The Command Post - 2004 US Presidential Election - Nader Emerging as the Threat Democrats Feared

October 14, 2004

Nader | Nader Emerging as the Threat Democrats Feared

NY TIMES: Nader Emerging as the Threat Democrats Feared

With less than three weeks before the election, Ralph Nader is emerging as just the threat that Democrats feared, with a potential to tip the balance in up to nine states where President Bush and Senator John Kerry are running neck and neck.
Despite a concerted effort by Democrats to derail his independent candidacy, as well as his being struck off the Pennsylvania ballot on Wednesday, Mr. Nader will be on the ballots in more than 30 states.

Polls show that he could influence the outcomes in nine by drawing support from Mr. Kerry. They are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Wisconsin.

Moreover, six - Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Wisconsin - were among the top 20 where Mr. Nader drew his strongest support in 2000. If the vote for Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry is as evenly divided as the polls suggest, the electoral votes in any one of those states could determine who becomes president.

Mr. Nader repeated this week that he had no intention of leaving the race. He said no one from the Kerry campaign or Democratic National Committee was pressing him behind the scenes to quit, and he said he thought that Mr. Kerry would not make a good president anyway.

“He’s not his own man,” Mr. Nader said on Tuesday in a telephone interview from California. “Because he takes the liberals for granted, he’s allowing Bush to pull him in his direction. It doesn’t show much for his character.”

That is a change from May, when Mr. Nader met Mr. Kerry at his campaign headquarters and afterward praised him as “very presidential.” Mr. Kerry did not ask him to withdraw then, but now the party is in a full-throated plea, with its chairman, Terry McAuliffe, saying on Thursday that Mr. Nader should “end the charade” of a campaign being kept afloat by “corporate backers.”

Posted by Laurence Simon at October 14, 2004 11:59 PM | TrackBack

Comments

John Kerry & Ralph Nader have to much in common to allow George W. Bush the chance of winning another 4 years. The future of America, Democracy, the Planet Earth, & the people on it, are all at stake. John Kerry should offer Ralph Nader a Cabinet post in return for endorsing him (Kerry) for President.

Posted by: Drew2004 at October 15, 2004 06:56 AM

Honestly I dont think Nader would take the cabinet seat, Nader’s is in bed with Conservative backing only because he is trying to push his agenda (in his mind). Nader’s main goal has always been to bring awareness to the corruption of the Democratic party, he feels that liberals have made too many concessions and have gone back on too many of thier root core values, Conservative backing is the only way he can get his message out now. But however crazy he may be he is kinda like bush, in it for the cause and he does actually believe in what he is doing, even if he has to make strange bedfellows. Signing on with the group that he despieses wold defeat the purpose of what he is trying to accomplish, his goal has never been to defeat the Republicans, its been to reform the Democrats.

Posted by: Ronin at October 15, 2004 10:05 AM

Nader will benefit if the Liberal perception is that Kerry will loose anyway. As a result, look for higher Nader percentages in strong Republican states. This is the psycological challenge that Kerry supporters (including some MSM outlets) have been fighting in the polls. I think this is one reason the Democrats pushed so hard to rule the post-debate polls, to try and ensure Kerry does not look like a looser. Because, if Kerry looks like he’s going to loose, he will loose even bigger because of Liberals that will vote with their heart (Nader) rather than their head (Kerry).

Posted by: submandave at October 15, 2004 11:26 AM

I think also Nader believes that his voters, were they not given him as an option, would be evenly split btw. Dem and Repub votes. The facts&figs may well bear this out, I don’t know - but if Nader believes it himself, then he’s not going to let the spoiler factor get in his way.

As much as I disagree with his philosophies, I have to respect him as a man of integrity and ideology. He’s an honest man; perhaps too honest to be in politics.

Posted by: minarchist at October 15, 2004 02:04 PM

Bloomberg.com: “Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political scientist who tracks minor parties, said he believes Libertarian Party presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, a 50-year-old Texas computer consultant whose name will appear on every ballot except in New Hampshire and Oklahoma, might draw more votes from Bush than Nader draws from Kerry.”

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a0J.fNaS0e8g&refer=us

Posted by: Wilson97 at October 15, 2004 09:02 PM

There are two reasons for Greens to vote Kerry. First, by voting for Kerry this year we become more relevant in presidential politics. We become swing voters. Swing voters matter to politicians seeking elected office. Often called moderate voters, swing voters are actually not middle voters but voters on the margins. Marginal voters who will move will be courted. While I see no panacea for the Left from a Kerry victory, I do see benefits in asserting the relevance of the Left - especially this year.

Dean’s rise was a victory for the Left. Gore’s series of speeches on civil liberties and the brazen lies of the Bush administration were remarkable. Kerry meeting with Nader was better than the Democratic shunning of Greens since 2000. These changes do not count as a transformation of society, but given how little power the Left has we are best realistic about how much of role we have at this time. Let’s be swing voters this year and so that others will know that we can help Democrats lose (as in 2000) and we can help Democrats win (as in this year).

But the swing voter argument is not the best reason for Greens vote Kerry. More important relates to why we usually vote Green or independent, which is to send a message about what really matters to us. I voted third party in all of the past presidential elections to send a message to the Democrats. Now I want to send a message to the Republicans.

The message is simple: Go too far and you will lose.

There are limits to how far either party can go. Bush went way beyond these limits. Defeating Bush matters because all politicians need to know that even the radical Left will back a Democrat if things go too far. Bush’s radical agenda goes beyond anything any recent president has done. Not Nixon, not Ford, not Carter, not Reagan, not Bush’s dad, and not Clinton come close to the hugely radical abuse of power and threat to the Republic of this president. That’s why this president must be defeated and why it makes sense for Greens to help do it.

Bush invaded a sovereign state in a war of aggression without even pretense of following international law. Bush lied to the Congress and the American people to take our nation to war. Bush used the September 11th tragedy to restrict civil liberties and to massively expand police powers. Bush used fear of foreigners to push forward a radical domestic agenda. Bush was caught leading a government that tortures and ignores human rights with impunity. Bush suspended habeas corpus, locked citizens in secret jails and challenged the basic tenets on which civil society is based. Bush engaged in massive propaganda, abused the power of the Executive, challenged our Constitutional system, violated international law and pushed an unprecedented militaristic and corporate radical agenda.

Sure, other presidents have engaged in other acts that approach those of Bush - but none have been so bold and brazen as has been Bush. He is dangerous to our Republic and to the world. And we, the far Left, must join with moderates and liberals to send a message to radicals of the radical-Right. We will not tolerate anything that approaches Bush, not now and not ever - even if this means that we’ll pause from building our own Green Party. Join me in sending this message because the right to vote matters and this year we can employ our right to make a real difference for America and for the world.

Posted by: Liberation Learning at October 23, 2004 12:29 AM