Helms and Lieberman—brothers under the sun in behalf of imperialism, racism and reaction

By Dave Silver, May 2002

One of the most virulently reactionary and racist US Senators since Bilbo of Mississippi, and the powerful Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Jesse Helms, has joined forces with the moderate Democrat from affluent Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. They are co-sponsors of legislations that would authorize the President to send cash, food, medicine, fax machines and other items to non governmental groups in Cuba according to the report of Christopher Marquis in the New York Times. Lieberman said that the goal is to provide government opponents in Cuba the tools they need to continue their work.

The Miami Mafia also known as the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) that traditionally opposes any contact with or even the sending of medicines to Havana now feels comfortable enough to support the legislation. The CANF has confidence in the Senator from North Carolina and author of the Helms-Burton Bill which forbids third country companies to do business with Cuba. The CANF is further encouraged by the fact that its sponsors are modeling their approach on the support for the counter revolutionary Solidarity movement in Poland in the 1980’s.

Both Senators are close to the Christian Right, both are for increased military spending, both supported the Gulf War Resolution co sponsored by Lieberman resulting in the deaths and illness of a quarter of a million Iraqi children, both advocate support for Taiwan and both want to see welfare and social services reformed as was done in the Clinton orchestrated Welfare Reform Act which resulted in illness and hunger for tens of thousands of children whose benefits were cut. Both support the draconian and Democratic orchestrated Anti-terrorist and Effective Death Penalty Act which denies habeas corpus rights to defendants and serves to increase the profits of the expanding Prison-Industrial Complex.

We must bust the lie which feeds the illusion that the Democratic Party can ever be part of a People’s movement and be part of a Solution. The Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Gore-Lieberman axis must be seen as a continuum in the contract on Americans and imperialist domination abroad differing only in degree not kind. Any effective Resistance requires not only a viable independent political movement, but equally important a consciousness that informs it. That consciousness must include naming the common enemy-the Transnationals and Banks which unite all of the major issues of oppression and exploitation.

Every justice and peace organization in my view must express solidarity with Socialist Cuba which keeps high the banner of Socialism and is the hope of the planet.