In the homestretch of the presidential campaign, a number of prominent environmentalists and other lefties are campaigning loudly on behalf of Al Gore, calling on progressive voters in swing states to resist the urge to vote for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. The campaigners, who include Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope and longtime Oregon activist Andy Kerr, praise Nader as a strong advocate for common people, but argue that in states where the race between Gore and George W. Bush is close, enviros and others should cast their lots with the veep in order to stave off environmental disaster. The League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club are preparing to run ads in battleground states urging voters to choose Gore over Nader. As some Grist readers point out in recent letters to the editor, most states are already solidly behind Gore or Bush, so enviros in those states can rest easy knowing that a vote for Nader will not help elect Bush. Meanwhile, Bush yesterday mocked Gore’s proposals to give tax breaks to citizens who purchase eco-friendly cars and other green technologies.
