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For as long as I can remember electoral politics (my first vote was in 1956 when my daughter Diane was about a week old) there has been talk about organizing a third party with some clout. Since 1962 most of my activist history has been pushing and changing the system from the outside but I haven't missed a vote since that first one. It's important to watch our back while we move toward the front.

In 1968 I was able to attend the founding convention of the PEACE & FREEDOM party in Richmond, Calif. The arguments were going on then, as now, that to vote third party was to virtually throw away your vote, that we must reform the Democratic Party from within--on and on and on. The whole left was there--all the various socialist tendencies, peaceniks and disillusioned Democrats. So were the BLACK PANTHERS and a young Mario Savio (lost to us only a month ago). The gathering had a circus atmosphere but was deeply serious underneath all the bickering and posturing. Circulating around with all the other myriad pieces of paper was the 10 point program of the PANTHERS which included the then novel idea of releasing all prisoners of color and rejecting white juries because they were not juries of a black mans peers. To its credit, but through many painful battles over the years, P.&F. never abandoned its awareness and commitment to ending racism. Those same battles are now raging within the Green networks and only time will tell if GREEN JUSTICE will prevail. (see Kwazi Nkrumahs article)

At that time I had been an "activist" for only about six years. After helping to start an anti racist group in San Luis Obispo in 1962 I had cut my teeth on 1964's Prop. 14--the racist precursor to Props 187 and 209. This was the Prop that attempted to eliminate the Rumford Act which had been written to ensure fair housing practices for all. It passed and then got tied up in the courts just like 187 and 209. Eventually it was overturned by the courts so there is still hope.

In 1966 I lost my three children in a custody suit with major racist overtones so by 1968 I was ready to hear and understand some of those out of the mainstream concepts and voices. This was also the year that the KERNER REPORT was released and ignored by most white folks. It was also the year that both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were murdered. Those were the days eh?? Now I look back from the vantage point of 1996 and wonder what has changed!! We are still dealing with racist initiatives that are supported by some "well meaning" white folks and we are still worrying that if progressives take third party politics too seriously we will "only help the Republicans". But wait!! There do seem to be some differences between then and now. For starters there is ALLOT more awareness about the big bad corporations and their control over both major parties and our government. Back in '68 there were radicals that saw it coming but they were considered much more "fringe" than now. Now the idea of corporate influence in the world seems almost to be part of mainstream awareness even if it doesn't get translated into any kind of action. Now the disillusionment with the two party Republicrats is out of the closet but manifests itself with lower and lower involvement in electoral politics. Now we have third parties popping up all over the place and they are just on the verge of being taken seriously by that hard to penetrate mainstream. But most of all, the idea of PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION is finally taking root. Hey, what a concept!! (see Al Liner's piece in the Features Archive.)

This seemed to be a good time to get the perspective of a few local people who are part of the minority that did vote. We asked them to comment on how they dealt with the Third Party issue in the recent election. This may be the only way to get people talking to each other in our community.

• WAYNE GIBB, Forestville: "If the polls had been close I would have reluctantly voted for Clinton but they weren't so I voted for Nader for two reasons: one to give the Green party some strength to grow and also to send a message to the Democrats."
• JOHANNA LYNCH, Cazadero: "I voted third party to give a boost to the third party movement. In Australia, where I'm from, there is always much more of a selection like there is in England and France."
• DINA BLISS, Sebastopol: "I have usually voted Democrat but this year I'm voting for Ralph Nader because he more clearly represents my values. Other than that I'm not voting third party. I think it's outrageous, however, that third party candidates were not involved in more of the debates."
• DAVID THATCHER, Sebastopol: "Harry Wrench (Natural Law Party) could have lost the 1st Assembly District for us. In 45 years in the business I've never seen anyone as good a teacher and human being as Virginia Strom Martin and Wrench could have lost it for us. Last I saw he had 5% of the vote. My general position on 3rd parties like Peace & Freedom and the Greens is that I agree with them on most issues however I refuse to waste my vote because it does make a difference."
• ANITA POREE, Kenwood: "Yes, I voted third party this time even though I heard that old comment about how that would be wasting my vote. I think that s an ass backward way of thinking because we need to send a message about third parties and more alternatives in voting. Where is the individual voice in a country that pedestalizes the rugged individual? When it comes to power and control it seeks to shut that voice down. We need to take it back."
• ROBERTA HOLLOWELL, Santa Rosa: "For many years I did vote 3rd party. I actually became a Democratic activist largely though my union because it gave me a different stage to work on. My basic political philosophy hasn't changed."
• AL LINER, Santa Rosa: "I was originally a Democrat and during that time issues of justice, equality and fulfillment of need were the parties primary goals. Somewhere down the line the Democratic party abandoned those goals and became a party more interested in economics than people. The problem is that economics are amoral, hence decisions by the leadership became amoral. That's why the Demos as well as the Repubs justified sending two million kids into the ranks of the impoverished. I did not abandon the Democratic party. The Democratic party abandoned me. Now they want progressives and far thinking people to abandon our conscience the way they have abandoned theirs. There are still progressive Democrats and we have to convince them that voting their conscience is O.K."
• OZ GRIMES, Petaluma: "I couldn't bring myself to vote for Bill Clinton. If late polls had shown there was any chance of Dole winning, I would have held my nose and picked Clinton. The next president may choose two Supreme Court Justices and we can't take chances on being stuck with another Scalia or Thomas. But with polls predicting a win for Clinton, I voted for Ralph Nader. And I'm glad I did. Clinton's signing the Welfare Bill was the last straw"
• BETH GRIMES, Petaluma: "I voted "no" for President--just didn't choose anyone. I know allot of progressives were gung-ho for Nader, but I couldn't bring myself to vote for him because I didn't know where he stood on some issues that were important to me. To my knowledge, the only proposition on the California ballot he supported was 216 and that tied in with his consumer advocate role. He didn't even come out against Prop 209!! I admire Nader as a decent man and a tireless, selfless worker for consumers, but I was unhappy with the fact that he didn't openly support the Green Party platform. I figured I could send Clinton a message as easily by not voting as by voting for a Third Party candidate."
• ENID PICKETT, Santa Rosa: "Yes, I did vote 3rd party for Ernie Jones, Al Liner and Ralph Nader because I wanted to make a significant contribution to the 3rd party movement. It's a numbers game and people will pay attention when the masses vote their conscience."
• JANE CLIFFORD, Libertarian Candidate, Penngrove: "I don't want to make laws. I want to break laws because there are too many."
• STACY SINCHEFF, Monte Rio:"If God wanted us to vote she would have given us candidates!!"
• MADDY HIRSCHFIELD, Sebastopol: "I did not vote 3rd party because there was no reason for me to. Prior to becoming so intimately involved with the Democratic party, I didn't pay much attention to party affiliation. I looked at each individual candidate pretty much blind to that aspect of their picture. It just happened that every time I chose a candidate, it was almost always a Democrat. The Democratic party speaks to me and the issues I care about in a way no other party does. It's not perfect, what is? At the state level, Virginia Strom-Martin was a friend of mine before she was a candidate and I believe in her completely. She's strong on the environment, education, jobs and civil rights. The 3rd party candidate in that race supported Prop. 209 and did not support Prop 215. Not much of a third party choice there. Both Kerry Mazzoni and Valerie Brown have been excellent representatives in all areas. And who could ask for a better representative in Congress than Lynn Woolsey? She has been right there on the issues of importance to me and very tuned into her district--evidenced by her landslide win. There was no reason not to support any of these women. There's a saying--when it works don't fix it. And as far as the President goes, the only real third party choice was Ralph Nader and he just didn't cut it for me either. For allot of reasons, I felt he was not presidential material and even he knew a vote for him was a vote for Bob Dole. I was not willing to pay that price. But the roots of my political activism are in the fight for equal rights for lesbians and gays and Mr. Nader fell very short in that department. When asked at a press conference where he stood on lesbian/gay issues he said 'I don't want to get into gonadal politics.' Evidence that not only does Mr. Nader see lesbian/gay issues as purely sexual but he evidently sees them as exclusively male. This was someone I simply could not get behind. Yes, Clinton blew it with gays in the military and DOMA but the fact remains, he has done more for gays and lesbians than any other president and most elected officials. Again, nothing is perfect. In my 45 years of being on this earth I've learned that rarely, if ever, do I get everything I want. Being true to the Democratic party to me is like being true to a good friend. I've been with this friend a long time. The friend has been good to me and there for me most of the time, but has also let me down more than once. Do I dump this friend or nurture what is good and important to me about the friendship? I tend to keep my friends."
• ANN ENGLAR, Santa Rosa: "As a committed 40 year Democrat who is petrified by Dole I voted Democrat one more time. Now I will make an extensive study of third parties."
• ANNA MARIE STENBERG, Ft. Bragg: "I voted 3rd party across the board in any race I could. I even voted for Libertarian candidate Emil Rossi for 1st District Congress. I would have voted for a Democrat if I could have found one!" S
• ARA PEYTON, Occidental: "I voted 3rd party in the Presidential race for Nader. It seemed like one way to help keep progressive ideas alive."
• PAM DAVIS, Santa Rosa: "Yes, yes and yes! I did vote 3rd party because it's important to take seriously the 3rd party alternative. I accidently listened to the first Presidential "debate" and it was very clear that the Democrats and Republicans are in total agreement to not disrupt the status quo."
• CAROL MILLER, Cazadero: "I voted for Ralph Nader this election because it seemed the perfect opportunity to vote 3rd party and specifically Green. But I don't think the presidential election was or usually is the most important issue in an election. The initiatives are terribly important, as are the congressional and local races. It is shocking to me that only 49% of the country's registered voters voted, especially since only half the country is eligible to vote and only half of those eligible do register. That makes Bill's 50% of the 49% of 50% of 50% only 7% of the country voting FOR our president. By the way, 69% of Sonoma County voters supported Prop 215!!!"

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