I have no idea who Tom Hayden is but his article about switching from supporting Bernie to Hillary is very intelligent and powerful. It’s curious how this obviously very well-informed and brilliant fellow begins to babble incoherently and slip into Pat Buchanan-type childish lisp the moment foreign policy becomes his subject. Other than that, though, great article. I especially liked the part about scary, apocalyptic environmentalists who are repelling supporters with their PETAish craziness.
P.S. And please do check out the comments. A richer collection of proudly stupid people can hardly be found. Or maybe all the comments were written by the same person because they sound so robotic and identical.
Clarissa's Blog 
Hayden was involved in a bunch of anti-Vietnam war stuff and thenwas married to Jane Fonda (pre Ted Turner) and was in the California state assembly for a long time.
I want to say he ran for the US congress and lost but I’m not sure about that.
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Jane Fonda? Brrr, I just lost all respect for the guy.
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He took the staff from his failed campaign run for Senator and turned it into an organization called Campaign for Economic Democracy. I worked as a fundraiser for it back in 1985. I not only met him and the Missus at a CED event, but I got to talk to Margot Kidder as well. He was something of a mover and a shaker on the Westside of L.A back then, and represented the People’s Republic of Santa Monica in the State Senate.
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Hayden was a very prominent, national figure in the student protests against the Vietnam War. Among other things, he was one of the “Chicago Eight,” who were put on trial for supposedly inciting the riot at the 1968 Democratic convention. I was too young to fully understand or appreciate the trial but it was a huge farce all around. And it was big, OJ Simpson-trial big, front page of the NYT-repeatedly big.
Later Hayden went “establishment” and as Cliff says, served in the California state assembly. He sometimes resurfaces as something of a (self-appointed) lefty senior spokesman, as he just has with this essay on Bernie and Hillary. Still, he did change history in his youth.
I wish I could think of a movie about that era in the US to recommend to you because we are still experiencing the blow back from it. Rick Perlstein has written a lot on it but those are long and detailed books and probably not good for a general introduction to this seminal era.
P.S. no place attracts more trolls than the Nation’a comments threads.
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He did even more in his youth. Point Huron Statement (SDS), freedom rider, SNCC — it was a big deal. Very. Then he went very moderate, although as Barbara says he resurfaces as a self-appointed lefty senior spokesman. Barbara is right about how we are experiencing blowback from this era. This is so key to everything that happens.
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