Mark Rudd (Part 2): DU Exclusive - Democratic Underground

H2O Man

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Wed Jan-19-11 10:28 AM
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Mark Rudd (Part 2): DU Exclusive

After getting back the answers to the first set of questions, I immediately had another set that I wanted to ask Mark Rudd. And – of course – after getting these answers back, there are many other areas of thought that I would love to discuss with him. But, at this time, I've asked more of him than perhaps I should.

In the introduction to Part One, I mentioned telling my teenaged daughter that I was interviewing Mark Rudd. (It's very difficult to access “computer time” in this house, when my two teenaged daughters are home from school. I needed a good reason!) Some of you may recall my pride, a few years back, when former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega, and The Nation's John Nichols spoke in Binghamton, NY, about the need to impeach President Bush, and prosecute VP Cheney. Chloe got up and delivered an impromptu speech, after which Elizabeth said, “Well, we've just heard from our next US Senator.”

Chloe has a growing collection of books about politics and sociology, autographed by the authors. Her birthday is coming up soon. You can guess what book I'll be giving her. I say that, not only as a father who takes an active interest in his children's education, but as an old man who has full confidence in the ability of the younger generation to learn from my generation's successes and failures, and to move this society to that higher ground we seek.

I'd like to thank Mark Rudd for taking the time to assist me on a project to benefit a political-cultural internet discussion site …. one that I think has untapped potential. I'm far too old to have “heroes” in the manner that I did in the 1960s. However, I have great respect for this man.

I urge readers here to visit his web site: www.markrudd.com . Between talking with Mark, and reading that site, I've learned that several of the things that I had heard or read about him were inaccurate. Thus it is with public figures, especially those who try to tell the truth.

I also want to thank all of the forum members who have taken an interest in this interview. You make it worthwhile to try something new here.

Here's part two:

{1} Erich Fromm was a social psychologist. He wrote extensively about issues of personal
freedom; the forms of authority found in institutions and governments; and about the
positive and negative potentials of both patriarchal and matriarchal societies. In 1968,
he supported his friend, Senator Eugene McCarthy, in the democratic primaries. (He said of
McCarthy, "It is very difficult for a full-fledged mature human being to play the role
of a candidate. It is almost absurd.")

I find his 1973 "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness" to be among the most important
warnings about the manner in which the United States can continue to be more violent -
both in foreign policy, and domestically. As a person who once believed that violence
could be a legitimate tactic in fighting against an authoritarian, violent government,
what lead to the changes in your beliefs?

Mark Rudd: Seeing the utter failure of our strategy and realizing the extent to which we played into the hands of the government, giving them ammunition to call us terrorists and isolate us. The Vietnamese had asked us to build as broad and as strong an anti-war movement as possible; instead we knew better and went for revolution, thereby splitting and weakening the anti-war movement. It was crazy. Racist, actually, believing that we young white kids knew better.

{2} At times, I wonder what it could have been like if the internet was available in the
1960s. There were, as you know, hundreds of "underground" newspapers, including
several of high quality. Yet, at other times, I think the "information highway" is
being abused, as a form of social novocaine. What are your views on this?

Mark Rudd: Have you read Malcolm Gladwell's piece a few months back in the New Yorker? It's called "Small Change," http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell. His point is that the web doesn't give people strong ties that are necessary to take action, just weak ties. A movement is built on strong ties between people, real relationships.

{3} Tom Hayden is a personal favorite. In fact, I'd like to interview him for the
Democratic Underground, to discuss "Progressive Democrats of America," among other
things. For the "old-timers" on the Democratic Underground, I'd like to toss out a few
names of influential people from the 1960s, and ask for a brief on them. Let's start with
Tom Hayden?

Mark Rudd: Tom's been blogging on Huffington Post and other sites about the Afghanistan War and other matters. Anything he writes is well worth reading.

{4} Malcolm X?

Mark Rudd: Everyone should read the Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, at least, in order to understand the origins of black power in the sixties and why it was a body blow to white New Leftists. Also, read his speeches.

{5} Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Mark Rudd: The speech against the war in Vietnam, Apr. 4, 1967, must be read, also Letter from Birmingham Jail and many other key writings and speeches. In general, we need to study the entire civil rights movement more.

{6} Abbie Hoffman?

Mark Rudd: Abbie and the Yippies avoided the twin pitfalls of self-righteousness and self-importance through humor. Much needed today.

{7} Robert Kennedy ?

Mark Rudd: His candidacy was a mass movement. Read "Brothers," by David Talbot.

{8} Fred Hampton?

Mark Rudd: Read Jeff Haas's "The Murder of Fred Hampton" to get a feel for both this brilliant young leader and the forces that murdered him. He attempted the first Rainbow Coalition in Chicago.

{9} A number of people on this forum have requested that I ask you if you have any general
or specific suggestions about how to create greater interest in politics, to get more
people actively involved in the process?

Mark Rudd:I wish I had the keys. What I've been doing lately is historical work, to convince young people that mass movements have actually happened in this country and that they can happen again. I've been studying SNCC in the South as a gold standard for organizing strategy and techniques.

{10} Finally, one of the areas where there is disagreement among the members of the
Democratic Underground involves President Obama. There are people who sincerely believe
that the President is doing about the best he can, given the circumstances; others are
disappointed in his performance. Do you believe that it is okay - in fact, important -
for progressive and liberal democrats to increase public pressure on President Obama, in
areas such as the need to end the US military occupation of Afghanistan, and to fund human
service/education programs, rather than Wall Street?

Mark Rudd: I critically support President Obama, meaning that I believe pressure is needed to push him to do the right thing. There has to be built a counter-force to the oligarchy that owns and runs this government.