Nader Again Refuses Dems' Request He Quit

[CShine]

WASHINGTON - Ralph Nader had a testy meeting Tuesday with black members of Congress and rejected their request that he quit the presidential race. At the same time, Arizona Democrats prepared to challenge Nader's qualifications to appear on that state's ballot as an independent candidate. The developments reflect Democrats' increasing frustration with Nader and his potential to woo liberal votes away from John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Shouts could be heard from inside the meeting with more than a dozen Congressional Black Caucus members, including Nader's voice, in what proved to be a rancorous session. One female shouted, "You can't win," to which Nader shot back an inaudible response.

"It became abundantly clear to us that this was about Ralph Nader and we were sorely disappointed," caucus chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md, said afterward. "If nothing else we believe we've had an impact on his conscience. Now we pray he'll synchronize his conscience with his conduct."

Nader dismissed the shouting as an "exciting exchange" between two sides with the same goal — the defeat of President Bush — but with different strategies for achieving it.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=696&e=3&u=/ap/20040623/ap_on_el_pr/nader

[lancdem]

1. Gee, why am I not surprised?

Elijah Cummings hit the nail on the head.

[lastknowngood]

2. Maybe this asshole will have a heart attack on tape

that we can watch again and again and enjoy. I'm so damn sick of this arrogant asshole and his entourage of ignorant cult followers.
Sorry but I'm not a bleeding heart liberal I'm a blood and guts liberal.

[lancdem]

3. Love your last line

[still_one]

5. Right ON!!!

[bluestateguy]

4. He really wants to keep his Bush taxcut

He and his overprivileged (or drugged out) supporters. They are not the ones who have to suffer in a Bush Administration.

[still_one]

6. The latest Zogby poll indicates bush is slight ahead in the

electoral college

Nader is such a creep

[mzmolly]

7. Nader doesn't share the same goal. He's full of crap. David Cobb does

share the same goals, and should be the GP nominee.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. And Cook says Kerry is slightly ahead...

<http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/cjcsd/cjcsi/3610_01a.pdf>

[NewJerseyDem]

8. "Get your ass out"

That would be a quote from Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan from during the meeting.

http://www.thehill.com/news/062304/cbc.aspx

[Kimber Scott]

9. Leave Nader alone!

All of this hullaballoo is doing nothing but giving the guy free publicity, something our candidate has to pay dearly for.

[Old and In the Way]

10. "different strategies for achieving it. "

Hate to break it to you Ralph, but there is only 1 (one) strategy for defeating Bush....and that's to elect Kerry.

Everything else is bullshit.

[mzmolly]

19. Damn straight ....

:hi:

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

11. sadly, nader has paid more attention to the issues of the CBC

in any given day of his career than kerry has in a lifetime of capitulating to the right

and as far as hoping for nader to have a heart attack, you sound like a bunch of fuckin' freepers

[demoman123]

12. Amen.

Suddenly it's FR. :(

[bagnana]

13. so what? If Kerry hadn't had the problem of having

to be ELECTED (something Ralph will never be), then maybe he'd have a lily white record as well. And be equally unelectable.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

14. sorry

i dont buy DLC capitualtion as a measure of electibility. no one was clamoring for nafta, gatt, and the rest. no one was begging for war w/ iraq. wellstone stood up to it and he would have kicked coleman's ass in the election if he had lived. and if the spineless party hacks had the balls to stand up to welfare reform and give the american people the facts on it, they could have survived

kerry's votes are a matter of lazyness and not being willing to fight for the right things. a little effort on his part and he could have been elected just as easily if he'd taken the position 0of conscience

[Frances]

15. Like Kucinich?

Sometimes I wonder what planet Nader supporters live on

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

17. no kucinich is just bad on tv

for one

i like the guy, but he didn't have a prayer.

again, look at wellstone. he's the perfect example of how a person can vote their conscience and survive politically. massachusetts is a hell of a lot more progressive than minnesota. kerry could have done the same

[hightime]

22. I don't recall anyone asking Kucinich to stop running for office

Kerry supporters simply let their candidate run and win. Now, for some reason, Kerry can't carry the load without another candidate dropping out.
Let people run on their merits and ideas. If they are good enough they will draw the kind of following they deserve.

[AndyTiedye]

27. Kerry Can't Kerry The Weight of Nader, Diebold, and Jeb Stealing FL Again

Gore WON in 2000, but Nader made it close enough for Bush to steal.

It's 2004 and Nader is doing it again.
Nader is cutting Kerry's margin in half, bringing it within the
margin of error. State-by-state, Nader's entry makes it close
enough so that we cannot win without Florida -- whose electoral votes
are pretty much own3d by the BFEE.

You complain that Kerry is moving to the right, but that is because
Nader has cut off the oxygen on the left.

[hightime]

29. I complained that Kerry is moving to the right?

You are smoking better shit than I am.

[AndyTiedye]

30. no, not you...

it was reply to this thread, and quite a few other DU posts in various places. My error.

[hightime]

31. No prob. I didn't think that was possible.

:smoke:

[struggle4progress]

18. Kerry's not nearly so bad as you make him sound.

Check out his ADA ratings :)
http://www.adaction.org/votingrecords.htm

[mzmolly]

20. *Paid more attention*

:eyes:

Puhleeze. Ask the CBC who's "paid attention"

Nader is lip service, nothing more.

[Geo55]

21. Nader Again

Egomaniac ! ....would have done fine in Viet Nam...we had to destroy the village to save it.
Maybe GM could bring back the Corvair...might distract 'em.

[dad]

24. Nader has my vote

If he can get on the ballot in NC. If not I'd like to see any third party presidential candidates here. Because Kerry is just a sorry sell-out on too many of the progressive issues I care about .

[Geo55]

25. Vote your ideals

but your choice doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell....and you won't see ANY come to reality by helping Bush.

[neverforget]

26. go ahead and vote for a third party candidate it's your choice, but

your vote does have consequences beyond yourself.

For instance, if Bush wins in another close election, the Supreme Court will be his to populate with Scalia and Thomas clones with 3 or 4 appointments. I can hardly think that is what you would want to live under or anyone else. Do you think Kerry would put Scalia or Thomas clones on the Supreme Court? Of course not! And what the SC does now will have far ranging consequences far into into the future. Kerry isn't perfect but he has the best chance to win and that is why I'm voting for him.

[AndyTiedye]

28. Do You Not Care About

Separation of Church and State?
what Bush* will do to abortion rights?
and gay rights?
the most corrupt administration in over a century?
Money diverted from social programs to churches for "faith-based" programs?

[2cents]

23. Nader should be ignored not begged

Begging = weakness and gives him credibility.

[sendero]

37. I agree...

.... the Dems should just give him a blackout. There is no talking to him, he is every bit as delusional as Bush*.

[IndianaGreen]

32. Amazing when free marketeers defend a monopoly

Those that believe in the capitalist "free market" get bent out of shape when it comes to the market of ideas in the political arena. We see that when the rightwing gets insanely angry at documentaries such as The Hunting of the President and Fahrenheit 9-11. We see the same thing when people that call themselves liberals go bonkers at anyone that runs for office outside of the 2-party monopoly.

This issue would be more clearly apparent if one were to remove the name Nader from the lexicon and were to consider this issue this way: How would we react if Paul Bremer were to tell Iraqis that they could only vote for 2 parties, all sanctioned by the US? If we would oppose such action by Bremer, why can't we see it in ourselves when we become advocates for restricting the choices the American voter has in November.

If you really want democracy, you should have channeled your energies to the abolition of the undemocratic Electoral College, and for proportional representation. Fascism is not a GOP monopoly!

[FlemingsGhost]

33. Save your breath, IG

"There is none so blind ..."

[Geo55]

36. choices

In a perfect world we would have a limitless access to political choices.
Idealism is admirable, but a realistic mature political view weighs all options and chooses the one that can actually be successful and serve towards a common goal.

[Carolab]

34. With any luck...

After your vote helps re-elect Bush, you will end up sharing space in the same detention camp and Nader can help you organize an independent third party takeover there.

[DeepModem Mom]

35. What you said, Carolab -- n/t