Essay Ally

Ralph Nader has once again announced his candidacy for presidency. As critics point out, he may well have been the spoiler in the Gore - Bush election, as he takes liberal votes that might otherwise go to the democratic party.

Huckabee and McCain welcome the announcement as Huckabee stated “I think it always would probably pull votes away from the Democrats and not the Republicans, so naturally, Republicans would welcome his entry into the race.”

Now, Green Activists might argue that our country is in need or a revolution. And some liberals might say that it is in the spirit of the democratic process to allow for independent or outside party candidates to run for presidency. But lets be pragmatic, Nader is educated and intelligent and he knows, both based on previous runs, and polls, as well as other indicators, that he has a snowballs chance in hell of receiving a significant share of votes anywhere in this country. He also knows that the majority of his votes come from the more pro-environment party of democrats.

So why exactly is Nader running?

My conclusion is ego. This man enjoys the fame, attention, and the opportunity to speak to the press about his various issues. And he is a selfish son of a bitch for doing it this way. He could well make deals with the Democratic Party to rally his voters around a democratic candidate and have a more active role within our government to improve environmental legislation, but he won’t.

So my advice to Green Party members, don’t be selfish. Don’t vote for Nader to create some kind of message. You will end up putting McCain in office. Work with our system and try to slow and reverse the damage. And if you want to help more, think Global and act local. Try to lobby for local candidates that might help represent the environmental issues for your area.

Please help the environment and vote Democratic, let’s not give the Republicans another four years in office.