this odd thought just came to me about Nader

[AnIndependentTexan]

Maybe we should point out that Nader doesn't even have a Vice President so what would be the point of him running?

[DIKB]

1. ummm

Pete Camejo. (I believe that's his name)

[phish420]

9. yup...something like that

[WindRavenX]

2. What is the point of him running?

Why, he's the only viable option! After all, Kerry is the same as Bush- didn't you get the memo?
Seriously though, Nader is only running to hurt Kerry. That's the simple, sad truth.

[DIKB]

3. In a way

I think Nader honestly WANTS * to get elected. This will only drive the populace even further to the left, by 2008 the Dems will then win in a landslide, and by 2012 his Green Party will have even more converts. It is possible he's thinking long term. Just an opinion.

[WindRavenX]

4. The end does not justify the means

This world cannot deal with another four years of *; if truly Nader aims to drive the populace to the left, he is doing it at the sacrifice of the very people of this country that are suffering TREMENDOUSLY under *'s reign of terror. Nader is selfish.

[shimmergal]

8. Besides, no guoarantee that it'd happen that way.

With BushCo. staying in power, we might just keep heading into a dark age, with no realistic chance for people to change it even if they want to

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. Like The Communists

Like the Communists in Germany who refused to ally themselves with the Socialists in a united front against Hitler....


What a maroon he is.... Great thinking...

[CBHagman]

10. I doubt he's thinking long-term.

For starters, the U.S. has a winner-take-all system, not proportional representation. The Green Party has no seats in Congress and is not entitled to such unless it wins a majority or plurality of the vote. End of story.

Nader knows this, and the fact is that he keeps running and does not throw his time and energy into actually OBTAINING the policy changes he claims he wants. If a guy claims he desires chastity and keeps screwing around, are you going to take him seriously?

Five percent of the vote and three dollars will get you a coffee at Starbucks. It does not get Nader the power to make policy.

Also, I don't buy the notion that making things even more horrific is going to magically deliver a progressive electorate or effect policy changes. If you care about the environment, you don't put off doing something about it until you've broken one or more of the potlitical parties. You set about forming a strategy to get what you want.

No one who is a true progressive is interested in gambling with people's lives. YEAH, RALPH, ACTUAL LIVES ARE INVOLVED. DID THAT EVER ENTER YOUR PERVERSE, EGOMANIACAL BRAIN?

To perdition with Ralph Nader.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. I Can't See Any Scenario Where A Green Can Win A Congressional Seat In Our

Winner Take All System...

It seems the only beneficiary of a Green candidacy would be a Republican....

[rndmprsn]

7. even after kerry arranged a meeting to talk to him...

and nader even called kerry presidential.

i would have more respect for nader if he had spent the last 4 years building up the green party as a viable third-party in this country...running for local offices and building the party from the ground up...but he didn't do this, so it leaves me to believe that its all ego.

[Senior citizen]

5. Nader's not evil, he's just old--and I KNOW old, OK?

When Nader was young he was sharp as a tack. He wrote books, gave talks, started national organizations, stood up to General Motors--the guy was a consumer protection powerhouse. The one thing he refused to do, perhaps because he felt he could be more effective outside, or maybe because he felt the process was corrupting in and of itself, was to get involved in politics. Many people urged him to run for President--my young, nonpolitical self among them.

Now he's old and he's trying to atone. He's knows he's right on a lot of issues. But he simply doesn't have the mental reflexes he had when he was young. Ever hear about old people being set in their ways? It really happens to many of us.

Peter Camejo is another story. He's a successful (Green) businessman, which enables him to survive being just too damned nice and altruistic for this particular planet. My guess is that Nader asked Camejo to be his running mate, and Peter being Peter, he couldn't say no.

So go ahead, flame me all you want. It won't make me any older or make Nader any younger. By the time Nader realized he should have run for President, it was at least 30 years too late. By the time he realizes that he shouldn't have run for President, it will also be too late.

[CBHagman]

11. Naah, he's just vindictive.

Yes, I know people's personality quirks intensify as they grow older, and some people get hard while others mellow. But Herblock worked until he was in his 90s and didn't lose sight of where he stood politically, nor did he try to screw over the people he claimed he wanted to help. Pete Seeger and Studs Terkel don't seem to have lost sight of things, either.

Nader's delivering a great, big "FUCK YOU" to the Dems. I'm sorry to have to say that, but everything I've heard and seen leads me to that conclusion. He's like the bad fairy at Sleeping Beauty's christening; he wants to deliver a curse.

[Senior citizen]

13. Okay, vindictive sounds right.

Sometimes, when I think about NAFTA, I'd like to be vindictive myself.

Thing is, I'd read "Indispensable Enemies," and I hadn't expected much from Clinton. The fact is that both major parties have cooperatively screwed us over, both were bought and paid for by the big corporations, and the 2-party system sucks.

So I've donated to Kerry, I'm working for Kerry, and I know that things will be better with Kerry. But there's still that part of me that agrees with Michael Ruppert that the bad cop has had his turn and now they're sending in the good cop. Things are always a lot less painful when the good cop takes over. Or at least they seem that way. When you live in a police state, you always appreciate the good cop.

Yay, good cop! Hisssss, bad cop!

See that little avatar I picked out? I think that means NO cop. Like if you're in prison, you really want wardens who don't torture you, but does that mean you can't dream of getting out? I know I want Kerry to replace the chimp, but I'd also like democracy to replace this fascist police state, and I'm not expecting that to happen as long as candidates who agree with me have no chance whatsoever of being selected by a major party, and only major party candidates can get elected.

[Senior citizen]

14. Okay, I'm a vindictive egomaniac, shamelessly kicking my own post.

I just reread it for the umpteenth time, and I like what I said.

Sue me.

:evilgrin:

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. Hey, it's kick-worthy. :^)

[Senior citizen]

17. Thanks, GreenPartyVoter.

Sometimes I'm smarter than I think I are.

Seems to me some people in this thread don't realize that Nader is NOT the Green Party candidate. David Cobb is. And Cobb has urged everyone who doesn't live in a safe state to vote for Kerry.

Of course, with BBV, we all know that there's really no such thing as a safe state. My local Save Democracy group sells t-shirts that say:

PREVENT UNWANTED PRESIDENCIES -- VOTE ON PAPER!

[Habibi]

18. I think it's kickworthy, too

hence: :kick:

[napi21]

16. I thought his VP was Camaho or something like that!

I thought I remember him mentioning his name again on his last interview. Did he drop out?

[Senior citizen]

19. Camejo's still in it, I think. Here's a link:

http://www.avocadoeducationproject.org/avocado.shtml

That was posted back in January, but he seems pretty consistent.