children, the poor and the disabled, not just the rich and 
powerful", he commented.

Democratic presidential contender Reverend Al Sharpton warned 
that Bush will try to "erode some of the gains we made under the 
civil rights movement and he clearly will have economic policies 
that will reward the rich".

"If there ever was a time that we had to gear up activism and put 
pressure on Congress like we've never done before, now is the 
time", Sharpton said.

The fightback mood resonated in the peace movement. Veterans for 
Peace (VFP), Military Families Speak Out and others scheduled 
protest marches, rallies, and vigils on Veterans Day, November 
11, as the bloody US assault on Fallujah continued in Iraq. VFP 
planned a vigil at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, 
where hundreds of wounded GIs are being treated. Patrick McCann, 
a spokesperson for VFP and Vietnam Veterans Against the War, told 
the World, "People feel bummed out by the elections. Many are 
angry. They are looking for someone to step out and provide some 
leadership. Who better than veterans? We are building a very 
positive, strong movement against this war."

League of Conservation Voters President Deb Callahan said, "While 
we are deeply disappointed in the results in the presidential 
race we are enormously proud of the fact that LCV won seven of 
eight congressional races where we invested significant 
resources. In total, nearly 90 percent of our endorsed 
congressional candidates were victorious." In Illinois LCV helped 
elect Melissa Bean to a House seat and played a major role in 
Senator-elect Barack Obama's primary victory with an aggressive 
ad campaign based on clean air issues. "We will not rest until 
all three branches of our government are represented by pro-
environmental public servants", Callahan said.

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation 
of Church and State, warned that the religious right, crowing 
that they were key to Bush's victory, are demanding payback. 
"We're not about to roll over and play dead", Lynn said. 
"Millions of Americans oppose the theocratic agenda of the 
religious right. Bush's victory in a close race by no means gives 
him a mandate to knock down the church-state wall."

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People's Weekly World