NYT, p.1: Reason to Run? Nader Argues He Has Plenty

Reason to Run? Nader Argues He Has Plenty
By TODD S. PURDUM

Published: March 31, 2004


....No, he says, he is neither a nut nor a narcissist. Yes, he agrees with his sharpest Democratic critics that defeating President Bush is essential. In the end, he believes, out-of-power Democrats will rally around John Kerry, and Mr. Nader will take votes from disaffected Republicans and independents. He is running as an independent, but might accept the endorsement of the Green Party, which nominated him four years ago, though not if doing so means refraining from campaigning in swing states, as some in the party insist.

His goal is to raise $15 million to $20 million ("Very tough to do," he said, noting, "We had $8 million last time.") He aspires to get on the ballot in all 50 states, a daunting task demanding tens of thousands of signatures in each state. He vows to conduct a creative campaign, "opening up new areas in August, September and October as the two parties zero in on five issues and beat them to a vapid pulp." He has asked for a meeting with Mr. Kerry next month to make his case that he can offer fresh ideas "field-tested by a second front," and Kerry aides say a session is being arranged.

"We are going to focus on defeating George Bush and showing the Democrats, if they're smart enough to pick up on it, how to take apart George Bush," Mr. Nader told a rally of a couple of hundred students at North Carolina State University in Raleigh last Thursday, his shoulders no more slumped and his chest no less concave at 70 than when he began addressing another generation almost 40 years ago. "Things have gotten so bad in this country, you look back at Richard Nixon with nostalgia."....

***

....Mr. Nader's argument that he can draw more support from Mr. Bush than from Mr. Kerry has yet to be proved. A New York Times/CBS News poll earlier this month found that when voters were asked to choose between Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry, 46 percent chose the president and 43 percent Mr. Kerry. When Mr. Nader was added to the mix, Mr. Bush's support stayed at 46 percent, Mr. Kerry's dropped to 38 percent and Mr. Nader drew 7 percent. More than half of Nader supporters preferred Mr. Kerry in a two-way race....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/31/politics/campaign/31NADE.html

(and I'm not a big Ralph basher)

Bash Bush's policies in the media all you want. Knock yourself out. Make your points and back up your arguments as you are wont to do, but stay the FUCK out of swing states this year, ok?

in Iraq. Their families will have to deal with this every hour of every day of every week of every month for years to come. Nader's running clearly increases the chances that bush will win in November; this in turn increases the chances that many, many more families will have to deal with the death of a loved one ....

but I don't see a story about him on the front page of the NYT.

He's delusional if he thinks he's going to take potential votes away from anyone but Kerry in any meaningful numbers. He's also delusional if he thinks he can show the Democrats how to do anything. If he's so smart, how come he's a fringe spoiler and not running the country? It's not so easy to figure out how to run the kind of campaign that he wants to see and still win elections. If anyone buys this crap about his agreeing that beating Bush is the most important thing even as he refuses to commit to not campaigning in swing states - so he doesn't have to go back on his word again, I guess - then let's talk about this bridge I'd like to sell...cheap.

on one point...."Things have gotten so bad in this country, you look back at Richard Nixon with nostalgia."....I despised Nixon and up until Bush, thought he did more harm to our country than any other President I could remember. Now, Bush makes Nixon look like an amateur.

I just read an interview with john Dean about his new book on www.salon.com in the interview he says that Cheney's goal, if he wins a second term, is to perpetuate indefinite Republican control of all three branches of government. Unfortunately Nader fails to understand how high the stakes are. His arguments ring hollow anyway, if his goal really was to get rid of Cheney/Bush he would not run, he could still make his case to people who care what he thinks and TELL THEM TO VOTE FOR KERRY, but he won't do that.