OpEdNews writer Scott creighton posted an article, Selling Hope: Wexler's Impeachment Charade, that was very tough on Congressman Wexler (D-FL.)
That got me a call from Wexler's chief of staff, who wanted to get an idea what kind of reception he'd be receiving when he went on my show that night. I assured him I did not hold the same attitude. I pointed out that another one of our regular writers, Savid Swanson, had defended him, with his article, In Defense of Robert Wexler.
And when we had our radio interview (download an MP3 here,) I went further. I told Rep. Wexler that I approved of him asking for contributions to support his work while he wrote about impeachment.
This attack by Creighton was another example of the circular firing squad liberals so often engage in.
Why shouldn't Wexler ask for support when he's doing the work that makes him a hero to us, that makes him stand out as one of the handful of elected members of congress who actually take the risk to take a stand. Creighton makes the ridiculous speculation that Wexler's interest in impeachment is not legit, and suggests that he should have initiated the legislation. This is idiocy. If a legislator does not initiate the legislation, his sincerity and intent is questioned.
And you wonder why more reps don't support progressive causes. Just think this through. If a legislator supports a progressive cause and gets the attention of progressives, if he does anything they don't like, he gets eviscerated for not being 100% progressive by some people who operate in some black and white fantasyland.
Yes. It is disappointing when someone who you support does not vote 100% your way. But the goal is to get a lot more people to support some of our issues. When progressives attack elected friends and allies, because of a single vote, endorsement or action, what affect can it have upon other potential supporters? Maybe they'll look at the progressive community and decide that we are not worth supporting, that we bite, that we don't appreciate the support we are given.
Sure, you can argue that it's not about progressives, that it's about the issues, but house reps have to be accountable to all their constituents. That makes them do a very fine dance to keep enough of those constituents happy to keep electing them back to congress every two years.
We need to do all we can to support courageous people like Wexler and Kucinich. We need to encourage them to tell us what they need, including money. We need to send the message to the other members of congress who could take the steps towards supporting progressive issues, progressive house resolutions, that doing so will be a good, smart move, not one that they'll resent, not one that will make them feel like they've stepped into a swamp of mosquitos.
Obama will be, as any person who gets politics knows, moving towards the center over the next few months. That's what he has to do to maximize his chance of success. A lot of legislators, over the next few months will be having to do the same thing. It's a seasonal, almost function of nature.
There will be those who use these pretty much requisite actions and words to attack the very people who offer the most progressive hope. Some really want to trash them and only support further left candidates like Nader and Mc Kinney. But many just want the best progressive outcome. I say cut them all some slack in the coming months. A huge amount is on the line. Doing the circular firing routine could prove disastrous if another Bush clone is elected.
When I brought up Creighton's criticism and told Wexler I was 100% in support of him asking for contributions, he replied that everyone's allowed their own opinion and that on the other side, the local daily paper attacked him for backing the Kucinich impeachment resolution. You may have seen word of that. It flashed all over the blogosphere in the form of emails calling for support for Wexler.
Now, about the money. I also told Wexler that I support him because I do the same thing. I talk about issues and then I ask for support for OpEdNews.com. And I get flack for doing it from some people. Well, tough nuggies (translate that into a more alliterative term if you like.) OEN survives with donor contributions and we ride close, with minimal buffer for shortfalls every month. So I ask for contributions.
The question is, do we deserve them. OEN is a special place where folks like Scott have a voice and where Congressman Wexler has a voice and where we do our damnedest to cover all the news and all the angles that other media are dropping the ball. We give voices to you, if you want, and to anyone else who can write intelligently.
Bottom Up Journalism
I believe that the future of civilization is all about bottom up approaches and that means that this site is as open as it can be to progressive ideas.
But we need your help. So, yes Scott, this diary is about Rep. Wexler, but it is also all about asking our readers to consider how important it is that they stay involved in the process of supporting us. We can only do it when we keep receiving financial support. You too, scott. You don't have to, and we don't ever insist upon our writers to make contributions in exchange for writing. But if you find what do of value and service, why not support us financially? The best way is to set up a subscription so we get a monthly contribution of $50, $25, $10 or $5 or $6. Or pick and odd number. We love odd numbers. You can click here to make your single contribution or set up a monthly, automatic contribution.
And if you have an hour or more a week, there are Sooo many ways you can volunteer for OpEdNEws. If you want to help but have more time than money-- drop me a note and I'll chat with you do discuss some of the
ways. Here's a partial list, and remember, there are no requirements. If you can give us just a few hours a month, it helps and we value and appreciate it.
-We definitely need people to transcribe the great interviews we're getting.
-We need help with on-line research,
-with evangelizing for the site (getting the word out)
-for recruiting new writers,
-with selling ads,
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-with local coverage,
-with helping non-profit organizations tap the resources we offer them,
-with finding and developing API mashups and ideas for them.
-with building relationships with local and national activism and advocacy organizations (particularly the ones you belong to.)
