I hate bullies, and anyone who uses irrational threats to limit a voter's ability to rationally choose a candidate is a bully. Some supporters of Al Gore are maintaining that a vote for anyone but their candidate will help elect George Bush, and is ultimately a vote against a woman's right to have a safe and legal abortion.

Nonsense. And for those being pressured, fire back with some return ammunition on me.

Just over two out of three Americans believes in keeping most forms of abortion legal, many fervently so. Does anyone really see George W. Bush as the type who'll buck the popular will of American voters by trying to legislate Roe v. Wade out of existence? If he wins, it will be in large part because of his surprisingly strong strength among women, and Bush has overwhelmingly appointed abortion moderates to Texas courts.

Roe v. Wade is today under the Supreme Court protection of Justices Stevens, O'Conner and Souter, all appointed by Republican Presidents, all with the firmest pro-choice records on the court. And in the recent landmark Dickerson v. U.S. case that upheld Miranda warnings, Chief Justice Rehnquist wrote for seven of the justices that courts should not overturn laws which have become part of the country's "culture."

Roe v. Wade not only survived twelve years of Reagan-Bush in the '80s, but the biggest and most far-reaching restrictions on it were enacted during the "pro-choice" Carter administration, when there was an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress. Even more significantly, under "pro-choice" Bill Clinton (and Al Gore), safe and legal abortions have disappeared in many parts of the country. While the Clinton Justice Department sat back and watched, anti-choice activists have chased, threatened and scared away doctors who would perform elective abortions from more than eight out of ten counties in this country. About five out of ten American counties had safe medical abortions when Clinton took office. Except for hospital emergency rooms and situations that threaten a mother's life, women can't get a legal abortion in many of the counties of this very state, and many Long Islanders can't choose an abortion procedure in or near their own communities.

Like Clinton, Gore will constantly move to his right to muffle Republican criticism and he'll work for "compromise" on issues like environmental protection, tax fairness, health insurance reform, choice and Supreme Court appointments. Furthermore, populist and progressive Democrats could again become focused and motivated in opposition to Bush and a clearer-cut enemy. Clinton is just liberal enough on race relations and inclusion issues to daze, confuse and sedate left-of-center Democrats and others of conscience. I was a college and community activist in the Reagan-Bush years, and local progressive political networks were higher tuned, more energized and better staffed than anything we have today after Clinton-style Democracy.

So if a candidate can't pass muster, get a better candidate. Leave free-thinking voters alone and drop the fearmongering, the browbeating and the threats.

Michael Miller was formerly Director of Public Affairs for the Town of North Hempstead. He is a public relations consultant.