Parties hinge on Green votes

Chris Ledermuller

Vice President Al Gore's campaign for president recognizes Ralph Nader's Green Party candidacy as a threat.

The Democrats are urging voters to stay away from Nader because the party would lose enough votes to put Republican candidate George W. Bush in the White House.

Nader voters, primarily environmentalists or concerned anti-globalists, face a sad dilemma.

They must either forego their preferred choice to elect Gore to stave off a Bush presidency or vote for Nader and risk a Republican taking over the White House.

The situation is even sadder considering what voters might have to give up.

The Democrats and Republicans are forcing voters to choose between a liar and an idiot for the presidency. Meanwhile, Nader, who devoted most of his adult life to tireless advocacy for consumer safety, the environment and a fair political system, is only taken seriously because of how many votes he'll snag from Gore.

For those Nader voters who are still unsure about punching his name in the voting booth on Tuesday, take a chance and vote for him. Don't resort to voting for the lesser of two evils when non-evil alternatives are available. If a Nader vote means an unsettling future, here are a few things to consider.

If Bush ekes out a victory on Tuesday, he cannot rule by fiat if he is president. The United States has a system of checks and balances, and Bush has to go through Congress to implement policy changes.

Vote for Nader, but hedge bets by supporting Democrats for the Senate and House of Representatives. This way, if Democrats have a congressional majority, Bush would have a tough time fulfilling campaign promises.

In the House this year, the Democrats only need to win seven races just to get a one-seat majority over the Republicans. In the Senate, the Democrats need to win five races for a majority, but party ratios are not expected to drastically change.

The threats of Bush rolling back environmental protections, giving tax breaks to America's upper class, and packing the Supreme Court with justices who will nullify abortions and civil rights laws can be quelled if the executive and legislative branches are split between the Republicans and Democrats.

As for the people who inevitably will desert Nader for Gore just to avoid a Bush presidency, they should also expect a four-year ride of disappointment.

These Nader expatriates might expect Gore to be grateful for their votes if he wins, making the Democratic Party's platform sound like the Green Party's. Sorry, but it won't happen.

Nader's candidacy, for all the attention it has received, is only attracting about four percent of likely voters.

In the grand scheme of things, four percent is not significant, but is just enough for Gore to win the White House.

Once elected, Gore has no incentive to help the Greens. After all, what sense does it make to shape policy around a handful of voters?

Plus, Gore is not going to snag all of the Green Party's votes. If Gore gets half the votes, those "Green Democrats" will have an even weaker voice. Gore can always corner these voters by making "me or the GOP" threats.

There is also another political future at stake in this election: Nader's. If voters stand by him, Nader might be able to garner the 5 percentage points needed for the Green Party to qualify for federal public campaign financing. This year's elections can determine just how far the Greens can go four years from now.

Not only is there a good reason to vote for Nader this election in relation to the outcomes of the two major parties, but Tuesday's race is also important to the future of Nader's legacy.

Chris Ledermuller is a staff writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.