.
“The next milestone for this country will be when a 3rd party candidate is elected into presidency. I just feel that they are more pure than your typical Democrat or Republican.” -Joe Barbarello, comment at Babylon Green Gathering, Nov. 5th 2008.
Tonight, the day after election day, was our regularly scheduled Babylon Green Gathering at the Pisces Cafe in Babylon. We had an excellent speaker, who had never been to our meeting before. And, three new people (that’s priceless in local politics!)
There were various views in the room about if Obama being elected was a good or bad thing. One of the new people was very glad Obama was elected, but felt now that that is over and the air is cleared, the Greens should get to work and start on the next projects. Another person there truly wanted us to understand that the Green Party should have supported Obama.
It is funny how people hold different ideas. In many ways, I see my Green Party work, and even having supported Cynthia McKinney for President on the Green Party line, as helping Obama more even than some people that voted for Obama.
Way before Obama was the nominee, before he was even one of the top 2 choices, the Green Party was pushing the envelope and paving the way by having a black woman carry our banner. That provided support and “a threat” to the two party structure that there would be a person of color in the race. And, then, while the Republicans are screaming right wing ideas, and the Democrats are posturing and not going too far left, the Green Party and Cynthia McKinney draw young people and activists into the political dialogue by using the stage of a national campaign to give speeches about strong, progressive positions. When you add to that all the election protection work the Green Party does, and the non-partisan election protection work I, personally, did, I just think it is foolish to act like the Green Party in some way got in the way of Barack Obama.
But, anyway, now that we are on the other side of all this: Let’s make Obama stop nuclear and get out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Filed under: 3rd party, afghanistan, Anti-War, Barack Obama, election, Election 2008, elections, local, long island, Long Island Politics, presidential race, progressive politics, third party, US Politics Tagged: | babylon, Joe Barbarello, Nuclear, pisces cafe
It is, without a doubt, certain that the running of Cynthia McKinney helped in the election of Obama, even if only in a small way.
It is _not_ a reason to run or not run in the future, but it is something we can safely know to be true.
What folks don’t know is how running Nader in the past helped Al Gore (who couldn’t win anyway). A progressive, African-American women, with the credentials and positions of Cynthia McKinney, could only have helped get voters and votes for Obama.