Green Horizon: McKinney v. Nader
There is this notion that progressive-minded people, who can’t see voting for Obama, have a choice between two outstanding candidates, Cynthia McKinney and Ralph Nader. I agree that they are both outstanding candidates. But I firmly disagree that a vote for one or the other is of equal value.
Read the entire post at Green Horizon.
I have to agree with Rensenbrink. The Green Party is the opposition party to the ruling Democratic-Republicans. Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are our standard bearers, as are the 67 candidates for the US House of Representatives, 8 candidates for US Senate, and hundreds of other Green Party candidates running across the nation.
If a vote for McKinney was equal or even greater than a vote for Nader, she might have my vote. The truth of the matter is McKinney is not newsworthy because she is not seen as a threat. Nader on the other hand, partly through myth, mostly through political bigotry, is able to get a small amount of press coverage because he is a threat.
On some issues like “voting third party” McKinney is much more articulate than Ralph. But at the end of the day McKinney is not someone that keeps the Dems up at night. In many ways she works to their advantage.
Sorry, what exactly does that mean, “a threat?” Because of his reported “poll support” of 5 or6%? Because he’s perceived as having cost the election in 00, even though the news media, the leadership of both parties and 3rd parties know that’s balogna? And how does she work to the democrats’ advantage? Is that why they allowed the GOP to target her twice in 02 and 06? No, quite to the contrary, as recent articles posted on this blog have argued she is a much greater threat than Ralph now and in the future b/c she has a record (i.e. in public office), b/c she’s young and can run again multiple times if she wants to, b/c she is a better speaker w/a clearer and more focused agenda, b/c both parties are terrified of that video of her grilling Rummy catching fire online and on tv, and most critically she has an organization, however small and dysfunctional. The GP isn’t perfect, but it’s the best and strongest progressive partisan vehicle around for now. Wake up and smell the hummus, a Green Vote is much more valuable for the foreseeable future.
In terms of stands on the issues and integrity, I love both McKinney and Nader. The biggest reason why I’ll work and vote for McKinney this year is because a Green vote in November is about building a movement. Some people ask why Greens are running for president, and I tell them that with the current system that is in place, we have to run for president not only to remain relevant, but also to maintain and build ballot access. The more votes McKinney gets in November, the more ballot lines the Green Party will have access to in the future, allowing the party to run the successful local campaigns that will gradually build it into a national force.
http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/08/green-horizons-on-the-relative-merits-of-mckinney-and-nader/
I would like to know if anybody knows how many ballot lines McKinney will likely get on?