Interviewed by Joshua Glenn • The Boston Globe • Nov. 14, 2004
IDEAS: Don't presidential elections reflect the will of the people as much as protest movements do?
ZINN: More important, I think, than who sits in the White House is who sits outside it. Whenever social injustices have had to be rectified, they were rectified not at the initiative of the president or Congress or the Supreme Court but because of social movements.…Only after thousands of black Americans demonstrated and were beaten, jailed, and killed was segregation in the South done away with. Despite winning the Nobel Peace Prize for it, it was not only Kissinger alone who ended the Vietnam War, but the antiwar movement.
Interviewed by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez • Democracy Now! • 10/14/04
HOWARD ZINN: Well, the contest, unfortunately, is not giving us any kind of fundamental reappraisal of American policy foreign and domestic. By a fundamental reappraisal, I mean we are dealing with a serious issue of the war in Iraq and we’re dealing with the serious issues of health and education, and what to do with the wealth of the United States to help people, and neither candidate is addressing the fundamentals.
By Howard Zinn • Miami Herald • September 16, 2004
If John Kerry wants to win, he must recognize that our military intervention in Iraq is a disaster -- for Americans, for Iraqis, for the world. He must stop boasting about his courage in Vietnam and instead start talking about his moral courage in opposing that war. He needs to stop saying, as he did recently in the Midwest, that he defended this country when he was fighting in Vietnam. That is not an honest statement. If it were true, then he would not have turned against the war.
He was not defending this country when he fought in Vietnam. He was defending this country when he said that we were wrong to be in Vietnam and we should get out.
Interviewed by David Barsamian • The Sun • July 2004
Barsamian: You have called attention to the role of artists in a time of war. What attracts you to artists?
Zinn: Artists play a special role in social change. I first noticed this when I was a teenager and becoming politically aware for the first time. It was people in the arts who had the greatest emotional effect on me.
Category: Articles & Interviews, Interviews With Howard Zinn Tags: Activism, Articles about Howard Zinn, Artists, Civil Rights Movement, Elections, George W. Bush, Optimism, Organizing, Prison, Veterans
By Howard Zinn • ZCommunications • December 16, 2000
As the prize of the presidency lurched wildly back and forth in the last days of the year, with the entire nation hypnotized by the spectacle, I had a vision. I saw the Titanic churning through the waters of the North Atlantic toward an iceberg looming in the distance, while passengers and crew were totally concentrated on a tennis game taking place on deck.
Interviewed by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez • Democracy Now! • December 8, 2000
"I mean, what’s astonishing, or maybe not so astonishing, is here over 200 years later, we are still operating with an undemocratic system of electing the president of the United States, a system which not only was flawed from the beginning by the requirements of the founding fathers, but had become more and more flawed as the election process has become dominated by two major parties, which monopolize the political arena, and dominated more and more by the fact that money decides who can reach the American people."
By Howard Zinn • ZCommunications • September 29, 2000
There came a rare amusing moment in this election campaign when George Bush (who has $220 million dollars for his campaign) accused Al Gore (who has only $170 million dollars) of appealing to 'class warfare'.… I noticed that neither of the accused responded with a defiant "Yes, we have classes in this country."
Only Ralph Nader has dared to suggest that this country is divided among the rich, the poor, and the nervous in between. This kind of talk is unpardonably rude, and would be enough to bar him from the televised debates.
By Howard Zinn • ZCommunications • December 16, 2000
I have been asked to imagine this situation: "The progressive third party movement has captured the White House, 60% of Congress and 30 Governorships. What do we do now?"
First, we have a party, maybe three, with the third party being special. Then, we have Congress pass, and the President sign, the following legislation…
Elections
Questions for Howard Zinn: The People’s Historian
Posted: November 14, 2004 by Howard Zinn Website
IDEAS: Don't presidential elections reflect the will of the people as much as protest movements do?
ZINN: More important, I think, than who sits in the White House is who sits outside it. Whenever social injustices have had to be rectified, they were rectified not at the initiative of the president or Congress or the Supreme Court but because of social movements.…Only after thousands of black Americans demonstrated and were beaten, jailed, and killed was segregation in the South done away with. Despite winning the Nobel Peace Prize for it, it was not only Kissinger alone who ended the Vietnam War, but the antiwar movement.
Category: Articles & Interviews, Interviews With Howard Zinn Tags: Democracy, Elections, Mainstream Media
Candidates Not Addressing “Fundamental Issues of American Policy in the World”
Posted: October 14, 2004 by Howard Zinn Website
HOWARD ZINN: Well, the contest, unfortunately, is not giving us any kind of fundamental reappraisal of American policy foreign and domestic. By a fundamental reappraisal, I mean we are dealing with a serious issue of the war in Iraq and we’re dealing with the serious issues of health and education, and what to do with the wealth of the United States to help people, and neither candidate is addressing the fundamentals.
Category: Articles & Interviews, Audio & Video, Audio and Video with Howard Zinn, Interviews With Howard Zinn, Video With Howard Zinn Tags: Democracy Now!, Elections, Politics
Kerry Needs the Courage to Walk Away from Iraq
Posted: September 16, 2004 by Howard Zinn Website
If John Kerry wants to win, he must recognize that our military intervention in Iraq is a disaster -- for Americans, for Iraqis, for the world. He must stop boasting about his courage in Vietnam and instead start talking about his moral courage in opposing that war. He needs to stop saying, as he did recently in the Midwest, that he defended this country when he was fighting in Vietnam. That is not an honest statement. If it were true, then he would not have turned against the war. He was not defending this country when he fought in Vietnam. He was defending this country when he said that we were wrong to be in Vietnam and we should get out.
Category: Articles & Interviews, Articles by Howard Zinn Tags: Common Dreams, Elections, Essays and Speeches, Iraq, Mainstream Media, Vietnam War, War
Rise Like Lions: The Role Of Artists In a Time Of War
Posted: July 1, 2004 by Howard Zinn Website
Barsamian: You have called attention to the role of artists in a time of war. What attracts you to artists?
Zinn: Artists play a special role in social change. I first noticed this when I was a teenager and becoming politically aware for the first time. It was people in the arts who had the greatest emotional effect on me.
Category: Articles & Interviews, Interviews With Howard Zinn Tags: Activism, Articles about Howard Zinn, Artists, Civil Rights Movement, Elections, George W. Bush, Optimism, Organizing, Prison, Veterans
Tennis on the Titanic
Posted: December 16, 2000 by Howard Zinn Website
As the prize of the presidency lurched wildly back and forth in the last days of the year, with the entire nation hypnotized by the spectacle, I had a vision. I saw the Titanic churning through the waters of the North Atlantic toward an iceberg looming in the distance, while passengers and crew were totally concentrated on a tennis game taking place on deck.
Category: Articles & Interviews, Articles by Howard Zinn Tags: Elections, Politics, ZCommunications
The Electoral College and Election 2000: A Historical Perspective from Howard Zinn
Posted: December 8, 2000 by Howard Zinn Website
"I mean, what’s astonishing, or maybe not so astonishing, is here over 200 years later, we are still operating with an undemocratic system of electing the president of the United States, a system which not only was flawed from the beginning by the requirements of the founding fathers, but had become more and more flawed as the election process has become dominated by two major parties, which monopolize the political arena, and dominated more and more by the fact that money decides who can reach the American people."
Category: Articles & Interviews, Audio & Video, Audio and Video with Howard Zinn, Audio With Howard Zinn, Interviews With Howard Zinn Tags: Democracy Now!, Elections
A Campaign Without Class
Posted: September 29, 2000 by Howard Zinn Website
There came a rare amusing moment in this election campaign when George Bush (who has $220 million dollars for his campaign) accused Al Gore (who has only $170 million dollars) of appealing to 'class warfare'.… I noticed that neither of the accused responded with a defiant "Yes, we have classes in this country." Only Ralph Nader has dared to suggest that this country is divided among the rich, the poor, and the nervous in between. This kind of talk is unpardonably rude, and would be enough to bar him from the televised debates.
Category: Articles & Interviews, Articles by Howard Zinn Tags: American Revolution, Class, Elections, Essays and Speeches, Politics, ZCommunications
Notes for a Gathering
Posted: January 2, 2000 by Howard Zinn Website
I have been asked to imagine this situation: "The progressive third party movement has captured the White House, 60% of Congress and 30 Governorships. What do we do now?" First, we have a party, maybe three, with the third party being special. Then, we have Congress pass, and the President sign, the following legislation…
Category: Articles & Interviews, Articles by Howard Zinn Tags: Democracy, Elections, Politics, ZCommunications