Election Madness.

• Position: Letters to the Editor - Letter to the editor

Howard Zinn's "Election Madness" article in the March issue is right on! My vision for political change is more profound than partisan. Presidential election years divert attention, effort, and money away from progressive issues to the superficial horse race of political candidates.

Candidates and political parties distract us. They tempt us to settle for less than we really want. They cause our issues to be lost in the electoral shuffle.

Instead, let's educate the public and organize strong grassroots movements for progressive issues. This will create the momentum and infrastructure necessary to make progress--no matter who gets elected.

Glen Anderson

Lacey, Washington

Howard Zinn's "Election Madness" makes for interesting reading. But his understanding seems naive, as most people do not participate in elections in the United States.

The so-called left periodicals Zinn mentions are, in my opinion, instruments to elect Democrats. And Democrats have been working with George Bush.

With all due respect for Zinn and the periodicals mentioned, I wish to say that you all fall way short of doing what our country needs.

Arun Misra

Atlanta, Georgia

I was moved by the sentence that ended Zinn's essay. He wrote, "Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for...