For the second week in a row, a meeting of the Socialist Alternative student group has created controversy on campus. Members of the Tufts Democrats protested yesterday's 7:30 p.m. meeting outside of Barnum Hall where the socialists discussed support of presidential candidate Ralph Nader.
"In the swing states, every vote counts," sophomore and Tufts Democrat member Dan Grant said. "We're trying to influence those who live in swing states - a large part of the Tufts campus - not to vote for Nader."
The protesters held signs saying "GOP supports Nader" and "Your vote counts: use it well." They also urged nearby students to "vote for Kerry."
Tufts Democrats announced that their whole group is united behind presidential candidate John Kerry, and asked students walking into Barnum to do the same. "A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush," sophomore Mickey Leibner said.
According to members of the Socialist Alternative, the Primary Source protested their meeting last week.
Some protesters blamed the difficult decision this election on the structure of the country. "The entire country is so polarized that no one understands compromise is the only solution," sophomore Mike Dubow said, implying that Kerry is a compromise between Nader and Bush. "It's just ridiculous."
Nathan Aldrich, a member of the Socialist Alternative and student at University of Massachusetts-Boston, sat next to the protesters outside of Barnum before the meeting began and sparked a debate with the Democrats while smoking a cigarette.
"What the Democratic Party has done is a real slap in the face of democracy," Aldrich said.
Aldrich and the protesters discussed whether voting for Kerry is voting for a lesser of two evils. They also debated whether one should vote for the best candidate or against the worst.
"It's not about the lesser of two evils," Grant said. "Kerry is a good candidate. No one knows what [Nader] is trying to prove."
The Democrats argued that voters should work within the current system, and that additional parties have negative effects on elections. "Let's face the facts; we have a two party system," Grant said.
"I would love to see more parties, but that's not how our country works," Leibner said. "You vote for the better of two candidates, you know."
Aldrich brought up the idea of a formal debate between the Socialist Alternative and Tufts Democrats, which intrigued the Democrats. The two groups exchanged contact information.
Though this week's Socialist Alternative meeting focused on supporting Nader in the upcoming presidential election, the socialists are not officially part of Nader's campaign.
The group's local chapter has around 30 members, some of which are Tufts students, while others attend UMass-Boston and Harvard.
"I hope you come in and ask these questions [we've been debating]," Aldrich said to the protesters.
