Posted by Michael: “Tabacco” is an independent blogger who interviewed Howie yesterday. It’s not clear to me how much of the interview he posted was actually all in Howie’s words, but its a good interview nonetheless.
For example, I’ve never heard Howie say the troops should come home “ASAP”, which doesn’t necessarily mean “troops home now!” as we’ve learned from Clinton who sounded like she wants troops home now when she said “we must stabilize Iraq in order to bring our troops home” _____________________________________________________________________
Tabacco’s Telephone Interview with Howie Hawkins
5:05pm today, November 4, 2006, I just received an automated call from “Friends of Hillary” 320-230-0961 (Universal Power) “reminding” me to vote for Hillary on Tuesday.
I am currently waiting for a phone call from Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate opposing Hillary on November 7th.
At 5:20pm today, Howie Hawkins telephoned me. At 6:35pm we finished the interview. It was less interview and more “college dorm-like session”. OK, so Larry King has nothing to fear from Tabacco; I will never get his job.
Howie Hawkins has an encyclopedic knowledge of history, politics & the history of politics. He’s a moral man. How many of those can you find in the US Senate? To say I like this guy goes without saying; to say I trust this man is the important revelation. If you could talk to him, as I did for over an hour, you’d be impressed too.
But more than just being impressed, I actually am more hopeful after talking with Howie and his young associate, Michael Kwan who set up the phone interview, than I was when I awoke this morning. We’re going to drive the rich, corporate-sponsored politicos out of Washington; we’re going to drive them out of State Houses across the 50; we’re going to replace them with Howie Hawkins’s and Michael Kwans. We’re going to take back America. It won’t happen on November 7th; but little-by-little, one election at a time, with public outrage, public groups forming into Green Parties everywhere, Public Financing of elections & giving the people what the Mainstream Media denies us: information. As I say at the end of each Post, “Knowledge Is Power!”
HOWIE HAWKINS, the veteran activist and Green Party leader from New York, is running for the U.S. Senate as an alternative to pro-war Democrat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Opinion polls show that among independent voters, Hawkins has nearly as much support as Clinton’s Republican opponent John Spencer. But the political and media establishments are shutting out the Hawkins campaign. On October 22, Hawkins and his supporters will gather outside the WABC Studios in Manhattan to protest Hawkins’ exclusion from that morning’s Senate candidates’ “debate.”
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=11227
*****************************INTERVIEW*********************************
Have you been allowed to do a face-to-face debate with Hillary Clinton anywhere? “No! I met her, quite by accident, in Rochester; she hosted an energy conference in June. As I passed her in a doorway, I identified myself as her Green Party opponent. She replied, ‘Oh, that’s OK’.”
She worked for the Rose law firm and did legal legal work for Tyson Foods & Wal-mart.
Did you debate John Tassini, Hillary’s Democratic Primary opponent?
“We served on a panel together. We attended a couple of Anti-War demonstrations together, one outside the Democratic State convention in Buffalo, and another at West Point when the President attended.”
To view a six-minute on-the-street interview of Howie Hawkins, go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-tbVDd217E
Democrats & Republicans have united to “freeze out” 3rd Party candidates, whenever possible, from elections & TV debates; is there a way to prevent this? “Yes, it should be federal FCC policy that the media must sponsor candidate debates, and that all candidates must be allowed to participate.
Democrats, as well as Republicans, voted for the Patriot Act.
I was elbowed out by the League Of Women Voters. They are caught in a contradiction; Voter base vs. Funding base.”
View on Outsourcing: (Howie is an idealist, who believes that the employees should be granted the right to own the businesses before employers are allowed to outsource employee jobs abroad. I know Bush would love that idea.
What about Lobbying Reform or Extinction? “There should be a 5-year moratorium on the revolving door between Congress and corporate lobbyist. There’s a difference between corporate lobbies and those of social organizations”. On this one I switched to Interviewee and expounded on my own solutions. Regular Readers know how opinionated Tabacco is!
Public Financing of Elections has succeeded in Arizona, Maine. Proposition 89 is on ballot Tuesday in California. Would you support Public Financing of Elections in New York? Yes! & Federally also. In addition, I support free advertising for all qualified candidates, not just Republican & Democratic candidates.
If you were president Nov. 8th, 2006, how would you handle Iraq? When would troops come home? “ASAP. I would consult the Generals first, but the troops would come home.”
What would you do about Israeli nukes: “There needs to be a nuclear-free Middle East. We should apply pressure on Iran, Israel and all the Middle East countries to abandon nuclear arms”..
What about unexploded cluster bombs? “I’m reminded of the land-mines the Israelis left in Southern Lebanon during their occupation in the 90s. The Israelis never even notified Lebanon about the problem.” – Howie opposes the use of civilian-intensive weapons on principle. I don’t think Hillary has any such principles.
What is your current profession? Teamster in Syracuse.
Did you serve in the military? Yes; the Marines.
Did you play sports? In football, I was a tailback, in basketball, a point guard, and in baseball, my hero was Willie Mays. So I played centerfield like my hero. I was the left-handed Willie Mays (laughing).
Where did you attend college? Dartmouth.
You sound very young; how old are you? I will be 54 on December 8th.
You are obviously an Idealist! If you are elected Tuesday, will you
caucus with Democrats or Republicans? Neither! I would insist on sitting down with leadership & picking my committees; I will serve as a Green Party Senator. And if they (Republicans & Democrats) resisted, I would take them to court.
http://www.peacemajority.org/scorecard/scorecard.jsp?person_legislator_ID=4409
Every time you agree with Hillary’s vote, so do I. Every time you disagree with Hillary’s vote, so do I. In Tabacco’s opinion, Howie Hawkins would make a much better New York Senator than Hillary Rodham Clinton. You would vote the way Tabacco would vote in the US Senate. How can I argue with that!
On Tuesday, I was going to vote for Hillary; but Tabacco has honestly decided to vote instead for Howie Hawkins, Green Party line, for Senator from State of New York. I apologize to Senator Hawkins for not contacting the Green Party sooner. However, I have two years to make up for that oversight before 2008 elections.
Here is a list of subjects I never got to question Howie about because keeping my mouth shut is far from my best asset. We had such a long conversation, I didn’t have the heart to ask him these. Maybe next time! (List of subjects is on his website)
Tabacco: I consider myself both a funnel and a filter. I funnel information, not readily available on the Mass Media, which is ignored and/or suppressed. I filter out the irrelevancies and trivialities to save both the time and effort of my Readers and bring consternation to the enemies of Truth & Fairness!
In 1981’s ‘Body Heat’, Kathleen Turner said, “Knowledge is power”.
T.A.B.A.C.C.O. (Truth About Business And Congressional Crimes
Organization)
Tabacco made this comment,
THE GREEN PARTY is NOT just about the planet & environment! They take stands on all issues. The Green Party is the Party the Democrats claim to be, but are NOT!
No, Tabacco does not want anyone to vote GREEN and throw the election to a Republican. But in New York Senate race, the Republican has 2 chances: LITTLE & NONE (Even Diebold Republicans wouldn’t dare to do that one!) In such situations, a Green Vote sends a Harsh message to Democrats to move toward the Green Party positions, not the Neocon Republican ones.
Until yesterday, I was prepared to push down Hillary’s lever, hold my nose, and give that Republican-light, war mongering Senator my Vote because even Clinton is better than a Republican. I want to thank Howie Hawkins for saving me from that HYPOCRISY!
Please consider making a STATEMENT on Tuesday. VOTE G-R-E-E-N!
Thank you,
Tabacco
451-9469
