Guest columnist
Why I'm working for Nader but casting a vote for Kerry

By Rich Cohen
Special to The Times

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In announcing his candidacy for president, Ralph Nader asked Democrats to "relax and rejoice," saying that he intends to open another front against the Bush administration.

But Democrats remember the last presidential election when Nader's votes were literally the difference between victory and defeat for Al Gore. Yes, Gore did run an inept campaign, and possibly had the election stolen from him, but there is no denying that he still would have won the presidency had Nader not been on the ballot.

Most Democrats believe that Nader's decision to run is bad for the Democratic nominee. But I see a win-win possibility for both Naderites and Democrats that would allow us to remain faithful to our values and at the same time retire President George W. Bush.

The reality is that on Election Day, only Bush or John Kerry will become president. My vote will go to Kerry because I believe that the Bush administration is possibly the most dangerous presidency since the 19th century. I think Kerry will stop the bleeding by reversing the Bush years, making our country and the world safer and better.

But before I cast my vote for the lesser of lessers, I'm going to work for Nader because I believe his moral and ethical principles and the issues he fights for are far more consequential for our country than anything likely to come out of the Kerry campaign.

Although the Nader campaign will be focused on the Bush record, I would like to point to a few of the significant differences between Nader and Kerry so that Kerry supporters know why many of us believe a Nader presence is necessary.

The most important issue of this or any campaign is not jobs, health care, education or national security. It's who decides about these vital matters.

Nader's core intent is to restore citizen authority by replacing corporate governance with a government that is truly of, by and for the American people. This requires, at the minimum, the most comprehensive campaign-finance reform allowable by the Constitution, public financing of campaigns, corporate chartering and electoral reform. At present, these highest-priority issues are not discussed in the Kerry campaign or on the Kerry Web site.

Another significant difference between Nader and Kerry is health care. Nader would cover all Americans under a not-for-profit single-payer system and Kerry would cover only 61 percent of the 45 million uninsured over a 10-year period, all under the present system. We believe a bolder and more urgent approach is required and doable.

On national security, Kerry will find it difficult to hold Bush to account for Iraq since he himself voted for the war resolution. That vote literally takes the heart of this security issue away from the Democrats. Kerry will be inhibited not only from challenging Bush on the reasons we went to war, but also on the character implications of deceiving the American people and then trying to justify the deceit by saying, "Yeah, but we got Saddam."

The moral lesson for our children and the rest of us must not be that it's OK to lie if you have something positive to show for it. Because of his vote, it also becomes less credible for Kerry to express moral outrage at the needless deaths and injuries of more than 3,000 Americans and 10,000 innocent Iraqi men, women and children; $200 billion wasted; the loss of American moral authority in the world; and war profiteering by Bush's cronies. This issue is monumentally important and needs to be discussed on its merits without any credibility distractions.

Sometime in September, I hope Nader will consider withdrawing from the race to help ensure a Kerry victory. Between now and then, I urge all my fellow Nader supporters to get our issues into the public debate at every opportunity, and then in November to cast a vote for Kerry.

Rich Cohen is director of the American Renaissance Project in Beaverton, Ore. The project is an effort to create a national conversation on the virtues, values and principles that bind the U.S. together as a nation. E-mail Cohen at rcohen2@comcast.net

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