Election Year Blues as a 3rd Partier
July 9th, 2006 § Leave a Comment
As another election season ramps up, I once again dread the campaign literature that will soon be flooding my mailbox from the Democratic party. Why? During the last presidential election cycle, I gave more to John Kerry’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee than I’ve given to political candidates every election prior combined. And what did I get for it? A losing candidate, a bunch of letters addressed to “Fellow Democrats” and far too many post-election pleas for money not so cleverly disguised as Democratic Membership cards.
What gives me the right to complain over any other depressed Democrat? One search of the voter rolls would have revealed that not only am I a registered Green, but I’ve never been a Democrat (I’ve always been “Decline to State”).
So what’s the deal? Are the Democrats so arrogant that they simply can’t conceive of other liberal political parties? Or are they just so lazy that they can’t be bothered to reach out honestly to fellow progressives? To all those Greens who recognized the legitimate threat of Bush and his cronies enough to work on the Kerry campaign? Let’s face it – there’s a war going on out there, and neither arrogance nor laziness is going to reign victorious when all is said and done.
And here’s the kicker – I’m just waiting for an excuse to join the Democrat Party. (No offense, Greens, but there is an appeal to a party that has a legitimate infrastructure.) But no, instead I get Hillary Clinton abortion speeches that use the same language as Bush’s, Joe Biden and his lip service on the cable news channels (while his votes betray him) and John Kerry’s lackluster support of third-party-forced recounts in Ohio. Could we get just one “thank you” for David Cobb, Michael Badnarik and all their supporters who tried their darndest to fulfill the “every vote counted” promise that John Edwards made on election night?
It’s time all you Democrats woke up. In a post-11/2 world, us lefties have to stick together. Stop fighting us on IRV (Instant Runoff Voting) and ballot access. You need our help. The world has become too complex a place to sustain a two party system, and as long as the neo-cons are in power, America needs all the help it can get. If you really believe in what your party stands for, you’ll respect our differences while working with us towards common goals. (It wouldn’t kill the supposedly non-partisan MoveOn.org to promote or endorse a Green candidate every once in a while.) Here’s an easy idea for starters – how about some letters addressed to “Fellow Citizens”?
Technorati Tags: Politics, Elections, Democrats, Greens, Green Party, John Kerry, IRV, Instant Runoff Voting, Voting
An Open Letter to George W. Bush
July 4th, 2006 § Leave a Comment
This letter was sent to the White House in the fall of 2004. Over a year later, it still captures how I feel every day. For some reason, re-posting it on the 4th of July just seems appropriate.
Mr. Bush:
I am writing to tell you that I have not embraced your conservative agenda. Do not fool yourself into believing that you have a mandate from the people – you do not, and myself and others will not go quietly into the dark future you intend to create. There will be protests. There will be mass demonstrations and strikes. We will not be silenced, even though we know that you have no intentions of compromising with those of us who disagree with you. We know this because, despite losing the popular vote in 2000 and promising to be a “uniter, not a divider”, you spent your first term pursuing extremist policies with no regard for popular opinion. As a result, thousands are dead, women and children worldwide have been denied healthcare, our environment is dying, and our country is despised by most of the world.
48% of the electorate hopes for a better future, one that is free from the destructive powers of intolerance, hatred, corporate greed and go-it-alone foreign policy. We will continue to fight for the America that we know is possible, an America guided by the founding principles of this country: freedom, liberty, equal opportunity and human rights.
No matter what you say, you cannot leave us behind. We are citizens of this country and as such we have the right to protest, to revolt and to overthrow when necessary. Our founding fathers gave us this power, and we will not refrain from using it.
Technorati Tags: Bush, Letter, Election, Mandate, Protest
