Why I do not support the calls for Cindy Sheehan to run for office

[dissent1977]

As Cindy Sheehan takes her courageous stand in Crawford I have begun to hear people talk about her as a potential candidate for political office. I support Cindy as much as anyone else, but I believe that those calling on her to run for office are making a mistake however well intentioned that mistake is.

I don’t think many people realize quite yet just how significant Cindy Sheehan’s actions are. The media is portraying her merely as a woman who is seeking an audience with the President, but the truth is that Cindy is seeking much more than a ten-minute conversation with Bush. Cindy seems like a very intelligent woman who knows what is going on in the world, and I am sure that she is intelligent enough to know that a ten-minute conversation will not be nearly enough to change Bush’s mind on anything. But Cindy is also intelligent enough to know that by standing up for what she believes is right she will inspire others to do the same, and that is what makes her actions so significant.

Cindy Sheehan is much more than just another anti-war protestor, rather she has become the new face of the anti-war movement. She is an ordinary mother who is accomplishing extraordinary things, and she is the very person that we need to help us build a movement.

Is it important to have strong progressive candidates for office? Absolutely. But we also need to realize that politicians do not inspire the ordinary person, and we need a voice to inspire those people to fight against the system. No politician is capable of leading the opposition against the very system that they ultimately work for, and that is why I do not want Cindy to become a politician.

Just look at the great leaders of past peace and justice movements. We did not see Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, or Gandhi running for political office. I don’t think there is a single person out there who believes a Martin Luther King for Congress campaign could have accomplished nearly as much as King accomplished by leading the civil rights movement.

I believe that if we work hard enough to show Cindy our support we can put her name right alongside the great leaders I just mentioned. She has shown that she has the courage and the perseverance to stand up for what she believes in, and not back down until she gets what she wants. That is the type of person we need to lead our movement. Rather than trying to get Cindy to run for office, lets work to get her to be the next great leader in the anti-war movement. She could be far more powerful in that position than she could ever be as a member of Congress.

[AtomicKitten]

1. I think that is premature.

She is knee-deep in the grieving process and up against an army of horrible Republinazis. I'm sure running for office is the furthest thing from her mind.

Now Paul Hackett on the other hand is another story.

[dissent1977]

2. I don't think it is the first thing on her mind either, but...

I have still been hearing people calling on her to run. I think many people are often too eager to find candidates for office and not eager enough to build a movement.

[AtomicKitten]

4. I think it's her anti-war message

that people hunger for. That's why Hackett kicked ass. I think that sentiment is growing. Funny how sometimes it may not seem that way with the Republican NOISE.

[luxpara]

3. that brings up a question I've had about this site -

Why is it when anyone does anything good - people automatically think that they should run for office? I don't get it.

[firefox]

5. It is not going to happen anyway

People create their own identities and Cindy Sheehan has made her place in the anti-war movement. I do like "Cindy for President" to be part of the conversation as an expression of support for her patriotism, but nobody except the brain-dead war supporters would take it as a serious attempt at office.