
September 3, 2004
To demonstrate or not to demonstrate
By Bill Kraus
Demonstrators past did a couple of things that advanced their causes. The civil rights demonstrators exposed a lot of dirt that had been swept under a lot of rugs. The anti-Vietnam demonstrators were so numerous that the idea of re-examining why we were there and whether or not we should get out had to be dealt with.
The anti-Bush demonstrators who are making life difficult for New Yorkers this week are telling us something we already know. There is a very large Anybody But Bush segment out there. What we do not know is whether it is big enough to win the election for John Kerry. And no amount of demonstrators or demonstrating is going to tell us that. We will find out in November. So why are they demonstrating?
A longtime New Yorker and Democrat who raised this question to me suggests that there is a possibility that the demonstrators could be doing their cause and their candidate a disservice by raising the question "Do I really want these people to be running the country?" among the undecided and indifferent.
Maybe they should be going door to door somewhere instead.
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