By
Cory Spiller
Liberals beware! We are self-destructing. Less than two weeks away from Election Day, and one of our heroes may be the straw that breaks the donkey's back. Al Gore and George W. Bush are in a dead heat across the country, and Arizona is no exception. Our bleeding hearts want to elect the best man; but if you vote for Nader on Nov. 7 you aren't casting your vote for Ralph Nader you are, in effect, voting for a conservative moralist who shares none of your ideals. Voting for Nader, the only true liberal in this election, is voting for Bush, a conservative's conservative.
Nader is a national hero, an accomplished consumer advocate, who fought tirelessly for seat belts and environmental regulations on corporations. He says the things that make sense: a living wage for all workers, less military and universal health care for everyone. He not only believes in campaign finance reform; he practices what he preaches: he wouldn't accept a single soft-money donation from a corporation. It should be noted that it's easy for Nader to do, as there isn't a corporation in the country that would want to give old Greeny a nickel.
Nader should not be president because as much as we hate the power struggle in Washington, Nader would become the common enemy of nearly every politician in DC. Not to mention that the best he could do for a vice-presidential running mate was Winona LaDuke. In their own pamphlet, the nicest thing the Green Party could say about her was that in 1994, Time magazine named her one of America's 50 most promising leaders under 40 years of age. Wow, what an honor. She's a woman and a Native American, however she is even less politically experienced then Nader.
Nader has his "Raiders," individuals who have been loyal to his causes for decades. Last week 12 of the old "Raiders" formally asked Nader to step out of the election. He didn't, and he won't. The stubbornness that has served him so well in the past will finally do the country harm. If Nader's support in key swing states like Washington, Oregon and Arizona doesn't erode in the next week and a half, Ralph Nader could elect George W. Bush president.
It seems unlikely, but it has happened. Green Party support elected Republicans twice in New Mexico. In 1994 the Green candidate, Robert Mondragon, stole enough votes from the Democrat to elect "wacko" Republican libertarian Gary Johnson. In another case, a Congressional seat was lost. We can't let this happen to Gore. A Bush administration would be a huge step back for our progressive nation.
Nader says that voting for Gore or Bush is voting for the lesser of two evils. Wrong. Neither candidate is evil. Gore has some problems, but he's a good man, who believes in serving our country. Bush is a good man too, hell, he's a great man, but he believes in a moralist vein of politics that is not right for our country.
Our next president will appoint between 1 and 4 of the next Supreme Court Justices, and the issue most important to voters is the possibility of overturning Roe vs. Wade. Bush doesn't believe in abortion. That's understandable and honorable, but he believes in pushing his morals on the rest of the nation. Voting for Bush is possibly outlawing abortion, severely restricting our freedom. If you agree with Bush that abortion is murder, then don't have one. Protest peacefully, and push your morals on your children. Otherwise, keep the conservatives out of the Supreme Court.
Nader and Buchanan should have been in the debates. It's a disgusting fact that we were not allowed to view all of the candidates in debate at once. But that's all over, save the anger for next time. We've got a few weeks to decide the fate of our country, it's time to patch up that bleeding heart and vote for Gore. Voting for Nader is quite simply voting for Bush. Nader is a hero, but he's no president.
