Democratic Palestine : 31 (ص 47)
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- Democratic Palestine : 31 (ص 47)
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US Elections:
Continuation of the Reagan Era
On November 8th, Americans went to the polls to vote for several things. They voted on a president and
chose Republican George Bush over Michael Dukakis. They voted heavily Democratic for Congressional
Representatives and Senators. And in four cities, separated by thousands of miles, they voted on referen-
dums on Palestinian human rights, self-determination and statehood. Indeed, this was an election that has
been heavily observed by progressive activists internationally, because it will have serious results affecting
them until at least the year 1992.
For Palestinians, in the occupied
territories and the diaspora, this elec-
tion was also important. They watched
to see who would become President of
the United States and how that would
affect the American position on the
one-year-old uprising. They watched to
see the results of the congressional
elections and how much aid Congress
would vote to ‘Israel’. And lastly,
Arab-Americans witnessed for the first
time a detailed and serious discussion
take place in subcommittees, caucuses
and conventions of the two major
political parties around the issue of
Palestine.
This year, for the first time, in
Democratic State Conventions, 10
states adopted a plank calling for
Palestinian self-determination and
statehood. It was also this year that in
four cities, referendums were held for
voters to state their position on the
Palestinian quest for self-determination
and a homeland. And it was this year,
for the first time since the creation of
the state of ‘Israel’, that a plank was
introduced at the Democratic National
Convention around this issue. Addi-
tionally, it was this year that more
Arab-Americans were registered to vote
and active in the electoral process than
in any other election. Therefore, we at
the staff of Democratic Palestine
decided to write a detailed article on the
US elections with special emphasis on
both presidential candidates’ positions
on the Middle East and specifically, the
Palestinian question.
BUSH
There is no doubt that George
Herbert Walker Bush, soon to become
that 41st President of the United States,
represents the military-industrial com-
plex in the US and therefore poses a
danger to all peace and justice causes
on the domestic, as well as, interna-
tional level. He represents the extreme
right-wing in Washington. Bush, 64
and the son of former liberal
Republican Senator from Connecticutt,
has held the following positions:
Director of the CIA (1976), Vice-
President to Ronald Reagan
(1980-1988), Chairman of the Vice-
Presidential Committee on Terrorism
(1986), former Ambassador to China
and former US Representative to the
UN. Bush is also a member of the
Trilateral Commission* and of the
Council on Foreign Relations.
On the domestic level, Bush outlined
several proposals, none with any real
substance or ideas that had not been put
forth during the Reagan era, such as a
«war on drugs», maintaining the
minimum wage at a rate workers can-
not live on, tax cuts for the wealthy,
nothing new in health care or housing,
while maintaining support to the death
penalty.
In the military field, Bush said he
would call for a NATO meeting to
reassess the alliance’s purpose as it
heads into its fourth decade in 1989. He
asserts, «NATO is not just a military
organization and our policy must be
more than defense initiatives» (Inter-
national Herald-Tribune, September
23, 1988). He said of chemical
weapons, «If I am remembered for
anything it would be this: a complete
and total ban on any chemical
weapons.» Bush proposes international
censure against any nation that uses
chemical weapons, and on-site inspec-
tions on demand of suspicious plants.
This, of course, is a farce. Bush stated
this due to the domestic and interna-
tional outcry against the use of
chemical weapons. It is a well-known
fact that the US used chemical warfare
during Vietnam, i.e., Agent Orange.
Bush - the military industrial complex’s man
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