BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader

Subject: BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 04 - 02:54 PM

"For Ralph Nader, but Not for President" by Howard Dean

I love Dean! Here is the responsible way for Democrats to approach the Nader candidacy. By urging Democrats not to vote for him!

Thank you, Mr. Dean!

However, I'm not a Democrat, so I will be voting for Nader. But I admire Dean all the more for not playing the Republicrat "Anybody But Bush" game. About damn time.

So, are the Republicrat polls showing a lot of Dean folks bleeding to Nader, I wonder, hence this NY Times op ed piece?

Hmmmm.

Subject: RE: BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader
From: Amos
Date: 12 Apr 04 - 03:29 PM

Very nice article. It is a pity Dean is not cut out to suffer fools as gladly as he needs to in order to get along with the press.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 04 - 04:38 PM

I thought it was a nice article too.

I'm a political independent, who would have happily supported Dean or Kucinich. In fact, the Anybody But Bushites should have nominated one or the other of them if they were truly interested in winning the White House, instead of just winning the White House for the Republicrats, so they can get back in power.

But Kerry? No thanks. That's going to be changing the decor in the WH residence, and not much else.

Subject: RE: BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader
From: Bobert
Date: 12 Apr 04 - 07:05 PM

Well, I'm most likely gonna hold my nose and vote fir Kerry but I'm glad that Ralph is also making some noises because it should keep the Dems at least half honest in not rushing any furhter to the right...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader
From: EBarnacle
Date: 13 Apr 04 - 08:58 AM

I still rankle over his ignorant destruction of the Corvair. As with some of his other crusades, he went after it because he did not understand it. My understanding is that he still does not have a driver's license. Life should not be run for the least able. They should be guided around the tricky spots.

Subject: RE: BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader
From: dianavan
Date: 14 Apr 04 - 03:14 AM

EBarnacle - do you mean that you think because Nader doesn't have a drver's license he is less able than one who drives a corvair?

Quite the opposite I'd say.

Guest - The blue clicky didn't work for me. Can you summarize?

But I do wish you'd make a name for yourself. At least then I think I know who I'm talking to.

Subject: RE: BS: Dean's NYTimes Op Ed on Nader
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Apr 04 - 01:46 PM

You have to register to get access to most articles at the NY Times website, so the clickies only work if you are registered.

Here is the complete text:

BURLINGTON, Vt.

Everyone expects this year's presidential election to be decided by razor-thin margins in a few battleground states. Everyone also expects the candidacy of Ralph Nader to make the race between John Kerry and George Bush even closer. As I know from experience, however, voters have a way of proving everyone wrong.

Democrats are motivated to defeat the president this year. They've seen firsthand what three years of Bush administration policies have done to America. And they want to stop his policies from inflicting any more damage on working-class Americans, the environment, our international standing or a woman's right to choose.

Many Democrats also admire Ralph Nader's achievements, as I do. But if they truly want George Bush out of the White House, they won't vote for Ralph Nader in November.

Ralph Nader has built a remarkable legacy as a consumer advocate. Because of his tireless work, we have federal consumer protection laws and a federal department dedicated to the protection of our environment, and millions of defective motor vehicles are off the roads. And I campaigned against the very same corporate special interests that he has been criticizing longer than almost anyone else.

But I don't believe that the best way to do justice to Ralph Nader's legacy is to vote for him for president. Re-electing George Bush would undo everything Ralph Nader has worked for through his entire career and, in fact, could lead to the dismantling of many of his accomplishments.

Voting for Ralph Nader, or for any third-party candidate for president, means a vote for a candidate who has no realistic shot of winning the White House. To underscore the danger of voting for any third-party candidate in elections this close, a statistic from the 2000 campaign may prove useful: a total of eight third-party candidates won more votes than the difference between Al Gore and George Bush nationwide.

When I ended my bid for the presidency, I asked my supporters to continue our quest for change in America. Our group, Democracy for America, is committed to exposing the ways in which the Bush administration's policies are designed to prop up the privileged and please right-wing ideologues. Our agenda is rooted in hope and real American values — opportunity, integrity, honesty. This is the way to defeat George Bush.

Ralph Nader once said that your best teacher is your last mistake. Too many of us learned the consequences of not standing together four years ago. This November, we can elect a president who fights for average Americans. But we can achieve this goal only if we join together — and don't repeat our last mistake.


Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, ended his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president in February.