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1 < Nader's Raiders Ride Again The Green Party and its -newfound labor union and Reform pals got together in Denver and decided that Al Gore and George W. Bush make them want to Ralph. In a somewhat peculiar symbiosis, consumer advocate Ralph Nader and a burgeoning Green Party solidified what they hope will become this year’s populist rallying cry ♦** r e- engage disaffected labor union members and environmental ists alike: Turtles and Teamsters Forever! And in a stunning move, a representative of the 23-state coalition of the Reform Party of America offered a decisive endorsement for Nader at the Greens national convention in Denver. Dismissing the notion that a vote for Nader is a vote thrown away, speaker after speaker attacked Democrats ind Republicans as indistinguishable as they satiate their vora cious appetites for cash from the same corporate and spe cial interest trough. Four years ago. Nader only halfheartedly campaigned on the Green Party ticket. This year he insists he’s in it to win. However, a more realistic goal is to secure that magic five percent voting percentage, giving the Greens a massive boost and access to millions in matching federal funds in the 2004 presidential race. Or, as Jello Biafra, puts it, “Can you imagine what would happen to American television if people like me get to design the presidential campaign ads?” Biafra was also drafted to run on the Green Party ticket for president this year, as was Stephen Gaskin, who helped found the Farm in 'lennessee in the 1970s—at the time ihe largest hippie commune in the world. Not unexpectedly, Nader easily won the nomi nation. YEARS OF EFFORTS The Green Party first organized in Germany as an anti-nuclear, pro-peace movement at the height of the Cold War. United States Gr*»ens activists began forming here in 1984 and by 1992 were forming state par ties and gaining ballot access. Now the Green Party USA is formally organized in 38 states, with a high-profile presidential candidate, 78 candidates holding mostly- Iocal public offices, and 118 candidates running this year. Grassroots organizing and c clean and safe planet are key for Greens, but they are also agitating for universal health care, an end to corpo rate welfare and legalizing hemp. Labor unions, angered by Gore’s recent support of trade with China, are attracted to the Greens, as are Reform Party activists who have long derided NAFTA. And, the Greens are building on the momentum generated by last year’s wide spread protests of the World Trade Organization in Seattle and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. In Denver, Reform Party spokesman Don Torgersen care fully distinguished his branch of the Reform Party from the Buchanan Brigade of 2000. Perot hasn’t personally weighed in, but Torgersen said his group’s endorsement represents 23 state party affiliates. "Most of the traditional Reform members have walked away from Pat Buchanan,” Torgersen said, adding that they are offended and disgusted by the so-called Buchanan Brigade’s blustery emphasis on a conservative social agenda, including damning abortion. “This is a very long-term movement, with people of all ages, stripes and designs totally ted up with a corporate monarchy," said Biafra. So what does Ralph Nader have in common with the Greens? “He has an incredible connection: I can’t think of a more natural alliance. He’s impressed by our dedication to civic democracy, and we’re impressed by his commitment to doing it." Nader said he has no plans to formally join the party that selected him as their presidential nominee. In exchange, the Greens will benefit by having a high-piofile candidate in their camp. CORPORATE PAYMAS ITERS Kicking off the three-day convention in Denver, Nader and his running mate Winona LaDuke blasted the Democratic and Republican parties for bowing down to “corporate pay masters" like DuPont, Exxon and General Motors. Big money has not only forced major parties to their knees, but democracy itself is in peril, Nader warned. “We’ve got one corporate party with two heads wearing different make-up," Nader said. “We’re one choice short of a [dictatorship]." Nader issued a challenge to the media to treat third party candidates as seriously as they do the two major parties— and to insist he and Buchanan not get shut out of the debate. Currently candidates must gamer 15 percent support in the polls io be allowed to participate in presidential debates, a system that was devised by the Democratic and Republican parties. Yet, despite assertions that Nader would steal Gore’s thunder, he may also capture the vote of people who— turned off by Bush’s candidacy—would otherwise vote for the Republican. Nader support is growing in the Pacific Northwest, and in the crucial high electoral state of California. Nader also asked the media to treat third party candi dates equitably, allowing them equal access to the masses, instead of working in the mindset that only the two major parties are legitimate. Sure enough, by the end of the convention, Nader and mainstreams pres» were cozying up nicely with each other. The day he accepted the nomination, Nader’s press handlers insisted that the candidate—the cham pion of the little guy—would only be available for inter views with major daily news papers. WHICH IS WORSE? Yet, throwing around such brain-heavy topics as global justice and ecological wisdom, speaker after speaker howled for reform— both from the media and in politics—during the weekend’s gathering. Manning Marable, the founding director of the Institute for Research in African Studies at Columbia University, delivered a rousing oration calling for economic and social justice. He urged people to ponder tough moral questions. “Which is worse, George W. Bush’s decision to send an innocent man to his death this week, or Al Gore’s failure to denounce him?" Manning thundered over Gore’s silence over the execution of Gary Graham in Texas. Radio commentator and keynote speaker Jim Hightower electrified a packed house, highlighting the weekend’s oft- repeated theme: Republicans and Democrats have sold out. Hightower blamed an exodus of would-be Democratic voters from Al Gore’s camp on a major party that has aban doned its core values and is now indistinguishable from Republicans. The former Texas Agriculture Commissioner commended the Greens for their enthusiasm and for shaking things up. “Agitation is what America is all about,” Hightower said. “If it wasn’t for agitation we’d all be sitting here wearing pow dered wigs and singing ‘God Save the Queen."” In response to Democrats’ claims that Nader will steal votes away from Gore, Hightower offered the vice president a little piece of advice: “If you want to get rid of the Nader problem, become a Democrat." Hightower hooted as he cited a June 23 New York Times story quoting U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, con demning potential spoiler Nader as “a very selfish person” who is on an ego trip. “You can say a lot of things about Ralph Nader, but selfish?" Hightower asked, noting the celebrated consumer advocate lives in a rental apartment, has not owned a car since 1959 and still watches TV in black and white. 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