In part two of our interview with US Presidential Candidate Peta Lindsay talks about the “dog-whistle-racism” being employed by the Republican Party and says they support white supremacy. She also explains that without billions of corporate dollars third party candidates have no chance in American elections.
Robles: This is John Robles. I am speaking with Peta Lindsay. She is the presidential candidate for the Party for Socialism and Liberation in the United States.
Lindsay: The Republicans are so virulently racist, they use such racist rhetoric, they have really been rallying for the basis of white supremacy to such an extent that I think it has frightened a lot of African Americans and forced people to be defensive about Obama, and it’s defensive in response to racism.
As we get towards the election this hysteria, I think he (Obama) rose/polled a significant African American vote but it is not because people are concerned with what he is doing, I think that the tenor of the support that is very different from what he had in previous years and I think it has a lot to do with the racism of the Republican party.
Robles: Can you elaborate a little bit on racism of the Republican Party especially for international audience because a lot of them never hear about dirty little tricks that they are pulling in the United States?
Lindsay: For example, Romney was secretly taped at a 50,000-dollar-a-plate-fundraiser in Boca Raton (Florida) he was talking about how there’s a certain segment of the population that’s lazy, that’s “entitled”, that 47% of the population believes the government is going to give them everything, and that was coded language: he was talking about African Americans. He does this a lot and a lot of Republican Politicians do this all the time, they portray… They use code words like urban, they play to all these stereotypes about African Americans.
We call it “dog-whistle-racism” because you really only hear it if you are paying attention, if you are looking for it, if you are already attuned to the message. I think that African Americans can see it coming from a mile away and so can the racists. They also know. They know who is fighting for the interests of white supremacy as well.
Robles: Can you tell us a little bit what is your party’s position on international issues for example the aggressive wars, the war on terror etc., droning?
Lindsay:Absolutely… We consider that drones are a crime against humanity, it is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and should be stopped immediately, and not only that, but those who participated in launching the drone strike against the people of the world should be held accountable, should be prosecuted. They are war criminals.
We are calling for the immediate end of the war against Afghanistan, we are completely against sanctions on Iran, we are calling for the respect for self-determination for people of the world and we want a foreign policy based on mutual respect and self-determination and solidarity instead of imperialist war; so that people in the world can live in peace without the threat of the world largest military power breathing down their neck. I mean it is also a financial issue, the war in Afghanistan cost almost 400 million dollars a day. 400 million dollars a day while they are closing down our schools and telling us they don’t have money to provide medi-care to kids or food-stamps to families. So, we would rather that money be used instead for slaughtering our sisters and brothers overseas to provided the things that we need, like healthcare and housing and schools.
Robles: What do you think the chances are that, for example, anybody from the Bush Administration who started the torture programs and opened Guantanamo, do you think there is a chance that these people will have to face up for their crimes?
Lindsay: If we win. You know, I think in the history of the United States we realize that every progressive change that comes has never come from the politicians, it has always comes from the people and everything we have won; civil rights for African Americans, voting rights and other rights for women, labor rights, things like the eight-hour-workday even child labor laws. Didn’t come about because the politicians wanted to give them to us but they came about because we organized and fought for it, because thousands of people, millions of people participated in strikes and sit-ins and protests that forced those confessions from the politicians. So, if we are going to get things like that, if we are going to get justice, if we are going to get to hold these war criminals accountable, it is not going to be because somebody decides to give it to us. It is going to be because there is a movement for it that forces that happen.
Robles: You are 27 years old, am I correct?
Lindsay: Yes.
Robles: And actually even if you won the election you couldn’t take office, is that correct?
Lindsay: Right.
Robles: I was wondering why were you running then?
Lindsay: We are not going to “not win” because I am 27. We are not going to win because I don’t have two and a half billion dollars, because I am not the candidate of the banks and corporations.
Robles: Can you get on the ballot though?
Lindsay: Yes, we are in the ballots of 13 states.
Robles: I saw that. I was wondering how that worked out.
Lindsay: Yes, that worked. But what I am saying is that, our point is that, there is a point in this country where I wouldn’t have be constitutionally eligible because I am a woman or because I am African American, there are points, when that also would have legally barred me from running for office or staying in politics, and the only reason that that has changed is because women, because African Americans refused to be marginalized.
We are making a point about the conditions for young people in the United States. Like I said, youth unemployment is extremely high, student loan debt is extremely high, the situation facing young people is very bad right now.
Under our constitution it is Congress who declares war and the average age of a Congressman is like 60 years old, the average age of a soldier who is actually fighting in Afghanistan is 19. The people who declared that war are more than 3 times as old as the people who actually have to go to fight it, and they are all protected by that fact.
We are saying: why shouldn’t young people be allowed to be involved in the political process, if we are so affected by these policies, it is another attempt to marginalize a huge portion of population and the portion of population. A portion of the population that is more passive, organized and more progressive, that wants this change.
Robles: So, basically you can go out and die for the country but you can’t be involved in the decision-making process, right?
Lindsay: Yes, that is what they are telling us, yes.
Robles: What is your opinion on Obama versus Romney? Do you see any difference in the direction the United States is going to go in the next 4 years if Obama is elected, or… versus Romney, do you see any difference?
Lindsay: I mean they have a startling number of similarities. They both want to cut social security, which our elderly workers depend on, they are looking to cut medicare which poor families depend on, and health services for the poor families, and they both want war with Iran, they want to continue the war in Afghanistan, they both want the continuation of imperialist war.
There are some differences. Romney is to the right of Obama, but essentially they are both enemies of working people, they are both only interested in the interests of the ruling class, the interests of profit, either way underneath them, the lives of working people are going to get worse.
Robles: No matter who wins, right?
Lindsay: No matter who wins. Either way it is going to get worse.
Robles: It doesn’t sound very good at all. Anything that you would like to add because we are going to have to wrap it up?
Lindsay: I want to say that I am still optimistic because I do believe that these changes can be made, they just have to be made by people organizing and that is why we are running this campaign to get out there and to talk to people who are looking to the elections for a change and let them know that you are not going to get real progressive change from the elections but you will get it by fighting back.
We were looking at students strikes in Montreal, there was a lot of coverage of the students protesting in Montreal, in the United States, but once the students won, once the protests won and they got their demands and the tuitions weren’t raised, suddenly it was completely blacked-out from the news, it was dropped from the news immediately. Cause they like it when they see people struggling but they don’t like to see them winning. And I see how inspiring it is to see people fighting back, there was a Chicago teacher’s strike recently, it is one of the biggest unions in the country, they went on strike, and won massive… they won great concessions in Chicago. So I think there will be positive change for people but it is not going to come from the election.
Robles: Anything you want to add real quick?
Lindsay: That is it.
Robles: Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
You were listening to an interview with Peta Lindsay, the presidential candidate for the Party for Socialism and Liberation in the United States.
