Winona LaDuke endorsement of John Kerry for president

[submerged99]

"Winona LaDuke endorsement of John Kerry for president

I am voting for John Kerry this November. I love this land, and I know that we need to make drastic changes in Washington if we are going to protect our land and our communities. I am committed to transforming the American democracy so that it is reflective of the diversity of this country. I believe in a multi-party system and a multi-racial democracy. I believe there are many opinions, not simply two, that merit a hearing on any issue. I believe we should be working harder to increase the numbers of people of color, women, and Native people elected to office because we are this country and we are what America looks like. I'm voting my conscience on Nov. 2; I'm voting for John Kerry.

This does not mean that John Kerry will be a perfect leader. Nor does it mean that any of us should give Kerry a pass simply because he is a rational alternative to the most destructive administration in recent memory. But he has earned my support, even if the leaders of his party aren't quite with the program. I regret that the Democratic Party is investing positive, grassroots energy in a campaign to deny ballot access to Ralph Nader - grassroots energy that is needed in these urgent times. I support wholeheartedly Ralph Nader's right to run and be on the ballot in all states. In a true democracy, the right to be on the ballot in all states and the right to participate in the presidential debates would be guaranteed. That's what democracy is. We must continue to work to make this ideal of democracy the reality in America."
http://indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096409685&CFID=8971&CFTOKEN=52268575

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Good, now get Nader on board!

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Someone slap that Nader moron with this.

Nader's not getting much vote this year. Maybe 0.02%

Hawkeye-X

[Politicub]

3. That's a cool endorsement

I wonder what Saint Ralph's reaction is?

[glitch]

4. Bush gets NRA, Kerry gets Winona - it is good! nt

[69KV]

5. Good for her

I have no idea what Ralph Nader is thinking this year. Many people advised him not to run including most of his high profile supporters in 2000. If even his former VP nominee is supporting Kerry this year, that says a lot.

Nader is not going to get much of a vote at all. He is accomplishing absolutely nothing by running this year.

I decided a long while back that the place for liberals of all kinds, including Naderites, to be working is within the Democratic Party. Third parties are a black hole and a wasted effort for the most part. 2% of the vote split five ways equals five *losers* and another term for Bush. Howard Dean, Al Sharpton, and Dennis Kucinich have my undying admiration for their efforts to bring disaffected voters on the left back into the Democratic Party. The political mainstream is where the political process takes place and policy is set, not on the fringes. A key to pushing public policy back in a leftward direction is to get involved where the most difference can be made, and that is the Democratic Party.

Liberal efforts working within the Democratic party are paying off. We have an opening this year to get two very good Democrats into the White House, who are showing more guts on the campaign trail than has been seen in decades. We cannot afford to blow this opportunity. Nader has already blown his opportunity to affect public policy in a Kerry-Edwards administration.

Ralph Nader does not understand this fact. If he has one iota of a clue, he should drop out of the race and endorse Kerry.

[dansolo]

8. Al Sharpton was working with the Republicans

Whatever issues he may have raised during the campaign does not change the fact that he was funded and supported by Republicans. As such, I put him in the same category as Nader, as an tool who is more than willing to contribute to the destruction of the Democratic Party, as long as it serves their own ego gratification.

[69KV]

10. Sharpton

hasn't worked with the Repukes since the late 1980s. If that speech of his at the Democratic Convention isn't enough to convince that he is one of us, nothing will. I don't care all that much what somebody did 20 or 30 years ago. After all, 20 years ago Nader was one of us. Today, Sharpton is.

[Downtown Hound]

6. Cool!

I always liked Winona. She's always been way cooler than that cranky geezer Nader, not to mention much more attractive.

[je11]

7. new freeper spam email: commies endorse kerry

Just got this today:

GUESS WHO'S ENDORSING JOHN KERRY????

The Communist Party of The United States of America, CPUSA,
is publicly supporting the election of John Kerry.
No, this is not a typo...you read it correctly. The CPUSA has
made available on its Web site, www.cpusa.org, an advertisement
entitled Top Ten Reasons to Defeat Bush. This advertisement can be downloaded. The communist.............blah blah blah blah


PATHETIC!

[NinetySix]

9. Who do you suppose the KKK endorses?

If the Communist Party supports Kerry and that gives him a black eye, would the KKK (or for that matter, the majority of their membership) supporting Bush have an equally deleterious effect?

[iamjoy]

11. Michael Moore Feels The Same

he is "supporting" Kerry - although far more quietly because he (Moore) realizes he (Moore) is a lightening rod for controversy

I have also heard him say if John Kerry is elected, he will be unmerciful in going after him to make sure he does the right thing.

Both Moore and LaDuke show the perfect blend of practicality and idealism. They could try to take over the Democratic Party, I'd welcome them driving out the DINOs. If the two party system is such an issue - I do wish they'd fight smarter and harder to end it, not just fuss during an election year. But enough true progressives feel that if the Democrats are not victorious in this election we will not have a two party system, we will have a one party system.

[proud patriot]

12. good for her

:D

[lcooksey]

13. I'd be all for Nader being on the ballot

If he could do so without GOP money and fraudulent petitions. The Dems are pushing hard to keep him off, but they are doing so within the letter of the law. If Nader doesn't like it, he should be standing on his own, not on the shoulders of GOP hacks.