Pubdate: Mon, 07 Aug 2000
Source: Michigan Daily (MI)
Copyright: 2000 The Michigan Daily
Contact:  420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327
Website: http://www.michigandaily.com/
Author: Audrey Jackson, alumnus

PARTIES ARE CORPORATE SELLOUTS

To the Daily:

Peter Cunniffe's column on the jump-start that Gore needs for his
campaign ("For Gore, its time to stop being safe and formulaic"
7/31/00) is right on. While I was persuaded not to vote for Gore on
the merits of his uninspiring personality, I have been recently
persuaded to vote for him, since his day-to-day record is more revealing.

Third party candidates are on the move, raising a ruckus (as they
should) about the faults of the two-party system. Indeed, both
majority parties are sold out to corporations, have no incentive to
deal with campaign finance issues and won't disrupt the status quo too
much.

But it's the status quo of each party that convinces me to vote for
Gore. Until the Republican party begins to diversify on local levels
(school boards, county seats, state reps, etc.) the promises of their
presidential candidate loom empty.

More importantly, in this university town there are some serious
problems with Democratic candidates track records that will force
women, racial minorities, and the poor to vote for none of the above.
Candidates who refuse to deal openly with white privilege, affirmative
action, Michigamua[sic], housing (not shelters) for the poor vs.
"affordable" housing, legalization of medical marijuana, racial
profiling, and lack of racial diversity within the party city wide
will get no vote from me.
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MAP posted-by: John Chase