Here are the top 10 reasons I’m voting for Ralph Nader:
1) I want a candidate not owned by corporations. On campus, Gloria Steinem said that Nader supporters have unreasonable purity standards. I’m actually demanding only one thing: a candidate that doesn’t answer exclusively to wealthy interests.
2) I want federal matching funds for the Green Party. Nader is great, but I would vote Green without Nader. I want the party that represents me to have more influence.
3) I’m thinking long-term, not short-term. Four years of George W. Bush doesn’t frighten me like a lifetime of two-party politics. Two parties can’t adequately represent nearly 275 million people. A vote for Nader is a vote for representation reform — eventually.
4) I’m not naïve enough to believe Gore. The Democrats want to lure the hard-left, so they conveniently forget that candidates’ stump speeches don’t always match their actions when elected. Gore speaks eloquently to the interests of every demographic he woos — even if he contradicts himself.
5) Nader represents feminism. If a middle-class, American woman’s right to an abortion is the only feminist issue, then Al Gore qualifies. But some of us care about women in other countries, who have deeper concerns than just the right to choose. Gore worked to get China permanent normal trade relations. In China, female factory workers often have to show their menstrual pads as proof they aren’t pregnant. What about their rights?
6) The Democrats have sold me out before. Bill Clinton worked for NAFTA, pushed through GATT, supported the WTO, is resurrecting Star Wars and sold out universal health care and gay rights. Could the Republicans have been much happier? Probably not. Am I voting for another Democrat? Definitely not.
7) My conscience tells me to. Democracy only works when people vote for what they believe in. Democracy is corrupt when we vote against a candidate. I will not vote for a Democrat and feel dirty afterward simply to keep Bush out of office.
8) No one will get to appoint extremists to the Supreme Court. That’s why we have Senate confirmation — senators must be more moderate to get elected. And Republican appointees haven’t been that horrible — 5 of the 7 justices voting for Roe v. Wade were appointed by Republicans. This Democratic fear tactic is a misnomer.
9) Votes for Nader are not votes for Bush. National polls don’t show Nader taking votes away from Gore. The latest ABC News poll (Oct. 26-28) shows Nader with 4 percent and Gore trailing Bush by 1 percent. But the Christian Science Monitor poll (Oct. 26-29) shows Nader with only 3 percent and Gore trailing by 6 percent. Other polls confirm this; there’s no correlation. Nader votes are Nader votes. Democrats should realize that not everyone voting for Nader would support Gore.
10) The Democrats are using sleazy politics. After ignoring the Green Party for almost a year, Gore is now very interested in Green voters. But Democratic supporters speaking on campus have treated us like childish, knee-jerk leftists who haven’t thought through their arguments. Nice speech, Ms. Steinem, but I’m no child. I’ve thought about this for eight years. Gore’s politics haven’t changed my vote and attacks only turn me away.