Vote for Nader, Elect Bush

Even Nader knows he has no chance to win. All he can do is help Bush/Cheney.

 

Ralph Nader: Good for Consumers and Environment, Bad for Voters

Ralph Nader has done a lot for consumers, the environment and more. But by running for President in 2004 he's only helping Bush. Everyone has the right to run for public office, but that doesn't make it right to run for office. There are other ways to express ideas and demand change. There are better ways to "send a message" than casting a vote that empowers the extreme right wing.

Nader has the right to run for office, but that doesn't mean it's right for him to help the right - or right for anyone to help him help Bush. Nader made his point in the 2000 Election. Why make the same point again when the 2004 Election is too important to lose. Unless you want four more years of Bush/Cheney - neo-cons and theo-cons running amok - please don't support Ralph Nader.

Nader admits Kerry is much better than Bush. Winona LaDuke - Nader's running mate in 1996 and 2000 - says, "I'm voting for John Kerry this November. I'm voting my conscience." All (former) Nader voters should listen and help stop Nader from helping Bush. Wear No Nader Shirts and Hats. Buy No Nader Stickers and Mugs. Tell would-be Nader voters to send a message with email, fax, phone, or stamp. A vote is a terrible thing to waste.

 

Progressives Speak Out about Election 2004:

WINONA LaDUKE - Nader's running mate in 1996 and 2000: "I'm voting for John Kerry this November. I'm voting my conscience."

HOWARD DEAN: "If George W. Bush is re-elected [sic], the health, safety, consumer, environmental, and open government provisions Ralph Nader has fought for will be undermined. George Bush's right-wing appointees will still be serving as judges fifty years from now, and our Constitution will be shredded. It will be government by, of, and for, the corporations - exactly what Ralph Nader has struggled against."

 

Below from www.changein04.com

MICHAEL MOORE - filmmaker, author: "There are times to vote to make a statement, there are times to vote for the underdog and there are times to vote to save the country from catastrophe. This time we can and must do all three."

 

RALPH NADER - presidential candidate: "[John Kerry is] certainly better than Bush.... He's got a lot of good in him...."


MEDEA BENJAMIN - Green Party US Senate candidate, California, 2000: "In the swing states, where this election's going to be determined, [Greens should] recognize that we owe it to the global community to get rid of George Bush. And if people in those swing states support that strategy of getting rid of George Bush, then voting for Kerry might be the strategic vote for them."


HOWARD ZINN - author, A People's History of the United States: "If Kerry is elected, we'll have a little ledge to stand on... Presidents can be moved by their constituencies."


NOAM CHOMSKY - professor, author, activist, dissident: "[T]here are differences (between Kerry and Bush). In a system of immense power, small differences can translate into large outcomes."

 

JOHN RENSENBRINK - co-founder, Green Party of the United States: "People...are very focused on stopping the right-wing cabal that has taken over the country. Therefore, the focus has to be on defeating Bush."

 

PAT LAMARCHE - Vice Presidential candidate, Green Party: "There are huge issues...." (listing the war, the environment, healthcare, the economy, and jobs.) "But most important of all is making sure that George Bush is no longer president of the United States."

 

NORMAN SOLOMON - activist, columnist, author, Target Iraq: "The emergence of 'GREENS FOR KERRY' reflects a growing recognition of what's at stake. There are many things wrong with John Kerry's political positions - yet piling up sufficient votes for Kerry on November 2 is the only practical way to rid this country and the world of the horrific Bush presidency. Let's get to work on this historic imperative! Voting Bush out means voting Kerry in."

 

BARBARA LEE - US Representative (D-Calif.) - "I told Mr. Nader: 'A vote for Ralph Nader is really a vote for George Bush.' We can't risk this Bush presidency taking hold again."

 


 

Ralph Nader: He's
Good for Consumers,
But Bad for Voters

Ralph Nader has done a lot for consumers, the environment and more. But by running for President in 2000 he only helped the right wing. Everyone has the right to run for public office, but that doesn't make it right to run for office.

There are better ways to "express ideas" and challenge moderate and liberal politicians to do better without empowering right wing politicians who destroy everything the progressive and liberal movements hold dear.

Nader doesn't merely "express ideas." He mainly "challenges" liberals and Democrats, while giving right wing Republicans a relative free pass. Worse, Nader actively collaborates with pro-Bush right wingers to help them win elections.

Nader says he prefers candidates like Bush and Cheney over Clinton and Gore. Why? He hopes if the right wing extremists make life horrible for enough people, we will turn to Nader.

That's why Nader and his Naderites attack all Democrats and liberals and help the right wing Republicans. We support everyone's rights to free expression and political participation. In that vein we demand equal rights to challenge Ralph Nader's spoiler politics and misinformation.

Yes, Nader has every right to run for office, but we also have an equal right to tell the awful truth about Nader. He busts unions, abuses employees, and invests in "frankenfoods," weapons-makers and oil companies.

We use facts like these to expose Ralph Nader's poisonous impact on politics. We "send messages" via email and the telephone - and this blog. We urge you to do the same, and to use your vote to select leaders and send messages by other means.

Once Ralph Nader knew better than this. We'd hoped recent events would remind him of his better days and common sense. Unfortunately they haven't.

Nader even refuses to listen to former top supporters like Oscar winners Michael Moore, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins. Nader scorns his friends including Phil Donahue, Danny Glover, Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson who urged him not to run in 2004.

Nader plays fast and loose with the facts. He pretends he's a mind reader dishonestly claiming his critics want to censor him and deny his rights.

Wrong. We have no problem with Nader's free expression so long as it's honest. It often isn't, so we correct the record.. We also urge you not to support any Nader or any pro-Nader group until they abandon their counterproductive agenda.

This is not about doing something for Democrats or John Kerry. This is about caring for yourself, your loved ones, your community and Planet Earth. Unless you want four more years of Bush / Cheney neo-cons and theo-cons, please don't support Ralph Nader.

 


 

Important Links:

Greens/Democrats vs. Nader/Bush


NaderWatch Discussion Group


Stop Nader.com


Not Nader.com


DontVoteRalph.net


Ralph Don't Run


The Nader Factor.com


BushWatch's NaderWatch


Damned Big Difference


Greens for Kerry


Repentant Nader Voter


Say No To Nader.com


Ralph Nader's Skeleton Closet






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Buy These and Other Designs at Our "A Vote is a Terrible Thing to Waste" Store.


 
Federal Judge Sends Nader Ballot Dispute Back to State Court
Bill Cotterell, Political Editor | Tallahassee Democrat | 09/15/2004

A federal judge refused to intervene Tuesday in the roller coaster legal fight over Ralph Nader's quest for a spot on the Florida presidential ballot, sending the dispute back to state courts. Attorneys for Nader and the Reform Party asked U.S. District Judge Stephan Mickle of Gainesville to pre-empt jurisdiction of the week-old case as a federal voting-rights issue - made urgent by Saturday's deadline for mailing absentee ballots to Floridians living overseas, including military personnel.

Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood separately asked him to quash an injunction issued last Wednesday by Leon County Circuit Judge Kevin Davey, who held that the Reform Party is not even a 'minor party' anymore and that Nader's nomination by a few of its members was a ruse to get around the state's requirement that he gather more than 90,000 voter signatures on petitions."

[...]

Aside from the legal issues, the case has major political implications in a closely divided swing state with 27 electoral votes. Republicans have been supporting Nader in his bid to make Florida the 25th state to put him on the ballot because his presence is thought to hurt Kerry's chances more than Bush's in Florida. Nader got more than 97,000 votes in Florida four years ago as the Green Party nominee for president. After Bush's victory was certified by a 537-vote margin, Al Gore supporters blamed Nader for the outcome. Complete Article

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Nader's 2000 Citizens' Committee Urge "Swing States" Support For Kerry
Press Release: Tuesday 14 September 2004

Washington - As Ralph Nader campaigns in swing state after swing state, a large group of prominent endorsers from Nader 2000 is calling for support for Kerry in those states in order to oust Bush. Four years ago this month, Nader convened news conferences in several cities to unveil his personally-selected "Nader 2000 Citizens Committee" of leading supporters.

Today (Sept. 14), more than 70 members of Nader's 2000 committee joined in issuing a statement that urges "support for Kerry/Edwards in all swing states" because "removing George W. Bush from office should be the top priority in the 2004 presidential election." Signers of the statement include Noam Chomsky, Ben Cohen, Phil Donahue, Barbara Ehrenreich, Jim Hightower, Bonnie Raitt, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Cornel West and Howard Zinn.

We, the undersigned, were selected by Ralph Nader to be members of his 113-person national "Nader 2000 Citizens Committee." This year, we urge support for Kerry/Edwards in all "swing states," even while we strongly disagree with Kerry's policies on Iraq and other issues.

For people seeking progressive social change in the United States, removing George W. Bush from office should be the top priority in the 2004 presidential election. Progressive votes for John Kerry in swing states may prove decisive in attaining this vital goal.

For updated list of signers, see: http://vote2stopbush.com/

Add your voice to Bill Maher's, Michael Moore's and these other former Nader supporters: http://www.cafeshops.com/antibush04/332899

David Barsamian, Author, Radio Interviewer
Juliette Beck, California Citizens for Fair Trade
Herbert Bernstein, Professor of Physics at Hampshire College
Thomas Berry, Author, Dream of the Earth
Wendell Berry, Farmer and Writer
Norman Birnbaum, Author and Educator
Grace Lee Boggs, Detroit Activist and Writer
Blase Bonpane, Office of the Americas
Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas
Eric Brakken, Former Staffer, United Students Against Sweatshops
Ira Byock, Palliative Care Physician, Author of Dying Well
Edgar Cahn, Founder of Time Banking
John Cavanagh, Director of Institute for Policy Studies
Noam Chomsky, Author and Professor at MIT
Steve Cobble, Strategist, Jackson '88, Nader '00, Kucinich '04
Ben Cohen, Co-founder of Ben & Jerry's
Peter Coyote, Actor and Writer
Ronnie Cummins, Director of Organic Consumers Association
Herman Daly, Professor at University of Maryland
Iris DeMent, Musician/Songwriter
Phil Donahue, Former Talk Show Host
Mark Dowie, Journalist, Former Editor/Publisher of Mother Jones
Barbara Dudley, Former President, Greenpeace and National Lawyers Guild
Ronnie Dugger, Co-founder of Alliance for Democracy
Troy Duster, Professor at New York University
Barbara Ehrenreich, Political Essayist and Social Critic
Richard Falk, Center of International Studies, Princeton University
Jim Goodman, Organic Dairy Farmer
Rebecca Goodman, Organic Dairy Farmer
Doris (Granny D) Haddock, Senate Candidate, Reform Activist
Paul Hawken, Author, Economist
Randy Hayes, Founder, Rainforest Action Network
Jim Hightower, Author and Commentator
Wes Jackson, The Land Institute
David Kairys, Law Professor at Temple University and Author
Ynestra King, Ecofeminist Writer/Activist
John Kinsman, Family Farm Defenders
Philip M. Klasky, Co-director, Bay Area Nuclear Waste Coalition
David Korten, Author of When Corporations Rule the World
Frances Korten, Director of Positive Futures Network
Saul Landau, California State Polytechnic University
Rabbi Michael Lerner, The Tikkun Community
Theodore Lowi, Political Scientist, Author
Howard Lyman, Former Rancher, Vegetarian Activist
Joanna Macy, Author and Scholar
Jerry Mander, President of International Forum on Globalization
Manning Marable, African American Studies, Columbia
Redwood Mary, Plight of the Redwoods Campaign
Robert McChesney, Professor, University of Illinois
Carolyn Merchant, Professor of Environmental History, UC-Berkeley
Peter Montague, Environmental Research Foundation
Gus Newport, Former Mayor of Berkeley, California
Ruth Ozeki, Novelist
Frances Fox Piven, City University of New York
Bonnie Raitt, Guitarist/Singer/Songwriter
Sheldon Rampton, Co-author of Banana Republicans
Marcus Raskin, Author
Tim Robbins, Actor / Director and Activist
Vicki Robin, New Road Map Foundation
Susan Sarandon, Actor and Activist
John Schaeffer, Founder of Real Goods Trading Company
Michelle Shocked, Musician
John Stauber, Co-author of Banana Republicans
Andrew Strauss, Professor at Widener University School of Law
Charlotte Talberth, Max and Anna Levinson Foundation
Meredith Tax, Writer and Human Rights Activist
Studs Terkel, Author, Oral Historian
Tom Tomorrow, Cartoonist
Sarah van Gelder, Editor of YES! Magazine
Eddie Vedder, Musician, Pearl Jam
Harvey Wasserman, Author of Harvey Wasserman's History of the US
Cornel West, Professor, Author of Democracy Matters
Sheldon Wolin, Professor Emeritus, Princeton University
Howard Zinn, Historian and Author

Other prominent Nader 2000 supporters endorsing this statement:
Medea Benjamin, Code Pink
Jackson Browne
Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's Co-founder
Bob Harris, Author
Norman Solomon, Columnist


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Greens: Nader Has Set a Course to Help Bush
Commondreams 09/09/04


Greens for Impact: "[We are] dismayed to see that Ralph Nader's campaign schedule for September consists almost completely of battleground states, where his presence could aid in re-electing George W. Bush. From September 11th through September 18th, Nader will be stumping in the swing states of PA, OH, MI, WI, MN, IA, and CO."

This route cannot be coincidental and it in fact belies claims he made when first announcing his presidential candidacy: 'This is a campaign that strives to displace the present corporate regime of the Bush administration.' On September 3, 2004, Ralph Nader's campaign issued a press release entitled "Bush Rhetoric and Reality Are Two Different Things."

Following this model, Greens for Impact seeks to figure out what could possibly motivate Nader to visit every swing state. Our analysis indicates: "Nader Rhetoric and Reality Are Two Different Things."

See: http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0909-01.htm
Also see: GreensDemocratsVSNaderBush@yahoogroups.com

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Nader Intent on Helping Bush Carry Washingon and Other States
Nader will appear on Washington ballot, but not Oregon's(9/2/2004) - Seattle Post Intelligencer

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will be on the Washington ballot this fall, but he has once again been stymied in Oregon. Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed verified and validated 1,008 signatures yesterday nominating Nader and running mate Peter Miguel Camejo.

As the Green Party's candidate in 2000, Nader was widely blamed for spoiling Al Gore's bid for president, with Democrats saying he took votes that should've gone to the vice president in the tight contest. In Washington, Nader won 4.8 percent of the votes in 2000. Gore won the state by a narrow margin over George W. Bush.

[...]

According to the latest Elway poll, Nader has the support of 4 percent of independent voters in Washington, with Kerry and President Bush each favored by 40 percent of independents. Sixteen percent of independent voters are undecided, according to the poll of 405 registered voters last week. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

In Oregon, Nader has failed to qualify for the state's presidential ballot because some petition sheets turned in by his supporters failed to comply with state law, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury said yesterday.

It was a serious setback for Nader, who captured 5 percent of the Oregon vote in the 2000 presidential election. Gore barely won the state in that election, and Democrats contend Gore's slim 6,700-vote margin over Bush was attributable to Nader's siphoning away additional votes that would have gone to Gore.

But Nader has been unable to make the same headway in Oregon this year, especially in the face of an aggressive campaign by the state's Democrats, who have suggested that Nader's presence on the ballot could tip the state's electoral votes to Bush.

Reports also emerged that Oregon Republicans were actively trying to propel Nader onto the ballot.... Oregon is considered up for grabs in this year's closely fought presidential election.

A Zogby International poll published Aug. 24 showed Kerry with about 54 percent support among Oregon voters, compared with 43 percent for Bush and 1.5 percent for Nader. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Also yesterday, Nader lost his bid to get on the ballot in Texas and Michigan. And in Pennsylvania, he asked the state Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling barring him from appearing on that state's presidential ballot.
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Nader wants to deliver Oregon to Bush, but his campaign there violated the law
(9/2/2004) - Corvallis Gazette Times, Oregon


Once an admired figure in Oregon, Ralph Nader has failed to qualify for the state's presidential ballot because some petition sheets turned in by his supporters failed to comply with state law, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury said Wednesday.

It was a serious setback for Nader, who captured 5 percent of the Oregon vote in the 2000 presidential election. Now-President Bush was barely defeated by Democrat Al Gore in Oregon in that election, and Democrats contend Gore's slim 6,700-vote margin over Bush was due to Nader.

But Nader has been unable to make the same headway in Oregon this year, especially in the face of an aggressive campaign by the state's Democrats, who have prophesied that Nader's presence on the ballot could tip the state's electoral votes to Bush. Reports also emerged that Oregon Republicans were actively trying to propel Nader onto the ballot.

On Wednesday, an angry Greg Kafoury, leader of Nader's Oregon campaign, said a circuit court challenge to Bradbury's decision would be filed by Friday. Kafoury, a Portland lawyer, said Bradbury "has joined the national campaign to sabotage Nader's candidacy. Bradbury has dishonored his office and disgraced himself."

Bradbury, a Democrat, is required by law to certify the presidential ballot by Sept. 8. He said the Nader campaign fell about 200 short of the 15,306 registered voters' signatures needed to put Nader on the Nov. 2 ballot.

He said state law is "remarkably clear" in saying that signatures on invalid petitions cannot be counted and that petition sheets have to be numbered before they're turned in to county clerks for signature checking.

[...]

Nader has already tried twice this year to get onto Oregon's ballot, to no avail. He held two conventions in Portland but at each failed to attract the needed 1,000 registered voters to sign petitions at those events.

Oregon is considered up for grabs in this year's closely fought presidential election. A Zogby International poll published on Aug. 24 showed Kerry with about 54-percent support among Oregon voters, compared with 43 percent for Bush and 1.5 percent for Nader. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Nader so far is on the ballot in 13 states and Washington, D.C., and can appear on at least five others through his Reform Party endorsement. He has turned in petitions to be on the ballot in at least 15 other states.

Also on Wednesday, Nader lost his federal court bid to get on the Michigan ballot as a Reform Party candidate. And in Pennsylvania, he asked the state Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling barring him from appearing on the state's presidential ballot.


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