Why didn't Nader run for the Democratic nomination?

[Robin Hood]

In 2000 Nader complained that he was not a part of the debates. Here we are in 2004 and Saint Ralph had a perfect opportunity to debate his ideas before America but chose not to, instead he waited until after all the debating was done, and swooped in to steal the democratic momentum, that took a year or more to build up.

He had a chance to get his message out to the nation during the dem primaries, but he chose not to. Why?

[absyntheNsugar]

1. Three letters: e, g and o...what do they spell?

NADER!

[Robin Hood]

2. I think that it's even more devious than that.

His EGO is just the tip of this ice berg.

[MikeG]

3. You get so much more attention when you screw up an election.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. He doesn't believe in two-party politics

Therefore he can't run as one of the Big Two.

[pinto]

7. fair enough, then why didn't he run from the get go, as an indie?

[Robin Hood]

8. Because he has no real platform,

Other than to throw the election for Bush.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Because he felt he did well with the Greens last time.

The reason he is running as an indy this time is because we Greens aren't holding our convention until June, too late in his opinion to field a strong allout-candidacy. (And some of us Greens didn't want the all-out, just enough to get us on tha ballot and keep our party alive but without throwing the election over to Bu$h.)

[pinto]

19. I understand the timing of the Green convene, but it's his I wonder about,

if he wanted an all out campaign he would have jumped in sooner.
As an independent.

As an aside, I think Nader's place on the Green ticket in 2000 served Nader's interests, first and foremost.

Greens will have a viable party without him.

Thanks for your posts.

10. bingo

Maybe he's got an ego also, like every single person who runs for President but I'd say that the main reason he's running is because he doesn't believe in 2 party politics as it is being practiced currently.

[Old and In the Way]

21. Correct!

He's into a Single Party "democracy". He got it started in 2000 and is trying to complete his mission this election.

[Sterling]

5. Dean was winning?

Maybe he did not think he had too? Dean made progressives feel like they had a dog in the fight. Nader hinted if a RW IWR Dem. was nominated he might run. We Dems opened our selves up to this when we went against the will of the base.

I still think th eprimary was fixed via media coverage and BBV.

[Robin Hood]

6. The will of the base?!!

Sorry to burst your bubble but the base spoke up in Iowa, New Hampshire and every other State. 3% does not a base make. More like the will of the fringe.

[rockymountaindem]

16. Exactly.

I think I'm a part of the base (I dislike Lieberman as much as the next guy, don't want McCain on the ticket etc.) and I was always for Kerry. I was trying to get used to Dean when it looked like he was going to run away with it, but I'm happy with Kerry. This is one part of the base that's not angry. Screw Ralph Nader.

[pinto]

9. what is the will of the base? seriously, it's an honest question.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. Ranked voting would give us a better idea of that, actually

If we could see what policies, what candidates, come down in which order it would help us sort out where the electorate's priorities lie. (It certainly seems to be working in the IRV poll on my website, anyway.)

[pinto]

20. well, GPV, we agree, I'm a fan of ranked voting. It's a hard sell....n/t

[Dookus]

11. LOL

Dean isn't any more progressive or leftist than Kerry. And as to "the base".... well... the previous post says it all.

[Dookus]

13. "the primary was fixed"

nonsense. do you have ANY evidence to support such a claim?

Iowa, as you know, is a caucus. There are no voting machines.

Kerry didn't just win, he won overwhelmingly. Do you really believe he stole all the primaries by such a huge percentage?

[LoZoccolo]

15. Will of the base bah.

Come on, I still have my Dean avatar (somewhat out of inertia) and I can admit he's not what the majority wanted.

[kysrsoze]

14. I'm sure that not taking part in the debates had something to do with it

I've never heard him push any policies which would actually be workable in the foreseeable future under the structure of business and government's relationship. Like it or not, this is reality.

[West Coast Democrat]

18. Because to Nader, We're the Enemy

He hates Democrats.