Yesterday, Rock the Vote received a
very startling letter from Ed Gillespie, Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He demanded that we stop talking about the issue of the military draft.
The letter leaked out on the Internet and a lot of people wondered whether it was even real. Yes, it is real.
The letter from Chairman Gillespie is here. Our response is here and below.
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October 14, 2004
Mr. Ed Gillespie, Chairman
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
VIA FASCIMILE: (202) 863-8774
Dear Chairman Gillespie,
The letter I received from you yesterday was quite a surprise. It struck us as just the sort of "malicious political deception" that is likely to increase voter cynicism and decrease the youth vote. In fact, it is a textbook case of attempted censorship, very much in line with those that triggered our organization's founding some fifteen years ago.
I am stunned that you would say that the issue of the military draft is an "urban myth"that has been "thoroughly debunked by no less than the President of the United States."
I have some news for you. Just because President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary Rumsfeld, and for that matter Senator Kerry, say that there is not going to be a draft does not make it so. Just because Congress holds a transparently phony vote against the draft does not mean there isn't going to be one. Anyone who thinks that the youth of America are going to take a politician's word on this topic is living on another planet.
By your logic, there should be no debate about anything that you disagree with. There's a place for that kind of sentiment (and your threats), but its not here in our country.
There are questions that the politicians are running away from. How long can we keep 138,000 U.S. troops or more on the ground in Iraq? What if full-scale civil war erupts there, as the CIA has warned is a realistic possibility? Would the next President be faced with a choice of pulling out of Iraq rather than institute a draft? Would women be drafted? What exactly would the draft-age be?
According to the Pentagon's own internal assessment, there are "inadequate total numbers" of troops to meet U.S. security interests. The current issue of Time magazine reports that, "General John Keane, who retired last year as the Army's No. 2 officer, says the continued success of the all-volunteer military is not guaranteed" Keane has told Congress that adding more than 50,000 troops to the Army would require thinking about a return to the draft."
But you want young people to believe that the draft is just an "urban myth." I was expecting that you were going to present some facts to back up your assertion. But, instead, you have demanded that we stop talking about it.
Although the draft may not be a discussion topic for someone of your age, we have found that young people - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - are very interested in this issue. We believe in the capacity of young Americans to make their own judgments when fairly presented with the facts. That is why we are actively promoting an informed, educated dialogue. I urge you to review the "Debunking the Myths" section on our website where we address misperceptions about the draft.
Mr. Gillespie, this is a generational issue. Nothing cuts closer to the core of the very reason Rock the Vote exists. We think young people deserve to know where the politicians stand on this issue - and that a generation that could be called to service deserves more than the phony debate they are getting. We believe that it is only by asking questions - not by censoring debate - that our democracy can remain strong and vital.
Issues such as jobs, health care, Iraq, taxes, and education have energized the electorate, and the draft issue deserves the same serious treatment and candor. Blanket denials do not square with the facts and do not level with the electorate.
As far as the possibility that Rock the Vote's efforts might "decrease the youth vote," we are feeling very confident at this point that the opposite is true. More than 1.1 million people have used our website to fill out voter registration forms this election cycle. Our street teams and ground partners have registered hundreds of thousands more. Young voters are going to surge at the polls on Election Day and make the difference for whichever candidate does the best job reaching out to them.
Despite the strong and often strident tone of your letter, I would hope that we could both agree that honest and open debate is the surest guarantor of our democracy and liberty.
Sincerely,
Jehmu S. Greene
President
:: posted by hans @
3:19 PM
http://www.blog.rockthevote.com/2004_10_10_archive.html#109779237957217297
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
The draft issue is more than rumors on the Internet(s).
As the media begins to actually dig into an issue that it has largely ignored throughout the year, awareness is growing that, regardless of political unpopularity, the draft deserves more attention.
Check out this new Time magazine piece for a very comprehensive overview of the draft issue from all sides. Everyone from draft-age young men and women to experienced military experts see, at the very least, that a draft is indeed a possibility.
The article brings up a Pentagon fallback plan to increase the financial incentives for enlisting, with some rewards reaching as high as $40,000 for special-op fighters. Realistically, that seems like where we are headed.
This is a good example of something that we think needs public discussion in this presidential race. How long could we keep up incentive-based recruiting? And at what point does fairness come into play? To put it bluntly, are these really “volunteers” in the sense of the word that both candidates use on the stump, that the military leaders use in the press conferences?
Do yourself a favor and read the Time magazine article.
:: posted by Matt Teper @
8:24 PM
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Rock the Vote Draft Campaign Garners National Attention" name=109746281217818319>
Check out this great LA Times article about our campaign to make sure all young voters are educated about the possibility of a draft. Looks like the right people are starting to take notice ...
THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Rumor of a Draft Touches a Nerve. Bush and Kerry deny conscription plans, but Rock the Vote raises the specter.
By Kathleen Hennessey Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — An army of new voters received a startling call to serve recently, when one of the largest nonpartisan groups trying to increase voting by young people sent fake draft cards to nearly 640,000 e-mail addresses.
"You've been drafted" was the subject line of the message sent by Rock the Vote. The message contained an image of a draft card addressed to the recipient and warned, "real cards may be in the mail soon if the situation doesn't improve."
President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry both have rejected suggestions that they would move to reinstitute the draft, positions they reiterated in their debate Friday night in St. Louis.
But by raising the threat of the draft, Rock the Vote has staked its claim as the edgiest of the multimillion-dollar campaigns trying to push young people to the polls. The effort has also caught the attention of Republicans, who said the group misled voters and crossed into partisan politics. "
It has the face of a nonpartisan group, yet it's promoting the agenda of the liberal left," said Alison Aikele, spokeswoman for the College Republican National Committee. Aikele said has she received complaints from local chapters about draft rumors on campus.
Rock the Vote political director Hans Riemer said the group was trying to inform its members about the limits of U.S. military forces, not persuade them to vote for a particular candidate.
"It would be crazy if young people went to the polls and didn't factor this into their votes, however they come down on it. It's very real," said Riemer. "We're one major military conflict away from the draft. I don't see why candidates get to talk about war all day long and we can't talk about a draft."
Despite the stated opposition by Bush and Kerry to reinstating the draft, a recent survey found that only a quarter of young people knew this, compared with 42% of older people.
About half of 18- to 29-year-olds believe that Bush wants to reinstate the draft, according the poll conducted by the Annenberg National Election Survey this month.
Last week, House Republicans sought to dispel suggestions that the war in Iraq could lead to a new draft by hastily bringing the idea to a vote and defeating it in a 402-2 vote.
But that move is unlikely to end the talk on college campuses.
"If there is a draft, I would still be eligible," said University of Michigan student Paul Indyck, explaining why he was leaning toward Kerry.
