Some of my friends tell me that progressives throw away their votes when they opt for Green Party candidates. They argue Greens can't win, and that such a vote only helps elect Republicans who are even more conservative than the available Democrats. I've followed this reasoning for decades, voting for the least bad choice between the Republican and the Democrat.
The difficulty with this argument is it's not working today, and cannot work in the long run. Arkansas not only continues its strong conservatism, but becomes more extreme as leadership switches from Democrats to Republicans. Democrats such as U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, candidate for re-election, and Mike Ross, candidate for governor, only confirm Arkansas' conservative culture. That culture needs to change, and this can happen only over many years and by forces from outside the two-party arena. We need to hear strong political voices for environmental stewardship, gun control, abortion rights, national health care, etc. Absent such voices, it's not surprising Arkansans are mired in provincial beliefs.
Mark Pryor voted recently against gun background checks and raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10. He thinks science is divided over evolution versus creationism, believes the story about Adam and Eve 5,000 years ago "could have possibly been that way," and has faith in the biblical Rapture. Wisely, he regards climate change as a man-made threat, but his record on this issue is terrible. He voted for the Keystone XL Pipeline, against the cap-and-trade bill, for Sen. James Inhofe's inane amendment to cut funds to agencies seeking to curb emissions, and against EPA rules to limit emissions.
Mike Ross is even worse. He voted over and over against Obamacare. He received an A-plus from the National Rifle Association and a perfect score from abortion opponents. He was one of three House Democrats to vote with Republican energy committee members against amendments recognizing that climate change is real, and in favor of a bill repealing EPA's climate change findings. He was ranked in 2013 as the House's sixth most conservative Democrat.
With Democrats like this, Arkansas' conservative culture will never change. Given America's two-parties-only system, Democrats could do Arkansas far more good by becoming the loyal opposition to Republican conservatism.
Since Democrats aren't doing this, I'm voting Green to enhance the voice of the party that does promote progressive views. Greens need to equal at least 3 percent of votes cast in the Arkansas governor's race to qualify for the ballot in the next election without having to gather 10,000 voter signatures on a ballot access petition.
One important Green view supports instant run-off election ballots. Voters would rank each candidate, so that if none received a majority, the follow-up choices could be immediately counted to determine a second-round majority. This would invalidate the argument Green votes are "thrown away," and encourage a broader democracy. Run-offs should be standard in every election.
Greens are running two statewide candidates in 2014: Mark Swaney for U.S. senator, and Josh Drake for governor. Swaney supports a carbon tax, with proceeds rebated to citizens, as the best solution to climate change; ending the federal death penalty; evolution education in schools; supporting the United Nations; linking U.S. support of Israel to ending Israeli settlement in the West Bank; a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine; reducing and eventually phasing out nuclear weapons; reduced military spending; a more progressive tax structure; a balanced federal budget; restoration of the inheritance tax; repeal of most of the Bush tax cuts; unions; gay marriage; anti-discimination laws; a $10 per hour minimum wage; and stricter gun laws, including background checks.
Turning to Arkansas matters, Drake regards water as a key issue. For water quality and other reasons, he would ban fracking until it can be proven safe, look carefully at the hog farm near the Buffalo River, and strengthen our watershed protection laws "so that more hog farms do not appear in sensitive areas." He would commute Arkansas death sentences to life without parole. He and Swaney support an Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
I will vote for Mark Swaney and Josh Drake as the healthiest alternative for Arkansas. I would be happier if there were a run-off in case no majority is achieved on the first round, so that my vote would then revert to the least bad of the other candidates, namely the two Democrats. But our two dominant political parties have not seen fit to allow that to happen.
ART HOBSON IS A PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF PHYSICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS.
Commentary on 09/21/2014