Why New Yorkers should vote Obama on the Working Family “line.”
(With some help from my friend Matthew) … The Working Families Party in New York is a decade old alternative to casting a simple vote of Yes or No, Left or Right. In New York, we have something called ”fusion voting.” It allows one candidate to run as the nominee of more than one party in an election. It creates the possibility that third parties can thrive without being “spoilers,” and that you can support Barack Obama without fully endorsing the Democratic Party platform. More than 120,000 people voted for Kerry on the Working Families’ line in NY four years ago, signaling their commitment to issues like the living wage, paid family leave, and immigrant rights.
Tomorrow, Barack Obama is the candidate of both the Democratic Party and the Working Families party. Some readers have asked what we thought about voting for Obama on the working families line (we think yes!) so I wanted to answer some questions about how it works, and why everyone should do it.
WHAT IS THE WORKING FAMILIES PARTY? The Working Families Party is really more of a progressive/left advocacy organization than a traditional, green/Nader-style “third party.” Working Families is unapologetically populist, weighing-in on issues like workers rights, a higher state minimum wage, drug law reform, increased aid to education, and much more. Recently they led the fight to stop a radical restructuring of New York State’s educational funding process.
WHAT KIND OF CANDIDATES RUN AS “WORKING FAMILIES” CANDIDATES? Candidates who run on the WFP line are typically progressive Democrats, but they might be independents, greens or others. Usually they are candidates who are challenging entrenched corporate Democrats, though Hillary Clinton was the WFP candidate for Senate in 2006 and Eliot Spitzer was the WFP candidate for Governor. (shhh.)
SO OBAMA IS RUNNING ON BOTH LINES. DOES HE KNOW THAT? Yes.
DOES MY VOTE COUNT THE SAME? Yes. Even at an extreme, if the election went like … 22% Obama (D) 29% Obama (WFP) 49% McCain (R), Barack Obama would win New York.
PEOPLE KEEP SAYING “VOTE OBAMA ON THE WORKING FAMILIES LINE?” IS THE USE OF “OBAMA” AND “LINE” IN THE SAME SENTENCE AN EXTREME RIGHT-WING SMEAR MEANT TO EVOKE HIS YOUTHFUL DRUG USE? Cute. No.
HOW DO I DO IT? Just pull lever E instead of lever B. (See the graphic above)
OKAY, WHY? The issue with Barack Obama is that even if he wins, and even if the Democrats win a dramatic majority in the House and Senate, that’s not the same as achieving a true progressive/left majority. Maybe he’ll hold to progressive and populist ideals, but maybe not. When FDR was elected and activists came to him with proposals for what would become the New Deal, he famously told them “I agree with everything you said. Now go out and make me do it.” Similarly, it’s not enough to elect Democrats. We need to signal that by electing Democrats we expect them to enact the principles we hold dear, like ending the war, pursuing real economic reform, and devoting serious resources to a “green collar jobs” agenda.
Bottom line is that the higher the number of votes on the Working Families line, the clearer the mandate is for progressive change, not just Democrats. From The Nation: Ten percent of all House Democrats come from New York, and a solid vote for them on the WFP line only strengthens the labor-community-green coalition that makes up the party.
Additionally, a higher vote on the Working Families Party line gives the New York delegation real political cover to vote their conscience when critical issues come up, or if they are faced with compromises that give away too much.
In short, your vote for Barack Obama on the Working Families Party line signals (a) your commitment to a particular candidate (Obama) but also your belief in a broader, and more vibrant & powerful set of values (the Working Families platform, found here.)
CAN I VOTE OBAMA ON THE WORKING FAMILIES LINE, BUT OTHER CANDIDATES ON OTHER PARTY LINES? Yes. You don’t have to vote a straight ticket. Or a gay ticket. Or make bad jokes.
Not convinced or unclear? Leave questions in the comments and I’ll take them on tonight. But do it! Don’t take my word for it … here are a few other opinions on why to vote Obama on the Working Families Line.
Katrina vanden Heuvel in The Nation.
About The Author - Ben Wyskida is a writer, activist, conscientious hedonist and political communications strategist living in Brooklyn. - Visit Ben's site.
Recent Comments