A Progressive's Dilemma

A Progressive's Dilemma
by Brant Wellman

Four years ago I was duped.

Coming to the conclusion that the Democratic Party was no longer representing my views, I finally decided to vote for the “third party du jour,” the Green Party, and its candidate Ralph Nader. I understood the gravity of the situation if Shrub were to win (although I don’t think any of us realized quite how far it would go), but for me it seemed like a clear cut decision, since I lived in California where Gore was a sure win (leading Shrub by double digits in the final weeks leading up to the election), and I was really beginning to find myself leaning further and further left, towards the Green Party.

However, just two days before the election, some of the polls were starting to call a closer race. Some of the major networks had Gore leading Shrub by four points with a margin of error of four points. Now I felt like I was obligated to vote for Gore. So, I backed away from my heart and my ideals, walked into the polls, and created a hanging chad for Gore.

And what happened? Gore won California by 12 points, and just as significant, Nader did not win the 5% of the popular vote necessary to secure federal funds for the Green Party. I had been duped by a media that “creates” the news in order to increase its viewing share.

In the next couple of years, I finally came to the conclusion that I would never compromise my vote again. If real change is going to come about in this country, progressives need to begin voting for the individuals that they want to see in office, and stop voting against the person they don’t want in office.

Fast forward four years and we find a similar situation. Shrub vs. Generic Democrat, with Nader running a sideshow. Nader is running on principle alone and has no real hopes of affecting any change, but meanwhile he sucks votes away from the Generic Democrat to the delight of the Republicans.

Of course, there have been a few significant changes, politically as well as personally. I now have four years of history to examine and wonder what if the Supreme Court actually had balls, and also to speculate about what would happen with another four years with Shrub as our President. Also, Nader is no longer running under the Green Party banner (that distinction belongs to David Cobb). In fact, Nader is only on the ballot in 34 states, many of those being a gift from the Reform Party. Probably most significant, I now live in Colorado, which because of changing demographics has become a battleground state, unlike in 2000 when it was a sure win for Shrub.

So again, the question is the same. Vote for Nader, the only candidate still running who represents my point of view, or vote against Shrub?

Just a few months ago the answer was clear. I was voting for Nader and I was proud of it. I’ve come to respect and value those who stand up for what they believe in, even if it’s in a futile battle.

However, my convictions have begun to waver. Knowing that Nader isn’t actually going to win, I want to have some effect on the election. So my first thoughts were that I needed to compensate for my “non-vote” by encouraging those that didn’t vote in the 2000 election to actually get out to the polls this year and vote for Kerry. Now, during this process I have learned more about Kerry, and I found that he has a very good environmental record, which for me happens to be by far the most important issue. In fact, I’ve told myself that this issue alone could sway my vote. How good is Kerry’s environmental record? Well, the League of Conservation Voters gives Kerry a lifetime voting score of 92%, which, believe it or not, is even higher than the lifetime score of Dennis Kucinich, who was the true “liberal” running for the Democratic nomination.

So with just over two weeks before the election, where does that leave me? Undecided is all I can say. At this point, all I can be sure of is that, on November 2nd, I’ll be at the polls making my selection on an electronic voting machine. No hanging chads this year.

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Top 5 Reasons to vote this year

1. 4 more years of Bush
2. Great excuse to use to call in late for work
3. To get that cool “I Voted” sticker
4. Polls are a great place to meet single women (or so I’ve heard)
5. 4 more years of Bush

Brant can be reached at brant@babblog.com.