From the Eugene, OR Register Guard

Commentary: GORE HAS ONLY HIMSELF TO BLAME

By KEN GRIMSLEY

DISGRUNTLED DEMOCRATS and the righteous legions of the anti-Bush left need to grow up and devote energy to productive political reform. They need to stop whining about how Ralph Nader tipped the election.

Of course Nader helped tip the election. Of course George W. Bush shouldn't be president. Neither should Al Gore. And all Nader voters should be proud of their courageous votes in the wake of rampant cowardice and ego (along with genuine dilemma and fear by millions of voters sucked into Gore's media propaganda).

But here's the news flash: Nader didn't cause a loss, neither did Florida's obnoxiously smug Secretary of State Katherine Harris and her overbearing GOP coalition, or circuit court judge N. Sanders Sauls playing it safely by the book. Gore defeated himself.

Let's entertain a thought: If Gore had the record, vision and integrity to earn votes, he would have gotten them - and by more than a minuscule margin over a centrist puppet governor with an easily dismissed record. Gore's campaign has been an epic failure, a political nightmare.

But, gee, he could've won, if only, if only, if only ... if only people hadn't voted for Nader? I suggest that the malcontents obsessed with assigning blame thoroughly clean their glass house (especially the mirrors) before throwing stones - unless they throw them at Gore.

Look at Florida: A report of tallies and exit polls by Tim Wise, a Nashville-based writer, reveals that Nader drew only 24,000 Democratic votes, yet 308,000 Democrats voted for Bush! Was it the "Clinton factor?"

As if that's not embarrassing enough, there's more: Gore lost the white women vote, normally Democratic votes in Florida, to Bush by 53 percent to 44 percent. If Gore earned even half of these votes, he would've gained 65,000 votes (Nader's Florida total was only 95,000).

But, wait, there's even more humiliation: In spite of his terrorizing Social Security spin, Gore also lost the senior vote (those older than age 65) to Bush, 51 percent to 47 percent. If Gore had won Tennessee, his home state, he wouldn't even need Florida!

Of course Nader's votes contributed to Gore's plight. Good. Bush should win. Gore and the so-called New Democrats (who promise a "vital view from the center") need to lose. We shouldn't be fooled by the ruse of Democratic politicians being "liberal" or "progressive" and Republican politicians being "big bad business." The past eight years have exposed that scam, big time.

The charge to the right (masked as the center) has been stampeded by the Democratic Leadership Council, led by Clinton/Gore. With few exceptions, the vast majority of Democratic and Republican politicians have merged into one Corporate Party. Of course the parties disagree and dance over tactics, but a close look at their strategy reveals a single boss pulling the strings: big money. And Americans know it.

Clinton/Gore's eight years yielded more mega-mergers, less prosecution of environmental crimes, increased logging on public lands, increased lack of health insurance, increased poverty among women and children (now at 20 percent for children), hugely increased multinational corporate power (including the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement, which are positioned to inflict greater tragedy than anything in Texas under Bush) and dramatically increased accumulation of wealth by fewer people.

If voters honestly examine the past eight years (including the voting record of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices, who created and have twice upheld Roe vs. Wade), voters would realize that a Bush win opens the door to opportunity. That's part of Nader's victory. The Bush win can be a lightning rod to energize all voters concerned with social, environmental and economic progress to stop the relentless erosion of our personal sovereignty by the tidal wave of global corporate sovereignty.

How can we transcend the election debacle and, as Nader defined in his platform, reclaim our democracy? One specific example: We need to end all private money in elections.

Freedom of expression is exercised by a vote, so who said it also needs to be expressed in cash? Democracy is Latin for "rule by people," not rule by cash. Public representatives should be under the control - including financial - of citizens. We - not the wealthy media moguls - own the broadcast airwaves. We - not deep-pocket donors - own our democracy. We can all fight and work, right now, for totally publicly funded state and federal elections, with debates governed by public authority.

Ending the obscene influence of big money on our political process would be an enormous step toward reclaiming our democracy, a message successfully delivered to all voters by Nader. It's at the heart of his legacy and victory this year. In 2004, if we begin now, it could be our victory.

Ken Grimsley was the co-chair of Lane Victory 2000, an Oregon political action committee supporting the Ralph Nader-Winona LaDuke ticket.

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), December 08, 2000