Nov 2, 2006 2:11 PM
Next week’s election is terribly important. On the national level it is crucial that progressives take back at least one house of Congress in order to provide some kind of check to the imperial presidency of George Bush. Based on what the polls and pundits are saying, if we get out the vote we can make that happen.
But that means a strong turnout by voters who want to halt the blundering in Iraq and the president’s anti-union, anti-working-people policies that endanger Social Security, undermine public education and Medicare, provide tax cuts for the wealthy on the backs of the poor and middle class, endanger the environment — and so much more. Congress has aided and abetted Mr. Bush these last six years — in fact, has hamstrung progressive legislation since 1994 — and the nation desperately needs a change.
On the state and local level, the election is important so that we put in office as many elected officials as possible who will provide strong support for public education and for those who need to work for a living. A list of UFT-endorsed candidates appears on page 5 and we urge you to cast your ballot for all of them.
But there is a second way you can make your vote count, and that is — where possible — to vote for these candidates on Row E, the line for the Working Families Party. By doing so — especially for those running statewide, those running statewide — you will help this party solidify its position as a key independent party in the state. If enough people vote Row E, it could move the WFP past the Conservative Party, which currently has Row D, and possibly past the Independence Party, which currently has row C, to make it the third party. (The order of the rows on the ballot depends on the number of votes cast for each party in statewide elections.)
Why should you care about that — or about the WFP at all?
For one thing, the Working Families Party is a grassroots political party that was founded with the support of labor unions, including the UFT, and community organizations, like ACORN, our partner in trying to organize home day-care workers. Its purpose is to make sure that the issues that affect working class, middle class and poor people are prominent in the public debate, issues like jobs, health care, housing and public education. When people vote for candidates on the WFP line, even though they may be Democrats also running on the Democratic line, the candidates notice. And when the vote on the WFP line means the margin of victory the candidates notice a lot. That means the WFP agenda becomes an important factor for that elected official.
There’s yet another reason for a strong, progressive third party. This is the era of “independence” as more and more voters — especially younger ones — find they are disenchanted with the major parties and want to demonstrate their independence. By providing a second home for progressive candidates, independent voters can support them without supporting one of the major parties.
The Working Families Party is no fluke; it has a growing record of success. It won a row on the ballot in 1998 when it garnered more than 50,000 votes for Peter Vallone in the gubernatorial race. In 2000 more than 100,000 voters cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton on the WFP line; in 2004, 169,000 cast their votes for Charles Schumer on the WFP line. In between, the WFP helped pressure the Legislature to override Gov. Pataki’s budget cuts; helped defeat the proposal to eliminate party primaries in New York City; helped the City Council pass stronger lead-paint legislation; helped win a $2 increase in the state’s minimum wage; helped pass city legislation to aid immigrants; elected two candidates who ran only on the WFP line, Letitia James to the City Council and Lucille McKnight to the Albany County Legislature; and worked with the UFT to pass legislation to allow home day-care workers to unionize.
So, the bottom line is: Make your vote count on Nov. 7.