The New Swing Voters
September 25, 2002
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These are confusing times for the Ithaca left. On paper at least, it's good to be liberal in Tompkins County. Democrats, many of them endorsed by the Green Party, have been very successful in recent years. They hold a 11-4 majority on the County Board, while Common Council consists of eight Democrats and two independents. For the most part, the GOP has been relegated to the far corners of the county.
But an upcoming election (see story on page 11) will test the relationship of the two leftist parties that have heavy presence in the city and environs.
Democratic Sheriff Peter Meskill is being challenged by Green Party candidate Pete Meyers. This has left some Democrats in an awkward position. Some would like to support Meyers but remember what happened to Democrats who bolted from the party to support independent candidate Alan Cohen for mayor in 1999. Their betrayal was not looked at favorably by many top Democratic loyalists, who moved to censure them. Certainly, moderate Democrats would relish the opportunity to berate them for hypocrisy.
On the national level, "swing voter" usually refers to independents or ambivalent party members who readily vote for Democrats or Republicans. In Ithaca, the term has a decidedly different meaning.
Here, the largest bloc of swing voters consists of progressive Democrats - those who are registered in the Democratic party but are very sympathetic to the Green Party and its issues.
In recent years, the Tompkins County Green Party has enjoyed the solicitation of many Democrats who have sought its endorsement. But the Green Party understands the need to build its organization and visibility by running its own candidates. As the Greens run more candidates against Democrats, particularly moderate ones, it will force progressives to choose between issues and party, assuming that two candidates don't have other substantive differences.
This is bad news for Democrats; it's good news for voters in general and Republicans.
It's bad for Democrats because they will see their ranks increasingly divided. The good news for voters in general is that they will not have to fear as many unchallenged incumbents, a case which often makes for poor democracy. The good news for Republicans is that a fractured left gives them a better chance to be elected, particularly in three party races.
However, the Republicans have run very few people lately, and have often been destroyed when they did. (No Republican is running for the sheriff's office this year.) A foothold does little good when there's nothing to put on it.
©Ithaca Times 2002
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