this is for all of you who are worried you would be throwing your vote
away by voting for nader (written by Xander Patterson, a leader in the
portland pacific green party)
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A VOTE THAT COUNTS
You may be asking yourself, "should I vote for Nader and vote my
conscience, or should I hold my nose and vote for the Democrat so I don't
throw my vote away". The truth is you don't have to make that
gut-wrenching choice. A vote for Nader is not a throwaway vote, it is the
most meaningful vote you or any other Oregonian in history has ever had
the opportunity to cast. Here's why:
Only once in the history of the state of Oregon have the few Electoral
College votes we are allotted been enough to sway the outcome of a
Presidential election. That one time was in 1876 when Ruthorford B. Hayes
won what nine out of ten historians agree was the most fraudulent
presidential election in the nation's history. In other words, every vote
an Oregonian has ever cast for a Democratic or Republican presidential
candidate has been, in practical terms, totally meaningless, thrown away.
A vote for a Republicrat might have symbolic value, but symbolic of what?
Abandonment of the hope that government can serve the people's interests?
On the other hand, if you vote for Nader, your vote will count, not only
symbolically but practically. First of all, a vote for Ralph sends a
clear message to the Democrats that they can't take the progressive vote
for granted.
Second, and more importantly, Nader does not have to win the elections to
bring a revolution to Oregon and the entire United States. If Ralph can
win just 15% of the vote in Oregon, the Pacific Green Party will clear
the first and the biggest hurdle to achieving major party status. The
press will have to cover the PGP and our pro-environment, pro-worker,
pro-social justice, pro-citizen, anti-corporate control agenda. If
Oregonians also pass the OPAC ballot measure to provide public funding of
campaigns, the PGP will be able to run against the Democrats and
Republicans on a nearly level playing field. Progressives will have the
loudest and clearest voice Oregonians have heard in most of our
lifetimes. Oregon's political landscape will be changed forever.
On the national level, if Ralph can win just 5% of the vote he will earn
the next Green presidential candidate in 2004 nearly $15 million in FEC
funds. The prospect of an unapologetically progressive candidate running
a well-funded campaign will loom on America's political horizon for four
years. Greens will take over the spotlight that the Reform Party now
squanders, and lead the third party movement, but with a clear message
under a progressive banner. The political center in America will get its
biggest jolt to the left we have seen in a generation.
Even if Ralph polls this well or better, he is not likely to throw the
election to Dubya "Shrub'' Bush. Ralph's integrity and incredible history
of fighting for good government will pull almost as many votes from
disgruntled Republicans as Democrats. His fight for political reform and
against corporate special interests is quite similar to Perot's message
in '92 and '96 and to McCain's message this year. The difference is that
Ralph's credibility is unassailable, his analysis is deeper, his message
clearer, and his solutions more radical and effective.
And even in the unlikely event that Nader does end up helping to throw
the election to a Republican, the establishment of a Green Party presence
in America would still produce, on net, a more progressive government
than we would get if we all voted for Al Gore. Republicratic presidents
are windsocks. Remember Nixon! That right-wing bigot was to the left of
Clinton on just about every issue, simply because the political wind blew
him there. Don't just change the windsock. Change the wind. Vote Ralph,
vote Pacific Green, vote your conscience and change the world!
And may all your votes come true.
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