It's not easy being Green

It's not easy being Green

Especially lame headline today, sorry. The Green Party convention is this weekend in Milwaukee and the ever-diligent Ron Gunzburger at Politics1 has the latest:

GP activist David Cobb , a Green Party member, is actively seeking the nomination and leads with 229.5 delegates. Nader is not seeking the nomination, notes he is an Independent (and not a GP member), and says he only wants to party's "endorsement" and state ballot spots... Nader and several Nader surrogate candidates hold 214.5 delegates. The remaining GP delegates are divided as follows: Others-28, Uncommitted-173.5, and "None of the Above"-88.5 delegates.

Best case scenario for the Dems is a Cobb nomination. Here's a story:

9 AM November 8, 2000. The morning after the election night from hell. The beginning of The Endless Recount. Returns are still sifting themselves out. It looks like Gore narrowly has Iowa but we haven't the slightest idea who's going to be president.

Two fresh-faced young kids walk in. One asks:

"When can I register as a Green?"

Ya see, Nader won just barely barely barely over the 2 percent Iowa requires for party status.

The answer was some varation on "later" but that's not the point. The point is: what the Greens want is the G on their voter cards. Don't care who's president, I just want the G.

I voted for Nader myself in 2000, given the choice of Bush or Gore. So I'm not bashing here. But here's the scenario: The Greens nominate the loyal party foot soldier no one has heard of, the same mistake the Libertarians make every four years. All the troops, all the volunteers, what little structure there is - it all goes to the nobody. Nader, meanwhile, marches on, alienating the Democrats AND the Greens, without the G-on-the-voter-card people he had last time, in the world's loneliest campaign. Divide and counquer, the fate of third parties in America.

Meanwhile, back in the big leagues, John Kerry is better than Gore and will have to do. But I still want to know when the troops will be home. Hint: January 21, 2005 would be nice.

UPDATE

Nader named a running mate today and looks like he's more openly campagning for the nomination, er, "endorsement."

Chris Bowers at MyDD notes Cobb's unsung yet loyal party activist record vs. Nader's fame and opportunism:

Nader must be desperate for ballot access if he is making a move like this. If Cobb wins, I would not be surprised if Nader drops out. On the other hand, if Nader-Camejo is "endorsed," the Greens might cease to be even a marginal factor in US politics.

A Cobb nomination by a splintered Green Party combined with a Nader drop-out would be an even better scenario for John Kerry... (troops. home. when?)