Do you want my vote or not?
Meet me, the Nader voter. What will you do for me?
I constitute probably somewhere between 5 to 10% of the American electorate. I might make the difference for you between victory and defeat. I have a vote. It does not belong to John Kerry. It does not belong to the Democratic party. It belongs to me. It's no use sticking your fingers in your ears and singing loudly. I'm not going to go away. I am here to stay. You may not like it. You don't have to like it. But this is democracy. Do you want to win or don't you?
I can assure you, Mary, my vote is no joke, and I take it very seriously. You are foolish to insult me. You would do well to remember that fact. That is if you want my vote. Which you do. Whether you realize it or not.
You have a vote. You may have chosen to vote for John Kerry. That is your right. I have a vote. For now, I am leaning toward Ralph Nader. That is my right. Ralph Nader represents my concerns and my aspirations. So far, as the below discussion demonstrates, John Kerry has made it clear he does not represent me, does not wish to represent me, and has no intention of representing me.
I want John Kerry to acknowledge that our fiscal situation is in one hell of a hole, and that Paul Krugman is right when he says that repealing just the highest-income sliver of Dubya's disastrous tax cuts will not get us out of our fiscal mess. I want John Kerry to come up with a concrete proposal to get us into balance and start paying off the debt. Repeal the rest of the tax cuts, perhaps? Or payroll tax reform, anyone?
I want John Kerry to recognize that there is a significant constituency in this country which cares about political reform and wants to see our political process cleaned up. Similar to the Nader vote, the political reform vote is probably somewhere around 5 to 10% of the population (although at times, in response to a charismatic candidate like Jerry Brown or Ross Perot or John McCain we can swell to as much as 15 to 20%), and we also make the difference in close elections. John Kerry has refused to put the issue in his stump speech, and, so far, there is no indication that it will occupy a prominent place in this year's Democratic party platform. So how about it? Instant runoff? Free TV for qualified candidates? Election Day should become a holiday or take place on weekends? Abolish the Electoral College?
I want John Kerry to reject and repudiate the doctrine of pre-emption, as EVERY ONE OF HIS OPPONENTS BUT LIEBERMAN HAVE ALREADY DONE. Even John Edwards, who voted for the war, has rejected and repudiated it. We don't need it. We already had a doctrine recognized the world over for 60 years which justifies attacking a nation which is out to damage or destroy us. It's the doctrine of self-defense. It's universally recognized both in international law and in most national law. The doctrine of pre-emption has been used by unsavory and malicious regimes throughout history to justify the unjustifiable, such as unprovoked and unjust invasions and occupations. By adopting this doctrine the United States has transformed itself into the world's newest rogue state par excellence and given aid and comfort to countries around the world tempted by hegemony. So, John Kerry, what's it to be? Repudiation and rejection? Or will you continue to accept this quasi-criminal doctrine while mildly tsk-tsking over Dubya's application of same?
I want John Kerry to commit to always insisting that civil rights, labor rights, and environmental rights be a part of the ACTUAL TEXT of all future trade agreements and trade treaties. Otherwise I want him to promise not to sign or support any such trade arrangements. John Kerry, will you commit to fair trade and reject and repudiate the DLC free trade uber alles dogma that has dominated the Bush Lite Democratic party for the past 12 years?
I want John Kerry to nominate a running-mate the selection of whom tells me, the independent reformer who currently plans to vote for Ralph Nader and who opposed the war in Iraq, that my aspirations and concerns will be addressed in a Kerry White House, and that my vote is welcome and solicited. How about it, John Kerry? Will you name a Russell Feingold or a Marcy Kaptur? Or are you going to name a Vichycrat like Evan Bayh?
Meet me, the Nader voter. I am not going to go away. I have legitimate aspirations and concerns. I have an unalienable right to vote. I intend to exercise that right. I am 5 to 10% of the vote. I might make the difference for you between victory and defeat. What will you do for me?
Meet me, the Nader voter. What will you do for me?
Do you want my vote or not?
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