ALTERNATIVE POLITICS Two Greens vie for nation's top slot BY STEVEN STYCOS

Global climate change — not terrorism — is the greatest problem facing the world, Green Party presidential candidates Kent Mesplay and David Cobb agreed during a debate in Providence last week. Rising sea levels, coastal flooding, unusual weather, and crop failures, says Mesplay, are the real terror

Cobb, a Texas lawyer who runs workshops on corporate power, and Mesplay, an inspector for the San Diego Air Pollution Control District, will compete in Rhode Island’s presidential primary on March 2, the first to feature a choice of Green candidates for the nation’s top job. They agreed on issues during their January 28 debate in Providence at the Episcopal Church’s Synod Hall, but differed in political strategy and personal style.

Both candidates propose higher taxes on coal, gasoline, and natural gas to reduce the use of fossil fuels linked to higher global temperatures and air pollution. Calling the invasion of Iraq an example of spending to secure cheap oil, Mesplay proposed ending all subsidies for petroleum. Higher fossil fuel prices, he added, would also encourage clean energy alternatives like solar and wind power.

Saying that profit motives pervert America’s health-care, the two also endorsed a universal single-payer system. In addition, the Green Party activists proposed the merger of Israel and Palestine into one pluralistic democratic nation to create peace. And they warned about the dangers of unregulated genetically modified food.

The two disagreed, however, on the Green Party’s role in the upcoming election. Many Democrats blame Ralph Nader for diverting just enough votes to deny Al Gore the presidency in 2000. To avoid alienating liberal Democrats again this year, Cobb proposes that Greens run a presidential candidate in all states, but avoid campaigning in swing states like Florida that may decide the election. That strategy would also help local candidates in heavily Democratic Rhode Island, Cobb says, where the Greens hope to run strong campaigns for some legislative seats.

Mesplay, however, rejects this strategy, saying Greens should not be embarrassed to campaign in all 50 states. Without Nader on the ticket, he added, the Greens are not likely to divert the votes of many Democrats. Nader announced he would not run as the Green Party’s candidate this time around, but is considering an independent bid for the presidency.

To prevent Greens from being labeled spoilers, both candidates also endorsed instant runoff voting — a process that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Under instant runoff voting, if no candidate wins more than 50 percent in a three-way race, the second choice of voters determines the winner.

Mesplay and Cobb also differed in style. Cobb’s forceful delivery drew applause from the audience of about 30 people, while Mesplay’s approach was conversational. Mesplay also stressed small-scale political actions, like community gardens, carpooling, not eating meat and less consumption, while Cobb focused on "getting corporations out of our government." He also called for a "no-growth economy," arguing that ever-increasing consumption and production cannot continue without permanently damaging the Earth. Unfair distribution of wealth causes poverty, he argued, not a lack of economic growth.

Independents — who form the majority of Rhode Island voters — and the 600 Greens registered in the state are eligible to vote in the Mesplay-Cobb primary. Rhode Island’s Green Party convention delegates, however, will be selected at the party’s April 3 convention.