I couldn't disagree more with your assessment Don.

If Bush wins, it will certainly galvanize the Democrats, and possibly their traditional allies like the big unions, to do some long overdue self-examination about how they are failing the American people. If Bush wins, and the war drags out, you will certainly see many more poor and working poor people in the streets, demonstrating against the Republican policies of scarcity and war mongering, because it is the poor and working poor who are the cannon fodder in the war on terrorism, just as they are the cannon fodder in the class wars of our Wal Mart economy. Now THAT would mean something significant in the long run.

If Nader, or Nader and Cobb combined, are able to pull at least 7% of the vote in enough states, the Democratic Leadership Council and the Clinton/Kerry Democrats, who are a tiny minority in the Democratic party, will lose power. The Democratic Party base will simply throw them out. That too would be A Very Good Thing.

Nader nor Cobb can win. But they can be very effective spoilers, which is why they are running. What a better than expected showing by them will do, especially if Bush is re-elected, is galvanize the progressive left inside and outside the Democratic party. That too, would be A Very Good Thing.

On the other hand, if Kerry wins, the DLC and the corporate interests backing the Democratic minority, maintains their vise grip on the Democratic party, and keeps a lock on all the funds that should be much more widely dispersed to the various parties on the progressive and radical left. It keeps the rich white men running the country, running the country, regardless of how populist the rhetoric of Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and John Edwards. Very little substantive change would happen, because for substantive change to happen the Patriot Act would have to be repealed, as would GATT, NAFTA, etc and a moratorium on defense spending would have to occur to reverse the looting of Social Security, and the out of control deficits.

Kerry will do essentially the same thing that Bush will: he will ignore the needs of the majority of the American people to invest in OUR nation's infrastructure and OUR nation's true economic security. That won't be done by slapping a few corporate outsourcers who funded the Republicans on the wrist, then looking the other way while corporations and corrupt government officials selfishly continue playing their revolving door government service/private sector game at the expense of our nation, our planet, and the world's citizens.

Electing Kerry will do nothing for the now disastrous Middle East, as he is plainly on the record in support of Israel and Sharon's policies. He is plainly on the record to stay the course in Iraq. He is plainly on the record to maintain the levels of military industrial spending that are bankrupting our nation. As far as the oil wars go, hell--Kerry proudly and defiantly continues to thumb his nose at those of us who would raise an eyebrow over his Harley fixations. As far as peace goes? This man is a blatant militarist. You simply cannot deny that in the face of the election propaganda he continues to pump out to prove his national security machismo.

So vote for Kerry if you must. But just don't expect that everyone else will follow your lead, or stay silent about the artifice of Kerry's so-called "progressive" agenda.