Nader's Big Chance

Fighting the various forms of Black voter disenfranchisment in Florida (and elsewhere) is just Ralph Nader's kind of gig.

Ah, another fine late-night production of Bijan Parsia and his l'l c-eing xtian fundemetnalist-though-he-doesn't-like-to -admit-watching-the-700-club minon, Kenneth Clark!

Cheers,
Bijan.


Nader's Big Chance
URL: http://www.tbwt.com/views/earl/earl_09-26-00.asp
By Bijan Parsia


   One of the cheering things for progressives of all stripes about
   this election (aside from the wonderfully long period of time
   without a president-elect) was the relatively last minute, highly
   successful get-out-the-vote efforts of the [1]unions and the Black
   community (including the very interesting Michigan Republican
   primary "[2]hijacking"). This almost certainly made the difference
   in several states (particularly in the midwest) for Al Gore. While I
   could wish that these efforts had benefited Nader, it nevertheless
   pleases me greatly to see those communities adroitly wielding
   political power. It also raises my hopes that a progressive
   coalition with the clout needed to get things done is an attainable
   goal in the near future.
   
   The deeply sour note, however, is the ever more brazen attack on the
   African-American franchise. (Note: the poor, in general, are getting
   hit, as well as several other groups, but Blacks, as one might
   expect, are the main target.) The assault is not entirely
   systematic, though there are organized elements, but it is thorough
   and thoroughly despicable.
   
   Despite Blacks going all out for Al Gore, indeed often having to
   fight their way to the polls, Gore and the Democrats --
   disregarding their political debt, moral duty, and their own
   immediate tacitical advantage -- chose to ignore Black
   disenfranchisement in Florida. Of course, I'm not at all surprised
   as it's completely consistent with the record: the Democrats have
   always told the wrong Jesse (Jackson, rather than Helms) to shut up.
   
   This blunder gives Ralph Nader the perfect chance to continue
   rectifying what was, for me, the weakest part of his campaign: race.
   Granted, Nader seemed to take the criticism of his [3]avoidance of
   [4]racial issues increasingly to [5]heart. He gave a good speech to
   the [6]NAACP and, at the last minute, made some campaign moves
   toward Blacks, like going to a rally at [7]Al Sharpton's National
   Action Network headquarters in Harlem. A bit too little, much too
   late, but it was something.
   
   Nader simply didn't have it all together when the campaign started
   -- at first, he didn't really grasp what kind of candidate he could,
   and should, have been. He gradually grew as a politician as his
   campaign progressed. His early avoidence of racial issues was more
   from deference than denial, but, be that as it may, it's clear that
   he's picked up a clue. But if he wants to be part of a coalition, if
   he wants to help bridge the gap between (white, often racist when
   not "merely" racially insensitive) Greens and Blacks, he needs to
   act now. The Florida debacle is tailor-made for him.
   
   First: It involves a lot of lawyering and lobbying at all levels of
   government. Nader excels at this sort of thing. His participation
   would be a great way to strengthen institutional ties with, for
   example, the NAACP and personal ties with, for example, Jesse
   Jackson.
   
   Second: It involves mobilizing lots of people at the grass roots
   level, another thing Nader's proven good at (although much more with
   whites). There's a deep need for oversight (not only in Florida, but
   across the country) of voter registration, polling places, ballot
   design and access, and so on. Greens, as non-Republicrats and as
   deeply commited to democracy, can serve as valuable allies to Blacks
   and non-Green Black activists. If a polling official tries to turn
   away a voter, let a swarm of Greens be there to support that voter.
   If the police set up a roadblock near a polling place in a heavily
   Black precinct, let hundreds of us swamp the roadblock.
   
   This is what democracy looks like. This is what [8]anti-racist
   whites look like. This is an opportunity not just for Nader but for
   those who worked to shut down the WTO and the Republican and
   Democratic national conventions. Only here, instead of shutting
   something down, we can work to open up the franchise.
   
   No other group has fought as long and as hard as Blacks for the
   vote. No other group has cherished the franchise as much. White
   activists can do few things that are more noble than to be loyal,
   active allies in the struggle of Blacks and Black activists to keep
   and exercise this bedrock democratic right.

References

   1. http://www.nandotimes.com/election2000/story/0,3977,500215801-500305828-501699043-0-fresno,00.html
   2. http://www.freep.com/news/politics/preach21_20000221.htm
   3. http://www.tbwt.com/views/rd/rd_10-17-00.asp
   4. http://www.votenader.org/issues/race_main.html
   5. http://www.votenader.org/press/000920RacialGaps.html
   6. http://www.naacp.org/
   7. http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0045/ridgeway1.shtml
   8. http://monkeyfist.com/articles/623


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Posted on Monkeyfist at http://monkeyfist.com/articles/727