Gone Green

Tuesday, November 6th, 2012 3:01 PM

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By Dave Coulter

Rough Edges

These quadrennial national elections seems less relevant than ever. My attitude may be a factor of age. I have now participated in my ninth presidential vote and in the 2012 race I was happy to once again vote for the Greens. If I think back, many of my presidential choices have been third party standard bearers. I've never felt my vote was wasted. My defense is that in a nation of 300 million people it's a little preposterous that the choice mainly gets distilled into a one of two dichotomy.

And then there's the environment. During the run up to the election precious little (if any) mention was made by either major party about environmental matters. There was the occasional nod to renewable energy on the one hand, and a lot of universal agreement about drilling as fast as we can.

I could be cynical and say that somewhere out there Sarah Palin was smiling. Drill Baby Drill was merely refined and repurposed for this campaign, don't you think? But it's not really the candidates fault - they're just trying to steer the ship, and right now the voting passengers want to drive their cars. Did anyone notice how gas prices have fallen lately? Global warming and the safety issues that surround nuclear energy are not even part of the greater public discourse.

By this time tomorrow we will probably find that very little has changed in Washington, despite huge expenditures to run all those assorted campaigns. I guess I can't get too high and mighty when I too dropped a few bucks into assorted offering plates this fall. Still, I'd like to think that money could someday be put towards a better use. Any ideas?

And Spaceship Earth keeps rolling along.

Reader Comments

12 Comments - Add Your Comment

Comment Policy

Jonathan Kelly from Chicago

Posted: November 21st, 2012 8:32 AM

People listen, this way of life is almost over. We need to start thinking in terms of survival. The survival of our species, in whatever form, should be paramount in all our decisions.

Bruce Samuels from Oak Park

Posted: November 16th, 2012 3:12 PM

Inconvenient: If you really believe this myth then I have a solution; instant runoff voting. They practice this in many countries and even in many USA cities. The voter gives the first choice and then second choice, etc.

Independent

Posted: November 15th, 2012 1:20 PM

I voted for Green party down the ballot as an anti-two party statment; I don't think I was alone in my rational. I also knew the Greens had no chance of winning or what they stand for; as far as I know they stand for baby seal clubbing

Inconvenient Truth

Posted: November 15th, 2012 1:07 PM

97,488 Green voters in Florida gave the election to Bush rather than the author of "Earth in the Balance" and the global warming warrior portrayed in "An Inconvenient Truth". Greens: history's spoilers for achievable environmental progress.

Bruce Samuels from Oak Park

Posted: November 14th, 2012 8:50 PM

Here in Oak Park only 280 folks voted for Stein, but then went down the ballot and gave Greens more than 4,000 votes. Further down the ballot, 22,000 folks voted for the referendum submitted by the West Side Greens, the local Green Party.

Bruce Samuels from Oak Park

Posted: November 14th, 2012 8:46 PM

Gore and Inconvenient, whoever you are, need to face the truth: 1. The Supreme Court gave the election to Bush. 2. Gore chose as his VP a man who subsequently left the party and ran against a democrat. 3. Stein got more votes than her 2 predecessors

Dave Coulter

Posted: November 13th, 2012 12:40 PM

Cubs?! Now that hurts.

OP Person

Posted: November 12th, 2012 6:19 PM

I had a professor who used to say, "Voting for the Greens is like betting on the Cubs...when the Cardinals and Pirates are playing."

Inconvenient Truth

Posted: November 12th, 2012 4:45 PM

Thankfully Greens across the country and particularly in Florida wised up and learned not to throw their vote away. Green votes were down 90% vs 2000 in Fla. Hallelujiah! Had the same goofs voted the same way, Romney would be president.

Violet Aura

Posted: November 9th, 2012 8:18 PM

@Gore: Keep up the zombie voting patterns and we'll keep getting Repubes in sheep's clothing. Thanks for Dubya Lite for 8 years!

Marie

Posted: November 9th, 2012 5:59 PM

I voted for Jill Stein this election because I couldn't stomach the thought of voting for obama after his betrayal to us in the environmental and animal rights movement. But I knew obama would win so not an issue in a blue state.

Gore wasn't Green enough

Posted: November 9th, 2012 5:38 PM

Green Party = "W" enablers. Thanks for 2000-2008.

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