Voting One's Conscience

this essay was written four years ago during the Y2K election in which Bush slid in by the narrowest of margins — some would say by no margin since the election was so disputed. But it seems Ralf Nadir has not learned a thing by the results of his spoiler tactics. He's at it again.

"...by their fruits shall ye know them" simply means we are responsible for the foreseeable consequences of our actions

During this Y2K election, "voting one's conscience" is a buzz word for voting Ralph Nader. As if people who voted for Bush or Gore were not voting our consciences. But everyone votes hir conscience. People who voted for Bush believe in his Right-Wing Fundamentalist values just as those who voted for Gore believe in his more moderate, Humanist approach. In either case, the voter is choosing as hir conscience dictates. However, supporters of the major candidates are usually not as pompose about it as the Naderites.

What does the Naderite's conscience tell hir? A lot about the importance of saving the environment. In hir ranks can be found the kind of tight-assed Berkeleyite who lives to recycle. Not that there's anything wrong with recycling. In fact, recycling is a very good thing. I'm just talking about a certain type of person I have run into who is refined, educated and anal. This person will typically wear Berkenstocks and affect a fashionably non-fashion-conscious look, raising an eyebrow of distain at anyone who sports a different kind of look. S/he will ride hir bicycle to work and support the Sierra Club's drive to make BART charge for parking. I don't mean to totally dis this kind of person. There is much that is admirable about hir. They are serious people who take politics and their duty to the environment seriously. If only they weren't so righteous about it but I guess that's just part of the package.

Now what does my conscience tell me? My conscience tells me that I can't evade responsibility for the consequences of my actions, however well-intentioned they may have been. In other words, the purity of someone's goals in choosing Nader does not absolve hir of responsibility for the results of that choice. If it hadn't been for Nader's candidacy, Gore would have won an easy victory. Green Party supporters must live with that fact.

What kind of president will Bush make? Will he support the environment? Will he reflect any of the values of the Green Party? Ha! He's about as far from the Green Party values as he can get. Of course, the Green Party says both candidates are anathema to them. But, their opinion notwithstanding, Gore is a lot more progressive and environment-friendly than Bush. Because of Nader, a president who is more destructive of the environment will probably be running the country for the next 4 or 8 years, turning back the clock on progress. With a Republican Legislature and a Republican Judiciary, Bush will have free reign to do whatever he wants to the country and to the earth. The Naderites should have that on their consciences.

Narciscistic voters are focused on their own purity instead of on the havoc created by the Bush presidency.

But they feel justified and pure, above the grubby political compromises most of us live with. Their consciences don't seem involved in real-life consequences as long as their motives are pure. Their motives which lead to real actions are the only measuring stick their consciences seem to require. But their real actions lead to real consequences. Like Pontius Pilate, they have washed their hands. They are clean. They are pure. They make me Ralph!

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