Without Greens, Nader Faces Uphill Battle

[ringmastery]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5534068

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Spurned by the party that embraced him four years ago, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader pressed ahead on Monday with state-by-state petition drives to get on the ballot.

But after the Green Party nominated someone else for president this weekend, Nader faced an uphill battle to match his 2000 campaign when he was on 43 state ballots, said Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News. The Green Party is automatically on 22 state ballots.

The Nader campaign is pursing a patchwork strategy that involves running as a third party candidate in some states, and as an independent in others.

Complicating Nader's efforts to collect some one million signatures nationwide are Democrats who are challenging his petition drives and conservative groups that are pitching in to help Nader, an icon to many liberals, to get on the ballot.

Nader took almost 3 million votes, or 2.7 percent, as the Green nominee in 2000. Many Democrats say his strong showing in Florida swung that state, and the presidency, from their candidate Al Gore to Republican George W. Bush and fear he could do the same this year to Democratic candidate John Kerry.

But to play spoiler, Nader has to be on the ballot.

[Fenris]

1. And vice-versa.

[opihimoimoi]

2. I suspect Nader is being paid to run.

He is an egotist who pissed off the Greens, hence their decision to cut the rope and back someone else.

Nader is an attention whore looking for his own selfinterest and not that of the Nation. He is not contributing to the cause one iota.

May he lose and go away once and for all.