Ralph Nader Sues Democratic Party

[roguevalley]

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7036571,00.html

Forgive me if this dupes:


WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumer advocate and 2004 independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader sued the Democratic Party on Tuesday, contending officials conspired to keep him from taking votes away from nominee John Kerry.

Nader's lawsuit, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court, also named as co-defendants Kerry's campaign, the Service Employees International Union and several so-called 527 organizations such as America Coming Together, which were created to promote voter turnout on behalf of the Democratic ticket.

The lawsuit also alleges that the Democratic National Committee conspired to force Nader off the ballot in several states.

``The Democratic Party is going after anyone who presents a credible challenge to their monopoly over their perceived voters,'' Nader said in a statement. ``This lawsuit was filed to help advance a free and open electoral process for all candidates and voters. Candidate rights and voter rights nourish each other for more voices, choices, and a more open and competitive democracy.''


http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7036571,00.html

No link yet.

[babylonsister]

1. Jeepers. Does this man crave attention? What's up with this? nt

[maddezmom]

5. I think it's called

EGO. :hi:

[babylonsister]

10. THAT'S the word!

:hi:

[yardwork]

42. or Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Hi maddezmom! :hi:

[Catch22Dem]

12. Only every 4 years

Other than that, he's content to let the repukes run the show.

[superconnected]

22. now remember there's no difference between dems and republicans!

Voting for Gore or GW would get the same results!

:sarcasm:

(at least that's what he told the green party back in '00 and they believed him...)

[babylonsister]

26. It does seem like he enjoys throwing a wrench in the works, doesn't it. nt

[bluestateguy]

27. Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me! I'm still relevant! Hey, look, look, at me!!

nt

[havocmom]

34. I expect him to go into some sort of partnership with OJ

They share some personality (disorder) traits

[roguevalley]

2. I thought this might be interesting to people but I don't know how

long it will last before its gone with the wind. :)

[msongs]

3. it seems to be his only justification for existing nt

[Der Blaue Engel]

4. Fuck you, Ralph. n/t

[Mz Pip]

6. Uh, Ralphie

It's been like three years already. Give it up. Sorry you aren't get much attention this time around with Colbert hogging all the media attention. You really need to get some new material.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[zabet]

7. He is just a tool.

A repuke in an independent's clothing.

[madfloridian]

8. Let's see...4 lawsuits going against the DNC now...who is funding them?

Have you thought about that?

The lawsuit by a member of the gay community who says Dean is violating his rights.

Bill Nelson and Alcee Hastings lawsuit against for stealing our vote.

Victor Dimaio, Tampa, his lawsuit similar to Nelson's.

And now Nader.

This is not usual is it?

[Selatius]

9. Unless there's an amendment passed, there will likely never be a viable third party in America.

That's the nature of SMDP voting. (Single-member district plurality) To win, you only need a plurality of the vote to win, not even a majority, so technically you can be elected even though a majority of voters didn't vote for you. Also, this means there is no such thing as a run-off election, which makes it even harder for third parties to become significant in America.

With mixed systems such as MMP represention or straight proportional representation, many people can gain a voice in the decision-making process, not just those who belong to Ds and Rs.

[Xipe Totec]

11. Guilty!

I conspired to withhold my vote from that unmitigated asshole.

I told every person within earshot, that Nader was a self-absorbed idiot, and anybody who would vote for him, even by accident, was a moron.

So sue me.

[TroglodyteScholar]

13. Gee, convenient timing, too...

...if anyone hasn't yet doubted ole Ralphie's motivations, this should be food for thought.

[zbdent]

14. Ralph ... you don't want to go there ...

there's about 50 million people or more who would just love to sue your sorry ass for Florida ...

[ben_meyers]

15. I still hate him for destroying the best car I've

ever owned!

[roxnev]

16. Green your a$$

Is Nader still trying to convince the world that him pulling the green party vote, away from Kerry helped the forest. Why don't he come out of the Republican closet and say I am a Republican and always have been one.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

17. Is it time for him reappear already?

How time flies when we're in between election cycles.

[L0oniX]

18. Put him in a Covair and tie him up and then start the car and wait for it to blow up.

Nader is a clown!

[disndat]

19. Didn't Nader admit

to taking money from the Republican Party to run against Gore in '00?

[Orangepeel]

20. "conspired to keep him from taking votes away from nominee John Kerry"

I swear I thought this was a joke.

But, well, then so is Nader. Only he's not funny. It is very sad that someone I once respected so much has turned out to be such an ego driven tool.

[ohio2007]

21. nothing stopping him from an '08 run is there?

He just has to have to follow the rules established for getting on the ballots of all 50 states.

....better start the petitioning now Raplhie ;)

[havocmom]

35. Sure there is. Even the GOP is bored with his shit

[Earth_First]

23. Hey Ralph...mind if I have my PIRG 'fees' associated with my student activity fees back?

Because it was beyond my knowledge that despite the fact that there was no PIRG on campus that money was siphoned off my student activity fees to the state level to support NYPIRG.

[CreekDog]

24. I interviewed at PIRG, extremely low pay, months of no health benefits

About 10 years ago, and I told them I was interested but that I didn't think I could live on $10 with no health insurance and they said, "you could make it work".

I kid you not.

Many labor horror stories I hear are from people who worked for Ralph.

The man does not walk the walk, he should not accuse others of hypocrisy.

[bluestateguy]

25. "contending officials conspired to keep him from taking votes away from nominee John Kerry"

Uh, yeah, it's called politics and it's an election campaign, not a game of tidily winks.

Should John Kerry sue the Republican Party for "conspiring" to deprive him of votes?

[BootinUp]

28. Lets laugh him out of court. n/t

[Jim Lane]

29. I think this lawsuit is a good thing.

Assuming that the procedural rules are those typical in the U.S., it means that the defendants' lawyers have the right to depose Nader. Alas, that doesn't mean they can overthrow him from his spoiler/attention whore perch, but it does mean they can examine him. Under oath. With a court reporter present writing down his answers. And he can't brush them off or refuse to answer. If he gives some runaround dodge to use up the time, well, guess what -- there is no time limit and no debate moderator who'll move along to the next subject. The lawyer can ask the question again, and can ask as many follow-ups as are needed. If Nader doesn't cooperate, any disputed questions can be referred to a judge, and then Nader has to show up again to answer all the questions that the judge ruled were proper.

So, Ralphie-boy, start getting your records together about the Republicans who financed your campaign and helped you get on the ballot. ALL those inconvenient details are going to come out.

The power to take testimony isn't limited to examining Nader. Defendants' attorneys can subpoena nonparties who can reasonably be thought to have relevant information. That includes members of Nader's campaign staff and even people who had no connection with Nader.

Nader has named, as defendants, SEIU and various 527 groups, along with the DNC. One of the other defendants can go after him in ways that the DNC might find politically inconvenient. I hope at least one of the 527 groups will say, "There's no better service we can render to the progressive cause than to thoroughly discredit this cretin, even if some bloggers whine about how mean we're being."

The ultimate irony is that Nader, the self-righteous champion of individual empowerment, is bringing a SLAPP suit. The Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation is a suit brought against people who exercise their rights. It's designed to intimidate them, inconvenience them, and cost them money. In this case, part of the objective is surely to bring bad publicity upon the defendants. Many jurisdictions have SLAPP-back statutes that entitle the defendants in suits like this one to recover their attorneys' fees from the plaintiff. I hope D.C. has a SLAPP-back statute and the defendants can nail Nader for every goddam penny he and his organization have.

[CBHagman]

30. I'll take "Whining narcissists" for 800, please, Alex.

Glad to know that Ralphus is busying himself with the needs of the American people. :sarcasm:

[Patsy Stone]

31. Did somebody say something?

I thought I heard a voice, but it might have just been the wind.

[Odin2005]

32. Nader is a total ass.

Eat Shit and DIE, Ralph. You and your fifth column can kiss my ass.

[MasonJar]

33. Hey, dems, sue him back for his part in the destruction of our Constitution.

Both Bush and Gore are alike my broken finger!

[libodem]

36. The man has obviously gone bat-shit

crazy. I used to respect him in the '70's. Thought he was an anti-pollution, god, of sorts. Now, I blame him for the melting polar ice caps, inflation, the recession, all the housing foreclosures, and the Iraq war. Why does he want to continue to cause death and destruction? Fuck Nader! Bastard.

[Haole Girl]

37. Get over yourself Ralph!

The rest of us have... a long time ago.

[Emillereid]

38. Actually I think the way the DNC tried to suppress his candidacy was

despicable -- we need more, not fewer, choices as he says. I think the DNC really does believe it could have had all the votes that might go to Nader -- and I know that's not true -- I know many a Green and other progressives who would never vote for the democrat - unless that democrat was actually progressive -- not many of them, I'm afraid.

I on the other hand generally suck it up, hold my nose and vote for the lesser one. I think Ralph is an amazing, unselfish, committed activist who really cares more for our democracy than for 'party.' I think the democratic party's treatment of him since the 2000 election has been horrible --he was not to blame for the Bush presidency!

[MilesColtrane]

39. Not surprised...

...that Nader is suing a union.

He undertook hardball union busting techniques when his own employees tried to unionize.

What a shitheel.

[Vinca]

40. Oops - it's campaign season and the spotlight isn't on Ralph.

How predictable.

[JaneQPublic]

41. Is the GOP bankrolling his lawsuit like it did his campaign? (nt)

[libodem]

43. I hardly doubt it

Gotta wonder what Rove is doing with all his spare time?