We're living in rather rigid times. The hard-line position taken by the Bush administration regarding the invasion of Iraq and other issues has resulted in the most politically polarized circumstances I recall. Then, along come people like those at Sinclair Broadcasting and the shameless liars of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to pour salt in the wound. So, it was with some relief that I read a recent email from David Segal, chairperson of Greens for Impact. He is a city council member in Providence, RI. After considering the ramifications of casting a vote for a third-party candidate this year, Segal and his compatriots have decided on a compromise. Yes, I said compromise. In these uncompromising times, they are willing to consider a middle road.
What is Greens for Impact?
Greens for Impact is an organization of principled, pragmatic Green Party members and progressive populists dedicated to the goal of defeating George W. Bush in his bid for a second term as president, while simultaneously furthering the growth of the Green Party as an independent alternative to the corporate-dominated parties.
While we do not represent or work with any of the presidential candidates, we believe that this agenda is most-readily forwarded by a strategy designed to maximize the Green Party's impact. Greens for Impact works to:
1. Encourage voters to register Green,
2. Encourage voters in safe states -- those that are so overwhelmingly Republican or Democratic that we can be confident today of who will win there in November — to vote for David Cobb in the General Election,
3. Encourage voters in swing states to vote for John Kerry in the general election, and
4. Actively and forcefully push for the use of instant runoff voting (IRV) wherever suitable, alongside ballot access reform and full public financing of campaigns.
The effect of GFI's plan will be bifurcate support from the Green Party in the presidential race. The party will continue to build its profile by establishing a presence in states barely contested by one of the major parties. In the swing states, estimated at from eight to 12 by various sources, Green Party voters are urged to cast their presidential vote for Kerry. As a resident of a state in which Ralph Nader achieved five percent of the vote in 2000, I can attest that the drain on votes for an embattled liberal candidate is real when some voters defect to progressive third-party candidates. I believe Greens for Impact's proposal has merit. And, why stop with Greens? Nader supporters should also consider GFI's proposal.
Article comments
1 - Mike Kole
This is smart strategy for GFI to employ in some cases, where Green Party ballot access is not on the line. In such states, the Greens need to achieve the minimum threshholds for automatic ballot access so as to spare themselves the tedious and thankless task of petitioning for the ballot.
Where their continued automatic ballot access is assured, Greens can vote for Kerry without hesitation, continuing to vote for local Green candidates such as there are.
The Libertarians will not be diverting their votes in non-ballot access states to Bush, however. Many will vote for Kerry in an attempt to create gridlock between the Congress and Kerry on the basis of damage control over the sort of expansive budgets Bush has signed into law.