BAD RALPH

Nader Announces New Run for President - AP

No! No no no no no no no no no no! No! No! No! No! No no no no no no! No! BAD. BAAAAAAAD. BAD.

Do we not remember Florida 2000? The final count was:
Bush: 2,912,790
Gore: 2,912,253
Meaning Bush "won" by only 537 votes.

How many did Nader get in Florida? 97,421.

It is truly remarkable that not even the unprecedented horror of the last eight years has dampened Nader's self-righteousness. He is just as much a zealot as Bush, utterly sure of himself and his mission, heedless of the consequences of his actions.

The U.S. needs a Green Party (and other small parties too), but until the Green Party gets strategic it is a serious impediment to progressive causes in this country. Instead of running protest candidates in the Presidential election, the Green Party should focus on state and local elections to build a broad grass-roots base. It should also run candidates for Congress in "safe" districts that are not at risk of falling into the hands of right-wingers. This would give it a much larger influence on policy than it has now. But EVERY time a Green Party candidate runs a risk of helping a Republican defeat a Democrat by dividing the progressive vote, s/he needs to join forces with the Democrats. The self-righteousness of the Greens is just not worth the poverty, war, torture, etc., that comes with Republicans.

It's probably too late for Ralph Nader; the man is fossilized as he is. But I hope those who consider voting for him ask themselves if their moral vindication is worth a war in Iran!