The Kerry Compromise

Life is all about knowing when to compromise and I think I’ve found mine w/r/t my vote for President thanks to a timely email from Dan Cantor of the fledgling Working Families Party here in New York:

In New York, the WFP’s main goals are to get a solid vote for Kerry-Edwards on our line (Row E), and to help our priority candidates win. We ask your help in both.

In the Presidential [election], votes for Kerry-Edwards on Row E/WFP are worth JUST AS MUCH as a vote on the Democratic line, but carry an extra message. Long-time WFP voters know this, but there are many new people on our listserv (40,000 now), so it’s worth a moment to remind people how “fusion” voting works.

Kerry is running on 2 lines: Democrat and Working Families

Bush also has 2 lines: Republican and Conservative

If you are reading this message, you are probably planning to vote for Kerry. Doing so under the banner of the WFP will signal that you want Kerry and the Democrats to lean a little more to the progressive side on all sorts of issues.

A good showing on our line strengthens the WFP in state and local politics. If decision-makers perceive the WFP as growing, then better decisions will get made on issues like healthcare, job creation, school funding, tax policy, and crime.

PLEASE consider casting your vote for Kerry-Edwards on ROW E-WORKING FAMILIES, as well as the rest of the WFP ticket. It’s the “Good Housekeeping” seal of approval for politicians, and the more votes we gather, the more we can hold these same officials accountable.

A note to progressive bloggers: If you can get this (or a similar) message out to your New York readers, we’d be enormously grateful. It’s a constructive approach to 3rd Party politics, and deserves to be better known.

I like the WFP a lot, following them from a distance since late last year when I realized I couldn’t switch my party affiliation from “None” to “Democrat” in time to vote for Kucinich in the primaries. I’ve been monitoring how they handle themselves during this election cycle and been mostly impressed with their straightforward, pragmatic approach to building their base from the left while selectively endorsing solid Democrats that support their ideals.

It also helped to dig up this little ditty I wrote a while back to remind me of how I felt about things before my disappointment with Kerry as the “Anybody But Bush” sweepstakes winner began clouding my judgement:

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR GEORGE W. BUSH

or, how I came to appreciate the lesser in “lesser of two evils.”

10. Because you’d like to see him elected legitimately this time.

9. Because women have too much control over their own bodies.

8. Because affirmative action is reverse racism and slavery was a long time ago.

7. Because you are a CEO or other high-ranking corporate executive.

6. Because you’re single with no kids and drive an SUV.

5. Because you can afford your own health insurance, have significant money in the stock market and/or send your kids to parochial school.

4. Because those uncivilized Arabs need a Starbucks, Wal-Mart and McDonald’s on every corner.

3. Because the Pentagon is strapped for cash.

2. Because Corporate America has the people’s best interests at heart.

1. Because it will take at least another four years to find those weapons of mass destruction Saddam used against us on 9/11.

So there it is. Kerry/Edwards gets my vote, the WFP gets another voice in the mix and I get to sleep a bit easier on November 2nd. On November 3rd, the real work begins.

Written by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is the Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, and former publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest. Previously, he was also project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.

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