OPPORTUNISM, THY NAME ISŠ
Opportunism in U.S. politics ‹ that is, the practice of changing one's position on a matter of principle in order to curry favor with financial donors or to gain votes ‹ is hardly unique.
For example, the first George Bush was strongly pro-choice, until he opportunistically decided to oppose the right to abortion in order to obtain the Republican vice presidential nomination in 1980. He remained a staunch opponent throughout eight years as VP and four as president.
In terms of one of today's most pressing moral issues, five of the six leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination next year have equaled the former president in trampling on a principle in the rush for political gain.
The issue is the racist and anti-poor death penalty. The contenders in question are Sens. John Edwards, John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman, Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.), and former Gov. Howard Dean. All either opposed capital punishment or in Clark's case backed a moratorium on executions ‹ but now they support the death penalty in some or all circumstances. The sixth leading contender, Rep. Richard Gephardt, has always supported capital punishment; thus on this issue he has not been an opportunist, just backward.
The three Democratic contenders who are not expected to gain the nomination ‹ congressional antiwar standard bearer Rep. Dennis Kucinich, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and hard-fighting activist Rev. Al Sharpton ‹ all continue to stand by their anti-execution principles.
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From the Jan. 5, 2004, Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter