Word: nader
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Although Nader rejects the idea that he cost Al Gore the 2000 election, it is an article of faith among Democratic leaders that he did. In Florida and New Hampshire, the number of Nader votes was significantly greater than Bush's thin margin of victory; Gore would be President had he won either state. "In 2000 we made a mistake because we ignored Nader for months," says Gore's former campaign manager Donna Brazile. "We gave him time not only to build a credible movement but also to get inside battleground states and hold huge rallies...
This time Nader faces a different challenge of his own. Whereas the consumer advocate got onto nearly every state ballot as the Green Party nominee four years ago, Nader is now trying to do it the hard way--as an independent. He says he wants to start a political movement that would transcend party labels. But his independent status requires him to make his way through a dizzying set of rules and deadlines. To get on the ballot in Tennessee, he needs the signatures of only 275 registered voters; in North Carolina it takes 100,532. Nader fell at least...
...state Democratic parties are doing what they can to make it even harder on Nader. In Texas, Democrats sent an e-mail reminding party members that by law they couldn't sign a Nader petition if they had voted in the primary. In Arizona, where a poll shows Nader pulling what could be a decisive 7% of the vote, state Democratic chairman Jim Pederson says the party has assembled a team of lawyers to look at every one of the signatures Nader collects. "Our first objective is to keep him off the ballot," Pederson says. "This vote is about George...
...Nader acknowledges that getting on the ballot as an independent is like "climbing a cliff with a slippery rope." But he could be getting a leg up from various third parties. The idea is to have it both ways: collect their endorsements--and their access to a line on various state ballots--but maintain his "independent" aura. Two weeks ago, he won the nod of the Reform Party, Perot's old outfit, which would automatically put him on the ballot in seven states, including battlegrounds Florida and Michigan, if he chooses. And although Nader says he doesn't want...
...Nader once again puts the Democrats in a delicate situation. As long as Nader is in the race, Kerry will need to tend his left flank, which could make it harder for him to appeal to centrist swing voters. Come fall, Kerry could also find himself in a situation similar to what Gore faced--be forced to spend precious time and money campaigning in states like Washington and Maine that, without Nader in the race, would be solidly in his column...