[Peace-discuss] Green Tea: Should Nader Run for President?

[C. G. Estabrook]

On Mon, 15 Dec 2003, Ken Urban wrote:

> Prairie Greens meet at 7:00PM Wednesday in main room in same place
> AWARE meets (IMC) 218 West Main St,Ste 110 Urbana. We'll be discussing
> whether Nader should run and the local implications now that Green
> Party is on the Champaign County Ballot and will be running county
> board candidates and county-wide candidates.

[Here's an account of Nader's recent thoughts on the matter. --CGE]

NADER MOVES TOWARD PRESIDENTIAL BID

CHRIS DRISCOLL - Ralph Nader on Sunday evening met with about 60 DC Metro
Area supporters and opponents of a Nader 2004 presidential campaign. Nader
is engaged in an "exploratory" campaign to judge the level of support or
opposition to his campaign and to test possible strategies and policies
were he to decide to run.

An upbeat Nader started his talk to the audience assembled in a downtown
DC apartment with frank references to people who do not want to see him
run again. There are a number of progressives who believe it is important
to "defeat Bush at any cost," he admitted. His response? "Bush must be
defeated," but the Democrats are incapable of it without someone running a
third party campaign with a strong Bush critique pulling the then in the
right direction.

Nader also commented on the tendency of progressives tied to the
Democratic Party to admit to the party's sizable failings, yet to cling to
the idea that "this is not the time," to run a third party campaign from
the left. "They have no breaking point, no point of termination" Nader
commented. He said such people, with organized labor being a prominent
example, have watched Democrats in office offer them one defeat after
another without ever being willing to establish a termination strategy, a
point beyond which too much was too much.

Nader shared with the audience a list he has compiled outlining the
Clinton/Gore Administration's record of attacks among others, on civil
liberties, labor, fair trade, social services. On a more personal note, he
related his own experience as the founder of several prominent social
justice non-profits, during the 1990s, watching as access to Democratic
Party elected officials began to dry up, indicating the Democratic Party
hierarchy's deepening reluctance to address progressive issues. He said he
has ended his relationships with all of the progressive organizations he
once worked for and with so that they would not be burdened by affiliation
with him. He added that he wishes them the best of luck in the current
environment of diminishing returns, of working harder and getting less.

He then went on to lay out a compelling list of reasons for a Nader 2004
campaign for president. Highest on Nader's list? The Democrats are not
capable of or willing to run a campaign to defeat Bush. Nader will show
them how it ought to be done. Examples included Democratic Party members
of Congress who voted overwhelmingly for the Patriot Act and measures
funding and approving the War in Iraq.

During the discussion period that followed, most in the audience urged
Nader to run, to run a robust campaign and to run for the Green Party
nomination. A couple of people said they were afraid a campaign by Nader
and the Green Party would decrease votes for the Democratic Party nominee,
giving re-election to Bush. Nader explained his view that without a strong
candidate in the race able to advance a progressive critique of the Bush
Administration, it was far more likely that the Democratic candidate would
"run to the right" making it less likely that Bush could be defeated. A
local protestant minister related his discussions with African Americans
who think Nader and the Greens should not run and that the party needs to
concentrate on working in the communities of underrepresented minorities
to build up its base among those important constituents.

Others detailed their opinion that the Green Party and Nader should
concentrate on campaigning in working class and poor communities, turning
away from a strategy emphasizing campaigns in the communities of
upper-middle-income, well educated liberals and progressives. Nader
responded positively to the idea, highlighting the fact that an enormous
body of potential voters stand outside the small community of liberal
Democrats. "It's a big country out there," Nader said.

Democrats demanding that Greens should not run candidates in elections,
said Nader, especially in the presidential election, are engaged in a
shameful attack on democratic values. Republicans did not demand that
Perot no run in the 1990s, Nader said. Democrats should ask the question,
"is your candidate against Bush? Then you should go for it, the more the
merrier."

Nader expressed the worry that the Green Party's nominating convention
slated for June 2004 in Milwaukee, was too late for the party to craft an
effective presidential campaign strategy, although he did not offer any
solution to the problem. Nader will make his decision about running for or
sitting out the 2004 presidential election in early January.

--Sam Smith <www.prorev.com>