Greens split on whether to support a Democrat

By David Postman and Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporters

	Ralph Nader
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Now, some of those Green voters will be turning Democratic in time for today's Washington presidential caucus. Building a third party, some argue, should take a back seat to beating Bush this year.

The issue splits the left-leaning Greens in one of their strongest regions of the country. About 4 percent of Washington state voters supported Nader in 2000, one of his best showings.

Democrat Al Gore still handily won the state with 50 percent of the vote to Bush's 45 percent. But with the national election turning on a few hundred votes in Florida, Nader was blamed by many Democrats for Gore's loss.

This week, Nader said he's "itching to run" for president again. He has ruled out running as the Green Party's nominee and would run as an independent.

Caucuses today How to find your neighborhood Democratic caucus: Each of the state's more than 6,500 voting precincts will have a caucus starting at 10 a.m. today. Many will be held in the same buildings, say, in different parts of a school gym or cafeteria. To find the caucus for your precinct, you'll need to know your precinct number. It is printed on your voter-registration card. If you can't find your card, here are some other ideas: • If you live in King County, you can find your precinct number if you go to the King County Democrats Web site, www.kcdems.org. You'll find caucus locations there, too. • You also can check the state party Web site, www.wa-democrats.org, and look for the phone numbers of your county chairman or legislative-district chairman. They should be able to help, though they likely will be at the caucuses early. • You also can try the candidates' local campaign headquarters. They may be able to help.

Meanwhile, even major candidates for the Green Party presidential nomination, Peter Camejo of California and David Cobb of Texas, are divided about whether the party should run a full-blown campaign that could hurt the Democratic nominee.

"This 2004 presidential election is the single biggest thing that could tear apart the Green Party in this country," said Kara Ceriello, the former chairwoman of the Washington Green Party.

With another close election shaping up, she says, Greens should abandon their presidential aspirations.

"In 2000 it was a fine time to run a Green Party candidate and grow the party that way and gain a lot of recognition and that worked very well. Except we did end up with Bush," she said.

"I think we can show that we are not separatists like the Democrats and Republicans; we will work with others toward a common goal."

A warning to Greens

But the current state Green Party leader hopes members want to keep a separate identity. Jody Haug, "facilitator" for the Washington state Greens, recently warned members that if they attend today's Democratic caucuses, there could be consequences.

Haug's e-mail to party members says they're free to participate in another party's nominating caucus. But any Green who then becomes a Democratic delegate might forfeit Green Party membership.

"The Green Party does not want another party to take over our internal processes, and it is our overall, long-term strategy to build our own Green Party, not to take over another party," Haug wrote.

Haug maintains the Greens should stick with the party for the long haul and not feel compelled to vote for the Democratic presidential nominee.

"My basic feeling is, I personally will not vote for the lesser of two evils, because I don't think it gets less evil that way," she said in an interview.

Connecting with Kucinich

	Dennis Kucinich

Some who supported Nader in 2000 and 1996 say they will attend Democratic caucuses for the first time today.

Many have been drawn to Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who has appealed directly to Greens, hoping to claim their votes in support of his flagging presidential campaign.

Kucinich met with local Green leaders in Seattle last fall. Haug said Kucinich was told the local party would not endorse him, "but at the same time, individual Greens do what they feel they should do."

They also asked Kucinich to issue statements on issues of importance to Greens, including support for allowing minor-party candidates in presidential debates and disputing the 2000 "spoiler" charge.

"A tremendous amount of time has been wasted attempting to blame the Greens for the outcome of the 2000 election, though I don't think it is appropriate for anyone to blame the Greens," Kucinich wrote in a position paper. "Had the Democratic platform been more respected and representative of the aspirations of the American People, the results might have been different."

That message has resonated with some local Greens.

Tim Andersen, a Seattle architect and Green Party member, said he plans to attend today's caucuses in support of Kucinich.

Four years ago, Andersen says, he "wasn't that political" and voted for Nader out of a feeling that there "wasn't that much difference" between the Republicans and Democrats.

"Both of the parties had become the same," Andersen said. "We really weren't given any alternative."

'Bite the bullet'

But like many liberals, Andersen has been increasingly alarmed by the Bush presidency. He'll support Kucinich in the caucuses and — perhaps more significantly for the Democrats — says he'll likely "bite the bullet" and vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is come November.

Green Party milestones 1978: Greens form in West Germany as a pro-environmental, anti-nuclear group. 1983: Greens get worldwide recognition after gaining seats in West Germany's parliament. 1985: First U.S. Green Party candidates run for local offices in Connecticut and North Carolina. 1996: Green Party of the United States founded as a national coalition of pre-existing state Green Parties. 1996: Green Party nominates Ralph Nader as its presidential candidate; he receives less than 1 percent of the popular vote. 2000: Nader runs again as the Green Party candidate, receiving 2.7 percent of the popular vote. 2004: Green Party reports 303,429 registered Greens in 22 states and at least 206 Greens in 26 states holding elected office Compiled from Times news sources by news researcher Gene Balk

"I think it is a life and death struggle for America," Andersen said of the 2004 election.

For some, the Green Party and support for Nader have always been somewhat of a dalliance — more about sending a message to the Democrats than constructing a viable third party.

Seattle City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck irked local Democrats with a high-profile endorsement of Nader four years ago, but he says he voted for Gore.

He now describes his Nader endorsement as "wrongheaded" and counts himself firmly back in the Democratic fold, endorsing former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.

"We should never let ourselves feel alienated to the point where we check out of the system. I think if you don't like the candidate, you don't like the platform, it (the two-party system) is what drives America, you've got to get in there and change it."

But other current and former Greens aren't convinced the Democrats are the answer.

Avocado Greens?

A forceful manifesto for Green unity — dubbed the "Avocado Declaration" — was sent out last month by Camejo, the California Green who appeared on that state's gubernatorial-recall ballot along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and says he will run for president as a Green.

"Those voices who say Nader should not run, that the Greens should consider withdrawing," he wrote, are actually helping Bush by "weakening the development of an opposition political movement that shifts the balance of forces."

While mentioning no one by name, Camejo is clearly talking about Cobb, a Texas attorney who has been campaigning for the Green Party presidential nomination. Cobb says if Kucinich is nominated he won't run. He says he doesn't think that'll happen. But even without Kucinich on the ballot he says he won't campaign in states where Greens could siphon off enough votes from Democrats to ensure a Bush re-election victory.

"My strategy is to focus resources in those states where the Electoral College votes are not considered in play," Cobb said in an interview.

The Greens will select their presidential nominee at the party convention in Milwaukee in June.

Cobb said his main pitch is to boost membership in the party. But number two on his list is to ensure the Greens do what they can to deny Bush a second term.

"We have a responsibility to exert our strength wisely for the good of the country and the good of the Green Party," he said.

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com

David Postman: 360-943-9882 or dpostman@seattletimes.com

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