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Why I'm Voting for David Cobb
an article by Lindsay Mathews
In getting ready for this year's important election, I've had the good luck to meet David Cobb, who was chosen at the National Green Party Convention to run for President. He came through Connecticut twice in his campaign trips, staying at people's houses and catching rides with Green Party members from one city to another.
I liked him on the first impression. He has a direct way of listening and responding to questions that comes from lots of political experience with the issues that I think are important: ecology, advocacy for the poor, women's rights and world peace.
He grew up poor in Texas, became a lawyer working for the rights of working people, and helped build the Green Party in Texas. Now he lives in Northern California.
I took him to meet my friends who have a weekly peace vigil and watched him discuss the issues with them in a way that was respectful and convincing.
He made it clear that he does not want Bush re-elected. While Kerry, he said, is a a "corporate militarist," that is better than Bush who is a "proto-fascist." So he said he will put most of his energy into campaigning in states that will clearly vote against Bush. Since that's true in my state of Connecticut, I can safely vote for him.
You can vote for him, too, even if you are not in a "safe state." Just call a relative or friend who lives in a "safe state" and make an agreement to pair your vote with them - you vote for Kerry and they vote for Cobb. Of course, it would be better if we would adopt Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in the United States so you wouldn't have to do that. With IRV you could vote for Cobb and Kerry with your vote automatically going to Kerry on the second round.
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
Can peace be promoted through national elections in the US?,
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LATEST READER COMMENT:
Recently there was an election in Wisconsin which failed to recall (replace) the governor who attacked the trade union movement. How should this be interpreted? Here is an excellent analysis which I just received from the Tikkun Network of Spiritual Progressives:
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It is election night in Madison, Wis., and I am standing where it all began, in front of the state Capitol here in the heart of America’s rebel dairyland.
Earlier today was the recall election against Gov. Scott Walker, the viciously right-wing governor whose legislative attacks on public workers and unions sparked a grassroots rebellion in early 2011 involving hundreds of thousands of angry Wisconsinites. The Wisconsin uprising, through its occupation of the Capitol and its sheer massive numbers, inspired people across America and beyond to fight for economic justice in bold new ways, paving the way for Occupy Wall Street in the fall.
For me, the movement was as beautiful as it was personal — I’d gone to college in Madison, taught in the Milwaukee public schools, and organized events in Green Bay. Scott Walker was attacking my old teachers, my students, and my friends. But they fought back, and ####, it looked like they – we! – might actually turn the tide against decades of corporate rule. Standing here outside the Capitol on election day, amidst the glorious Solidarity Singers leading 1,000 people in rousing versions of “Eyes on the Prize” and “Union Maid,” the smell of hope was strong in the summer air.
And then the results came in.
Walker 53%, Barrett 46%.
I saw the blood drain from a thousand faces all at the same time. It wasn’t pretty. . ...more.
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