Salon: 3 people show up for Nader press conference in Albuquerque

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

"Requiem for a reformer
Four years ago, he drew celebrities and crowds. This time, as it wheezes toward the finish line, the Nader campaign has the feel of Spinal Tap's last tour."

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/27/nader/index.html

Oct. 27, 2004 | "You have to be willing to be humiliated," Ralph Nader told an audience recently. "I love it." The setting was the University of New Hampshire in Durham as Nader mused aloud on the trials facing leaders of alternative political movements in the United States. Like many things the perpetual candidate says these days, however, the statement rang hollow. Ralph Nader may or may not feel humiliated by finishing an increasingly distant third in presidential elections. But he certainly does not appear to love it.

Why should he? Nader's latest presidential effort -- No. 4 if you're counting -- is a sputtering campaign struggling to draw support. Yes, every vote counts. Yes, Nader could again be, as he was in 2000, one of the decisive factors in the outcome of the election. But if so, it will not be because his campaign is generating momentum down the stretch, or is a success on its own terms. It is not.

You might not realize this, given the recent spate of urgent appeals from former Nader supporters imploring progressive voters to abandon the Independent candidate. And you wouldn't know it from reading the recent front-page story in the New York Times ominously casting Nader as "just the kind of threat the Democrats feared." In reality, the Democrats would be far more afraid if Nader were campaigning strongly -- or if the antiwar movement had produced a more compelling third-party candidate than a notoriously thin-skinned consumer advocate whose career highlights occurred before today's college-age voters were born. As those of us who have seen Nader in person this month know, his campaign is a relatively low-energy, low-interest affair. Crowds are down. Campaign funds are minimal. The candidate who drew about 3 percent of the popular vote in 2000 is at 1 percent in this year's polls and could finish lower.

Indeed, Nader resembles a professional politician far more than an activist, tossing off sound bites -- "You can't have an election without selection" -- and brushing away inconvenient questions with non-answers. When asked about Republican Party support for his campaign's ballot-access efforts, Nader always changes the subject by saying he has received limited individual contributions from Republicans. It is interesting, though, to see the candidate occasionally brush up against a larger truth. In New Hampshire, Nader was riffing about how, say, Red Sox fans are better informed about baseball than politics. "They just care about performance," Nader said. "Performance. Performance. They evaluate their team defensively as well as offensively. Not only what they produce in terms of runs, but what they can stop the other team from scoring." In 2004, Democrats thoroughly understand that playing defense is vital. That is why they are trying to end George W. Bush's turn at bat. With Ralph Nader's campaign fading, though, the Democrats should remember: They do not need him to record the third out.

[Was_Immer]

1. HAHA

i hate nader
But I really really hate his followers. DIP SH*TS dont be selfish and think when you vote. Vote for nader is a vote for Shrub

[KlatooBNikto]

2. I didn't know he could draw that big a crowd.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. The sign on the door was wrong: It said "Wives of Bigfoot Support Group"

So the entire org turned out.

[BiggJawn]

4. So instead of hiding behind a podium...

Why didn't he just go out and sit down for some one-on-three?

Walked out, didn't acknowledge the "crowd", regurgitated a canned speech: "Vote for ME, I'm not like those other guys" and then left in his registerd-to-someone-else big sedan....

Of course I wasn't there. NEITHER WERE YOU!

You see Kerry (and the chimp, too) on TV, they have THOUSANDS of people behind them. You see Ralph, he's all by himself with a sign that says "Nader '04" with the "'04" pasted over the "'00"....

[Drifter]

5. And they all appear to be ...

picking their noses.

How fitting.

Cheers
Drifter

[calico1]

6. The bad thing about being only

one of 3 people, is if you just get up and leave, its really noticeable. They probably felt bad leaving.

[krkaufman]

7. Here's why Nader is still dangerous...

... because his anti-Dem campaigning may have a negative impact.

The typical Nader speech contains far more barbs directed at Kerry and other Democrats than at Bush. This month alone, Nader has also called John Edwards a "sniveling coward" and Howard Dean a "total and complete liar." As of Monday, the top item on the home page of Nader's campaign Web site was a testimonial from a New Mexico resident who "was definitely going to vote for John Kerry" but now supports Ralph.

[mindfulNJ]

8. pathetic.

Give it up and go home Ralph.

[Francine Frensky]

9. Those are three fine looking supporters...

What losers. Nobody in their right mind should throw away their vote on Nader.

He's a lost cause.