From: B.K. DeLong (bkdelong@pobox.com)
Date: Fri Oct 27 2000 - 08:24:30 PDT
Mr. Nader -
I don't know about you, but I am sick to death of people saying "A Vote for
Nader is a Vote for Bush." I was appalled to read in an October 4th article
at Salon that both the National Organization of Women and the Human Rights
Campaign alluded to the same thing and cast their endorsement for Gore.
(http://www.salon.com/politics/feature/2000/10/04/nader/index.html)
I don't think they realize that if the got their collective asses in gear
and encouraged supporters to vote for you, then many more people would be
voting for you and we wouldn't have this "I'm voting for Gore because I
just don't want Bush in the White House" issue.
Women fought so long and hard for the right to vote yet one of the biggest
advocacy groups for women's causes is telling women to throw that right
away by NOT voting where there heart is, but by voting for the status quo
instead of fighting for the right candidate.
It's a similar situation for the Human Rights Campaign and the GLBT
community. Here's an organization that is fighting for equal rights for
same-sex couples: the right to marry, share benefits, adopt children
without controversy and yet they tell the primary group of people they're
fighting to bring these rights to, to throw away their strongest right - to
vote.
There have been several other groups including unions (even though you're
the most pro-union candidate) and environmental organizations (Hmm. Green
Party?) who have also supported Gore. If all these groups sat down and
threw all their support to you, you'd win the election.
Click on this search query to see all the people saying that voting for you
is voting for Bush:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22%2BA+Vote+%2Bfor+Nader+%2Bis+%2Ba+Vote+%2Bfor+Bush%22&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&btnG=Google+Search
Now even some of your "Nader's Raiders" have asked you to step aside and
throw your support to Gore. What's with these people?
Hopefully one of these days, people will wake up and realize that they have
the right to vote and should vote with the hearts for someone who will be a
good leader and not play the Washington politics game of favor-trading.
If people still think that a vote for you is a vote for Bush, they should
read a recent Slate article by American University Professor Jamin Raskin
about vote exchanges.
You can read all about it here:
http://www.brain-stream.com/archive/2000_10_22_archive.html#1176057
Good luck, Mr. Nader. I hope you beat out both Gore and Bush in the
upcoming election. I have faith that if people truly vote with their hearts
that the only person they can vote for is you.
I know I will.
-- B.K. DeLong bkdelong@pobox.com 617.642.7149
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Oct 27 2000 - 08:39:33 PDT