If Nader runs in '08 we have to make sure there is a Republican...

[originalpckelly]

or conservative to counteract his siphoning of votes from the nominee. CNN just did this whole report on his sorry ass, and it looks like he's about to run.

If he does, we have to make sure that the Constitution Party or some religious party forms to counter act Nader.

We might be able to launch a funding drive for the Constitution party so that it could put out ads. It looks like there are few people on the Republican side running in '08 who are "Christian" enough for the fundies, so if they have an super-religious right-wing candidate to vote for, they probably would.

[eyesroll]

1. Are there any Nader voters left who would vote for a Democrat if not for him?

I'd assume most people who vote for Nader at this point are committed against the Democrats, and if Nader wasn't around, would vote Green/Libertarian/Socialist/another third party/whatever or would stay home.

[lancdem]

3. I agree

[mac56]

5. I agree.

Anyone predisposed to vote for Ralphie over the Democratic nominee is looking for a reason to turn their back on the Democrat anyway.

Voting for Ralphie is just their means for acting out.

[originalpckelly]

6. Hillary.

That's it.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

19. as someone who may vote for nader...

it's not whether ralph is on the ballot that keeps me from voting democrat. it's whether the party puts someone up who will at least work with the left. hillary isn't that person. i want to vote democrat, but i won't be an accomplice in the carville-driven effort to take the party back to the 90s when progressives were ignored, marginalized and their votes taken for granted. that gave us nafta and 96 telcmm, which paved the way for bush's agenda

i plan to be very active in the primaries, but if carville and hillary take the reins, i'm out. no nader on the ballot in a hillary-GOP race means i probably just stay home. and i think most potential nader voters are of this mindset

[originalpckelly]

21. Did you vote for Nader in 2000?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

26. yes

volunteered and worked my ass off that year

[originalpckelly]

32. Don't you feel responsible for what happened in Iraq?

What if Bush hadn't won the election?

[Lusted4]

38. What a rotten thing to say. nt

[originalpckelly]

39. Why?

:shrug:

[Lusted4]

41. The *ush administration is responsible for what happened in Iraq. nt

[originalpckelly]

47. Yes, and who do you think is partly responsible for them being in power?

:shrug:

[Lusted4]

52. He didn't vote for *ush he voted for Nader.

Nader voters can say the same thing. You are responsible for putting *ush in office because you didn't vote for Nader.

[pnwmom]

51. The Bush administration -- and those who helped put Bush into power.

Including Nader, who was happy to take Republican money and assistance whenever it was offered.

[oasis]

46. President Gore would have avoided both a war with Iraq AND 9/11. (eom)

[pnwmom]

50. So you helped defeat Gore. Thanks a lot.

:sarcasm:

[pnwmom]

49. The 90's were light years better than the Bush years.

And Hillary's voting record has always been progressive.

[lancdem]

2. I'm not worried about him

He didn't hurt Kerry in '04, and his share of the vote keeps shrinking each time he runs. Being on the Green Party ticket helped him, but he doesn't have that luxury anymore.

[originalpckelly]

4. Hillary.

I think there are going to be a lot of Democrats who stupidly vote for Nader over Hillary, because in their minds it will just be electing a hawkish corporatist, and not a Democratic Administration.

[eyesroll]

7. But if Nader wasn't running, would they vote for Hillary or would they vote Green?

I'd assume, if they were so worried about Hillary being a "hawkish corporatist," they'd vote for the Green (or another progressive from a third party) if not for Nader. Their perception of Hillary wouldn't hinge upon whether Nader was running.

[Edweird]

8. If gore enters, hillary won't get the nom.

I think anyway.

[kimmerspixelated]

11. Let's hope!

[NoPasaran]

9. If Hillary is just half as evil

If Hillary is just half as evil as some on the both the left and the right claim, I would just assume she'd have Ralph killed. End of problem.

[herbbrown]

10. I'm as Democratic as they get

The only way Nader runs is if Hillary is the candidate on the Democratic ticket, and if that happens I will vote for him. The first Clinton took nearly every manufacturing job out of my state with NAFTA, I can't afford another Clinton... Go Ralph!

[eyesroll]

15. Would you actually LIKE a President Nader?

That was my problem with Nader in '04...not the "taking votes from the Democrat" thing, because I don't think anyone should automatically assume they're entitled to certain votes, but because I thought he'd be a complete nutbag as president.

There were third-party candidates I liked better than Nader.

Oh, and on edit: If you truly were as "democratic as you get," you'd vote Democrat no matter who the Democrats nominate (see: yellow dog).

[mac56]

17. Good catch.

"If you truly were as "democratic as you get," you'd vote Democrat no matter who the Democrats nominate (see: yellow dog)."

I caught that too.

I've seen "as Democratic as you get." I hope to achieve that status someday.

This, however, ain't it.

[herbbrown]

54. Not when my party

Holds to the values of corporate cash register amerika, and not to the working mans values. The Clintons don't hold to the Democratic values in the least, but they are good Republican lites. Hey aren't they the ones who hold Joe Lieberman in such high esteem?

[ronnykmarshall]

35. Well if that's the case ..

Don't come around DEMOCRATIC Underground proping St. Ralph.

[herbbrown]

55. Ralph Nader

is more Democratic than the Clintons will ever be!

[oasis]

48. "Democratic as they get". With emphasis on the word "they".(eom)

[Radical Activist]

12. Or we can run a liberal to attract the liberal swing voters.

Nader wasn't a factor in '04 because everyone was united against Bush. If Democrats run a candidate that progressives can get behind then we don't have to worry about Nader.

[herbbrown]

13. Bingo!

If that happens, Nader won't even run.....If that happens!

[originalpckelly]

14. Yes, and I support Obama for that reason, but Hillary is a real possibility...

and I'll remind you, we were not engaged in a quagmire.

[tritsofme]

16. He got 0.4% of the vote in 2004.

I wouldn't be too worried about him.

[dysfunctional press]

18. why don't we make sure that we have a democratic candidate-

that appeals to potential nader voters as well.

[mac56]

20. See above.

A physical impossibility. Like combining matter and antimatter. In my experience, Naderites have already decided that all Democrats suck. That's why they're Naderites.

[dysfunctional press]

22. there are also a lot of potential nader voters who aren't naderites.

myself included.

i won't vote for a dlc candidate, especially if her name is hillary.

[mac56]

25. Interesting.

"Potential Nader voters" = "potential Republicans".

To paraphrase Ralphie, there ain't a nickel's worth of difference between the two groups. Neither one supports the Democrats. One is just more subtle about it.

[dysfunctional press]

29. whatever.

you're entitled to your opinion...no matter how fucked in the head it is.

[mac56]

30. Your gift of the language has won me over.

Not to mention your charm.

Have a nice day.

[ronnykmarshall]

36. How niiiicccceee!

[MonkeyFunk]

24. because

a candidate likely to appeal to nader voters probably couldn't win the general election. If you run to the far left, you lose more people in the middle.

[dysfunctional press]

31. i didn't say nader voters...

i said POTENTIAL nader voters.

like those of us who would never betray the democratic party by voting for a dlc candidate.

[MonkeyFunk]

40. like Bill Clinton

or John Kerry?

Or John Edwards or Howard Dean?

[dysfunctional press]

43. exactly...

although some of those you named are no longer affiliated.

but then, maybe you prefer the effects of things like nafta, the telecom act of '94, the defense of marriage act, etc...

[MonkeyFunk]

44. I'd vote for Bill again in a minute

same for Kerry.

I understand the realities of politics, and don't demand ideological purity in a candidate.

You didn't vote for Kerry in 04?

[ronnykmarshall]

37. Oh there you go again.

That silly REASONING! Talking those crazy old FACTS!!

[meldroc]

23. Hmmm. Best bet would be to secretly revitalize the Reform Party.

Bring someone like Ross Perot out with a few flipcharts, and watch a bunch of the "fiscal Republicans" start defecting! :evilgrin:

[originalpckelly]

33. McCain, Giuliani and Romney are all fiscal conservatives...

the problem for the right is either that they aren't religious enough or aren't a member of what they consider to be a non-cult religion.

[Vinca]

27. It's a mystery to me why anyone would vote for anyone but

the Democratic candidate given the mess we're currently in. Split the Democratic vote and we'll be under Sam Brownback's rule for 8 years (or someone equally noxious). Roe will be history. Universal health care will be a joke told at cocktail parties. Liberals are different from conservatives in that we're willing to give a 3rd party a try. Unfortunately, if we want to get our country back, splitting the vote this time around will pretty much kill any hope of that. It's your right to vote for whoever you want, but think of the consequences.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

28. better yet, get states to push for instant runoff voting

eliminating the spoiler factor altogether

we have the legislatures. we can do it

[Ignacio Upton]

34. Well...We could always change our registration to Republican

And either vote for Giuliani or Romney in the primaries.If either one of them got the nomination, I bet the Constitution Party candidate would get roughly 8-10% of the vote.

[Booster]

42. Personally, I think it was chickenshit of Nader to say on TV today

that he WILL run if Hillary wins in the primaries. In other words, he knows he doesn't have a chance, but he seems to enjoy being the spoiler in elections. Nader is no friend of America. I'm not a huge Hillary fan either, but this just seems disgusting to me. He'll only run if he can pull votes away from Hillary. Nader voters are just as bad as Bush voters - vote for the sake of our country.

[brettdale]

45. Well if Rudy or McCain gets the nod

We should start a campgain to get Newt to run as an independent, then all extreme religious right will vote for him but no one else will.

[Lusted4]

53. Does anybody remember Naders 1996 campaign?

Write-in none of the above?
If we had done that, and that would have been the majority, they would have had to pick all new candidates, run a new election and we would not have NAFTA or the 1996 telecommunications act.
THANKS BILL.