Lessons from 2004 for building the Green Party.

• Author: Kennell, David
• Position: Election 2004: Green Analyses

To justify a third party, there is a need to demonize the Democratic Party. This blanket indictment, however, ignores the diversity that exists in any large population. Diversity can often be represented by a bell-shaped curve of frequencies verses the extent of progressive views. For the millions of Republicans, Sen. Snowe of Maine might fall among the lower limits of the left side, while Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Ashcroft fall among the most reactionary and criminal elements on the far right. The latter are especially dangerous because, like many past tyrants, they claim that they represent God (Christian Right), so their decisions are based on faith, which by definition is not open to reason.

Within the broader bell-shaped curve of Democrats, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the late Sen. Paul Well-stone and others have taken consistent positions for people's rights and welfare. To equate them with Bush et al is naive and divisive at best and, at worst, is consciously disruptive of any unity among progressive forces. Kerry has been characterized by both progressives and Bush as being among the Democrats on the far left.

Kerry worked with Dr. Helen Caldecott, founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, to disarm the thousands of nuclear missiles aimed at US and Russian cities, and has opposed the Nuclear Defense Initiative (Star Wars) to control space. He has a long record of sponsored legislation (58 have passed the Senate as opposed to only nine by Ted Kennedy, considered the most accomplished senator) for clean air and water, fuel efficiency and renewable energy and would have us rejoin the Kyoto Treaty which Bush quit. Kerry opposed Arctic National Wildlife drilling and was supported by the major environmental organizations.

As a Catholic, he had courage to support a woman's right to abortion, is against school vouchers and privatizing education or Social Security, sponsored an increased minimum wage opposed by Bush, has an excellent lifetime AFL-CIO rating and voted for every civil rights bill. He would greatly expand health care coverage, paying for it by rescinding Bush tax breaks to the wealthy and over $100 billion to corporations. On the Bush-Cheney Iraq War, Kerry's basic proposal is to internationalize a peace-keeping mission with bidding for building contracts open to all countries. In the last weeks he made more belligerent proposals for the war on terrorism, which generated a barrage of charges that Kerry is a war hawk worse than...