Sanity prevailed at the Green Party Convention this weekend as its members rejected the entreaties of Ralph Nader’s running mate Peter Camejo to vote for “no nominee.” The Greens rank-and-file instead nominated Texas attorney David Cobb as its candidate for president Saturday, rebuffing Nader’s efforts to secure the party’s formal endorsement and likely access to the ballot in key states like Wisconsin and California.
Though no fan of John Kerry, Cobb’s strategy for “smart growth” for the Green Party calls for him to aggressively campaign for votes only in safe states while advising party members to essentially vote for Kerry in the ten or so states he considers the battlegrounds which will decide this November’s presidential election. This Green candidate understands that Kerry is an imperfect candidate; but he is sane enough to make the clear distinction between imperfection and a candidate like George Bush who, as he says, “is a genuine threat to the planet.”
Cobb’s strategy jibes with a new grassroots campaign that launched just days before the Green Convention in Milwaukee. “Greens for Kerry” urges former Nader voters and Greens in swing states to unite to defeat Bush by voting for the Democrat’s candidate.
“While we acknowledge some policy disagreements with Kerry,” the founding statement of Greens for Kerry reads, “we believe that the threat posed by another four years of George Bush endangers our country, the world and many of the gains that progressive and grassroots movements have achieved over the past century, including women’s rights, environmental protection, social justice, minority rights, and many more. What’s worse, if a Nader or Green Party run helps Bush win a second term, the Green Party itself will suffer, which we certainly don’t want to happen.”
The campaign, launched by registered Green Party member and former Nader campaign volunteer Sarah Newman, has set a goal of gathering a minimum of 10,000 signatures on its website pledging support for Kerry in battleground states. (Click here for info.)
On related fronts, recent attempts to stop Nader included the Arizona Democratic Party’s effort to block him from getting on the state ballot, and the Congressional Black Caucus uniformly and heatedly asking him to withdraw from the race rather than take votes away from Kerry. (Nader testily rejected their request.)
Perhaps the most extreme suggestion could be found in last week’s “Boondocks”– Aaron McGruder’s brilliant comic strip. “We Must Stop Ralph Nader,” Mr. Dubois tells Huey. “We must do everything in our power to band together as freedom-loving liberals and stop this man.” But kidnapping? Check out last week’s strip for the details.
