Thursday, March 23, 2006
RATIONALE FOR CAMPAIGN
A Zogby poll released June 30, 2005, found that 42 percent of Americans polled favored Bush’s impeachment if it were found that the President misled the nation about his reasons for going to war with Iraq. (http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1007 ).
A Zogby poll released January 16, 2006, found that 52% of Americans wanted Congress to impeach Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval. (http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=12528 ).
Despite majority support for impeachment, most Americans think that there is no way that Congress can be persuaded to impeach Bush. People forget, however, how many tyrants have been toppled in recent years by public protests. It has happened, at least, in the Philippines, Indonesia, Serbia, Ukraine, Kyrghizstan, Fiji, Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina.
Only a minuscule fraction of persons favoring impeachment will turn out for demonstrations, and even fewer will stay out day after day, as happened in some of the countries mentioned. A different tactic is needed to turn the massive passive support for impeachment into something visible, that can focus the attention of the entire population on impeachment week after week. The CIA successfully promoted such a strategy in the Ukraine, most notably with the wearing of the color orange by demonstrators in Kiev.
Advocates of impeaching Bush need to choose a color and wear it. It might not be feasible to wear the same color every day, but perhaps one day of the week. Suppose most Americans who supported impeachment wore a distinctive color on Friday, or Saturday? That would be millions of people wearing the color, as many as 50% in some particular locations or situations. It would have to be noticed. It would not be millions the first week, but as more people noticed and word got around, the numbers would grow week after week.
A Zogby poll released January 16, 2006, found that 52% of Americans wanted Congress to impeach Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval. (http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=12528 ).
Despite majority support for impeachment, most Americans think that there is no way that Congress can be persuaded to impeach Bush. People forget, however, how many tyrants have been toppled in recent years by public protests. It has happened, at least, in the Philippines, Indonesia, Serbia, Ukraine, Kyrghizstan, Fiji, Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina.
Only a minuscule fraction of persons favoring impeachment will turn out for demonstrations, and even fewer will stay out day after day, as happened in some of the countries mentioned. A different tactic is needed to turn the massive passive support for impeachment into something visible, that can focus the attention of the entire population on impeachment week after week. The CIA successfully promoted such a strategy in the Ukraine, most notably with the wearing of the color orange by demonstrators in Kiev.
Advocates of impeaching Bush need to choose a color and wear it. It might not be feasible to wear the same color every day, but perhaps one day of the week. Suppose most Americans who supported impeachment wore a distinctive color on Friday, or Saturday? That would be millions of people wearing the color, as many as 50% in some particular locations or situations. It would have to be noticed. It would not be millions the first week, but as more people noticed and word got around, the numbers would grow week after week.
