Clean Gene is Dead

Some passing memories on the death of Euegene McCarthy.

December 18, 2005

1990s: As Golden Age?: I'm trying to find the great economy everybody was talking about in the 1990s...

Clinton in Coxscakie: Hillary came to town to ralley Democrats around Gillibrand.

Cuomo on the Mohawk: The man from Guy Park Place has yet to decide to run.

Dick Cheney: Shotgun Bandit: What Cheney's shotgun accident means to all Americans, gun owning or not.

Getting Health Insurance: How many desire to get low-cost insurance changed my plans.

Governing with Accountablity: Andrew has two visions on what accountablity is really about.

It's Time to Honor America: Beyond politics, there is a lot to like about America.

NO to Impeachment: Impeaching the President is a waste of time.

Ohio: Updating Neil Yong's lyrics for contemporary events.

On Car Insurance and Autobody Shops: The system that keeps you paying without getting anything in return.

On National ID Cards: Discussing the evil national ID cards.

Our Cowboy President: You don't have to like the President's policies to respect his sense of moral responsiblity.

Poem: Bureaucratic Memorandum: Trying to make sense of the memorandum and corporate decision making process.

Poem: It's 2006: The future seems not to come for man.

Respect President Bush: Not agreeing with the President doesn't make him evil.

Senator Paul Wellstone is Dead: Andrew is still shocked at the news of the death of man who was becoming one of the great Senators of the '00s.

The Blackout Blame Game: In continuing my series on blaming the right people, I try to look beyond the hype and mistakes of the media in covering the blackout.

Those Extra Twenty Hours: Brought to you by the same people who denied you national health care.

Undocumented Immigrants and Farms: Why the real solution to the illegal immigration is changing how we subsidize our farmers and not criminalizing or legalizing guest workers.

What is the Political?: The neological word I often use for describing aggregated political forces.

Why Modern Politics are Ill: Commentary on the ills of politics, and the need for activism.

Why the Democratic Stimulus Package Works: The proposed tax cuts by Republicans fail to provide adquate stimulus for sectors of the economy that need it the most.

Clean Gene is Dead

Euegene McCarthy passed away on December 11, 2005 at age 87. Being only 22 years old, I never knew him at the height of his career nor did I ever meet him in person, yet I am filled with sadness. Nicknamed Clean Gene, he was probably the greatest modern anti-war politician, that helped bring the Democratic Party away from the mess they had started with the Vietnam War.

His books are filled with humor, and they are enjoyable to read. His personality was always nice to hear on the radio, to read his congressional speeches. He did some great things, but the greatest was the increased awareness of what we do wrong as a society, and how we should work together to change it. Most important though, was he balanced his progressive politics with moderate action that got things done. He was a pragamtist. That's where the name Clean Gene comes from—you have to clean yourself up and get a hair cut to work for the kind of change that Eugene McCarthy wanted so badly.

In many ways, Clean Gene was a forerunner to Howard Dean and later Democracy for America. His ideas awoken whole populations, and encouraged them to get involved in politics, much the way that Eugene McCarthy did. Indeed, many members of DFA chapters across our country have fond memories of this man. For a man who I never knew except in old movie clips and by his books, I feel really sadden to hear of his death. Yet, there all comes a time when we must pass on and move to a greater place.