“During the 2000 election, many activists saw little difference between Democrats and Republicans. This year, however, giving Dubya the boot has become the overriding concern, and the slogan ‘The Evil of Two Lessers’ has been replaced by ‘Anybody But Bush.’ That leaves progressives with a question: whether to demonstrate at the Democratic National Convention in Boston July 26-29 or to give the Dems a pass and concentrate on the Republican National Convention in New York August 30-September 1.

While protesters for the latter have united behind the banner of ‘RNC Not Welcome,’ a coalition of progressives in Boston became bogged down this winter in soul-searching discussions about their message. ‘Although the Democrats turn our stomachs in a lot of ways, we also didn’t want to derail the ‘Dump Bush’ agenda,’ says Cynthia Peters, an organizer with United for Justice With Peace. The coalition eventually decided on a middle road between protesting and not protesting by organizing ‘People’s Parties’ in four Boston neighborhoods to coincide with the DNC’s opening parties for delegates on Sunday, July 25.” (AlterNet)