Bill Moyers: Don't Let The Flame of Democracy Die!

I came across the following quote from Bill Moyers today as I was reading the reactions of other web sites to the prospect that Bill Moyers could run as a Democrat for President of the United States in 2008. It's an idealistic vision for someone who has worked in the White House, at the center of power, to hold. That tells us a lot about the moral strength of Bill Moyers.

I think Moyers is onto something here. Mind you, don't accept this idea just because Bill Moyers says it. Think about its implications critically, as we ought to with all claims that appeal to the conceit, as Moyers puts it.

"What’s right and good doesn’t come naturally. You have to stand up and fight for it - as if the cause depends on you, because it does. Allow yourself that conceit - to believe that the flame of democracy will never go out as long as there’s one candle in your hand."

Hm. Stirring words, but is it a democracy, when only one person wants it any more? I'm sad to say that few in America seem truly dedicated to the ideals of democracy any more.

Bill Moyers for President Campaign Back Again

What happened to the surging movement to draft Bill Moyers for President? It seems that the bandwagon went straight into the ditch. Attention has shifted between progressive alternatives, like Russ Feingold and Barack Obama, and the promotion of the Bill Moyers for President idea has not yet taken flight.

Happily, it may have just been pulled out of the ditch.

Yesterday, Ralph Nader wrote an article for Common Dreams promoting the idea of Bill Moyers running for President. In that article, Nader says, "In his private conversations with friends, I am told, he has not ruled out a run. On the contrary he showed some interest in an exchange with an old Texan friend."

So, it looks as if all those people who had said that Bill Moyers had definitively decided against running for President weren't right after all. Bill Moyers is considering running for President, but is looking for more signs of support.

There's still the Draft Bill Moyers for President activist center. The Bill Moyers for President gear is also still available.

Ralph Nader suggests one more thing you can do to help the effort: Write to Nader and indicate that you'd support a Bill Moyers for President campaign. Write him at:

Ralph Nader
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, DC 20036