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March 02, 2006
Local LP Candidate Seeks Green Endorsement
Joe Dumas, one of County Commissioner Richard Casavant's 2006 challengers (District 2), is looking for a helping hand from voters and activists who might at times be considered his ideological opposites.
In an e-mail to the Chattanooga Area Green Party, Dumas (a Libertarian) writes:
I will be on the ballot as an Independent, since (as you undoubtedly know) the state of Tennessee does not recognize alternative parties ... only the establishment duopoly of Democrat/Republican. I am actually a member of the Libertarian Party, and I expect to receive the official endorsement of the HCLP and the LPTN. However, I am interested in enlisting the support of other alternative parties (as well as true independents and disenchanted R and D voters) [...] After all, a victory for any "third party" candidate is in some sense a victory for all of us.
He further tailors his appeal to the Greens by pointing to the impending destruction of scenic trails on Signal Mountain. The trails are in jeopardy because of the chosen location for Signal's new high school; and since Dr. Casavant strongly supports the school, Dumas suggests a lack of environmental concern on the part of his incumbent opponent.
I'm not suggesting that this is anything new; so-called "third parties" have often looked to each other for support, particularly on ballot access issues, but even in specific elections. It is interesting, though, to see this at work locally.
Then again, some Greens and some Libertarians have a lot more in common than many people realize. The "small government" mantra of the LP is not too dissimilar from the Green Key Value called "Decentralization." That's just one example.
The Hamilton County General Election will be held on August 3, 2006.
Elections , Political News | By joe lance | 03:49 PM