Nader snowball's chance in hell of actually winning

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around Ralph Nader's candidacy and its implications for the electoral process, particularly in the context of the 2000 presidential election. Participants explore the motivations behind Nader's run, the impact of third-party candidates on elections, and the structural issues within the electoral system.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that Nader's candidacy is a strategy to promote the Green Party, while others speculate he may have ulterior motives.
  • One participant argues that Gore's loss was due to his own shortcomings rather than Nader's candidacy, emphasizing the need to address the real issues rather than making excuses.
  • There is a proposal that the lack of run-off elections complicates multi-candidate races, with some agreeing that this is a significant problem.
  • Concerns are raised about Nader not being on the ballot in several states, questioning how a candidate can remain viable if not all voters can support him.
  • Participants discuss the perception of Nader as a "spoiler" in elections and reference his own responses to such criticisms.
  • Some express skepticism about Nader's views on the political landscape, suggesting he may not differentiate much between the two major party candidates.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on Nader's motivations and the implications of his candidacy. There is no clear consensus on whether Nader's presence in the race is beneficial or detrimental, and discussions about the electoral system's structure remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexities of third-party candidacies and the varying state regulations that affect ballot access, indicating a lack of uniformity in the electoral process.

chroot
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What is this guy's problem?

He's widely believed to be the reason Bush even had a chance against Gore, since he steals far more of the democratic vote than the republican vote. I assume that Nader himself would have preferred to see Gore win. I assume Nader realizes that he has a snowball's chance in hell of actually winning.

So what is his problem? Why is he running again? Does he enjoy slanting elections against the candidate he'd presumably prefer to see win?

- Warren
 
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I think he is counting on the press he receives to advertise the green party. Either that or he's a closet Republican!
 
:rofl so many excuses! Gore lost because Gore wasn't good enough. Nader isn't too blame. He, Bush, and Gore all went in knowing the rules. Just because Nader is a better alternative than Gore for some doesn't mean they would have voted Gore.
Had the democrats done something besides whine for the last 4 years ,they would be handing Bush his ass, EASILY, right now. Instead, you guys just sit around making excuses for the last time. You have to identify the REAL problem before you can fix it.
 
The real problem is that we do not have run-off elections. IMO, elections with 3+ candidates are just too messy.

- Warren
 
chroot said:
So what is his problem? Why is he running again? Does he enjoy slanting elections against the candidate he'd presumably prefer to see win?
Aw, c'mon, that's an easy one. I'll give you a hint: it starts with an "e" and ends with a "go".
The real problem is that we do not have run-off elections. IMO, elections with 3+ candidates are just too messy.
I tend to agree, but I think this is a relatively new phenomena. Not a whole lot of 3rd party candidates get enough votes to matter, but then we had Perot and Nader.
 
Channel surfing a few weeks back I caught a TV show (I believe it was Bill Maher's new one) with Bill and Michale Moore on their knees in front of Ralph begging for him not to run...they were dead serious.
 
I'm considering trying to gather support to demonstrate in front of voting precincts in November, just reminding people that essentially a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush.

- Warren
 
Nader is apparently not on the ballot in a number of states.. I'm not sure what that means. How can a candidate still be in the running at all if only some Americans can vote for him?

- Warren
 
chroot said:
Nader is apparently not on the ballot in a number of states.. I'm not sure what that means. How can a candidate still be in the running at all if only some Americans can vote for him?

- Warren

third party rules are slanted to keep them out of the national level Each state gets to handle their voting regulations, and many do anything they can to keep third parties off the ballot. It's stupid.
 
  • #10
Nader's response to the "spoiler" criticism:
http://www.kintera.org/AccountTempFiles/Account9873/images/65643_spoiler_kit2.jpg
:smile:
Gotta love him!
 

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  • #11
chroot, Nader doesn't appear to be much of a bigger fan of Al Gore than George Bush. In fact, he stated once that we would have invaded Iraq no matter which one was President.
 
  • #12
JohnDubYa said:
chroot, Nader doesn't appear to be much of a bigger fan of Al Gore than George Bush. In fact, he stated once that we would have invaded Iraq no matter which one was President.

It seems that he's come down with dubya's black-and-white syndrome.
 
  • #13
Huh? Can you elaborate?
 

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