Nader sues for spot on Texas' ballot

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2561325

AUSTIN -- Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader sued Texas' top election official today to try to get onto the state's ballot, claiming that a petition signature requirement is unconstitutional.

His lawsuit was filed in federal court in Austin only a couple of minutes before the court clerk's office closed for the day.

Nader's campaign submitted an application with the Texas Secretary of State's Office for a place on the general election ballot but said it wouldn't turn in the more than 50,000 voter signatures it had collected.

Piss those campaign funds away on litigation expenses!!! Yes!

how does he expect to have a chance at the Presidency? Just like him to demagogue this issue, and ask for special favors. If it was a requirement like 500k, I might agree with him.

F-off Nader!

and said "No!"

That was a nice thing to hear on Mother's Day.

When we were at the protest in Crawford, and down at the Arts Festiville in Deep Ellum...

Didn't sign... :) any many other people around didn't want to either. I was yelling a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush, but my friends made me move on down the street...

check out this article from the Village Voice
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0418/levine.php

"
Later I was introduced to Nader's closest adviser, his handsome, piercingly intelligent 30-year-old nephew, Tarek Milleron. Although Milleron argued that environmentalists and other activists would find fundraising easier under Bush, he acknowledged that a Bush presidency would be worse for poor and working-class people, for blacks, for most Americans. As Moore had, he claimed that Nader's campaign would encourage Web-based vote-swapping between progressives in safe and contested states. But when I suggested that Nader could gain substantial influence in a Democratic administration by focusing his campaign on the 40 safe states and encouraging his supporters elsewhere to vote Gore, Milleron leaned coolly toward me with extra steel in his voice and body. He did not disagree. He simply said, "We're not going to do that."

"Why not?" I said.

With just a flicker of smile, he answered, "Because we want to punish the Democrats, we want to hurt them, wound them."

There was a long silence and the conversation was over.

------------------------------------------------------------------------


Milleron's words are so remarkable they bear repeating: Ralph Nader ran so he could hurt, wound, and punish the Democrats. His primary goal was not raising issues, much less building the Green Party. He actively wanted Gore to lose. Where did this passion to punish come from? "

Go fuck yourself, Nader

He has always made me sick - this just seals it!

Burn in hell, Ralph :puke:

You'd think DeLay's thugs would have worked their asses off to get him on the ballot to hurt Kerry.

How come DeLay ain't in jail? and that ass sucking Tom Craddick from Miland.

He has the whole Republican machine at his disposal in those states. Why should the Republicans waste their energy in Texas?

The article goes on to state
__________

The Nader campaign complained last week that its volunteers have been banned from some street festivals and public university campuses in Texas, making it difficult to gather signatures.

"The closing of public spaces is stifling the voices of political and civic campaigners who cannot afford the expense of the mass media but who can go to the public directly with their minds, hearts and feet," a statement from the Nader campaign said.
__________

Keep up the good work of keeping Nader off the ballot.

But he should be able to gather signatures in public places if others are allowed.

Dude, all you're doing is making yourself look like a bigger twit than you already are. Give it up already.

Nader should focus on the states that will go bush anyway.

the less damage he can do...

Maybe he can come through on the ballot, and really make a stab at hurting bush's chances in Texas? If Nader could find a way to suck up 10% of bush's Texas support without hurting Kerry, then Texas becomes a "battleground" instead of "safe republican".

Poor Ralphie.

Bush is going to win Texas by a wide margin regardless of whether or not Nader is the ballot.

But there certainly is an upside to Nader not being on the ballot in TX. If Nader is not on the ballot in enough states to have a mathematical chance of winning the Electoral College, the media may pay far less attention to him.

How in the world would someone decide to vote for Nader instead of Bush? He would only drain votes from Kerry in Texas, if he got any votes at all.

encourage him in order to be able to publicly declare that this is a "serious" candidate and thus further his cause in states they want to damage and to make a case to have him in the debates to piss on Kerry like he is being paid by the repukes to do. Someone ought to send them a memo: "pissst, you morons thought this one through???"

I find it simplistic that so many on this site, but not other truly progressive sites, deplore Nader's candidacy. I voted for him in 96 and 2000 but won't this year unless I feel Kerry's safe in Oregon. Kerry is such a disappointment but I hate Bush. But really, people, realize the complexities of the Nader campaign and how he has offered advice to Kerry on how to win with a real -- that is not a wishy-washy Gore-type effort -- to capture the White House.

I suggest many of those Du-ers who have a knee-jerk reaction read Wiliam Raspberry's editorial today (see commondreams.org) entitled "Kerry Might Well Pause, Listen to Nader" and you might lose at least some of your unfounded hatred.

Nader has done more for this country than Kerry and Gore combined and, like my Dem Howard Dean, he was a vocal critic against the Iraq invasion, unlike Kerry.

Be peaceful and, please, drop the hatred at the door.

In my opinion, if there's one way to be sure to get Nader *to* run, it's to tell him not to. If there's one thing that's likely to swing a possible Nader voter to vote Nader it's to tell him/her (me!) not to.

We (liberals against Bush) should have been embracing Nader over the last 4 years, and asking him "How, Ralph, can we work together in 2004 to get this maniac out of the White House". And now that he's in we should be working to explain how we're similar and we can work together rather than saying blaming him/us again for 2004.

Taking a careful, pro-Nader stance is the *best* way to get possible Nader voters to jump on board with Kerry in 2004. The remainder are thoese who never would have voted Democrat anyway.

Now you just gotta keep me from voting for Leonard Peltier (My party's nominee) in November!

david

Nader's advice on how to win a general election is as welcome as Spc. Lynndie England's tips on how to perform a colonoscopy using only a broomstick handle and a flashlight.

Nader does not deserve my respect for this sham of a run....he HAS my respect and admiration for the years he's spent fighting for the American consumer. But his presidential run is nothing but pure ego and it disgusts me.

My time to be "peaceful" towards Nader ended the instant he uttered that inane canard about the two parties being the same. You may find it simplistic, but I'm talking about SURVIVAL here. Ralph should put down his lance and step away from the windmill...for the good of us all.

If you feel Kerry is safe in Oregon? This type of thinking led to 90,000 people voting for Ralph in Florida/2000. Kerry has yet to campaign. He hasn't even chosen a running mate yet. And his wife blows my mind.

What is the alternative to Kerry? Bush?

Joy.

Nader has done nothing for this country. He actively campaigned against the strongest supporter he has ever had in DC in favor of a man and a party who openly ridicules everything he's ever fought for. He's a complete sellout, and any argument which tries to deny that is deluded.

And Nader is NOT a progressive. A progressive works for the environment, for people, for workers. Nader works for the Republicans. He's just another multi-millionaire corporate suckup lying about how much money he has, how many cars he's owned, and whether he lives in a house or not. He's just got a better schtick than most conservatives, but the result of all his efforts is exactly the same.

Cudos for the Pinto. After that, he's been an enemy of progressives.

... that the suggestion that Democrats are no different than Republicans is one of the biggest lies ever perpetuated on the American public.

Nader can rot, for all I care. While I would prefer a more liberal Kerry, I can do without a sanctimonious, ego-driven has-been who is accepting contributions from known Republican boosters.

and an opportunist who has an ego the size of Mt. Rushmore...

Bush won't even carry Austin.

.

64,000 signatures? UT has 50,000 students, A&M about the same. We have a million people in Austin, and it's the fourth largest city in the state. And it's not too much bigger than Fort Worth, El Paso or Amarillo.

Keeping people from wasting time, resources and ballot space because they can't enough votes to force a city runoff in the seventh largest city in the state isn't screwy, it's just smart.

"Independent candidates have a 60-day window to gather petitions with signatures equal to one percent of the number of Texans who voted in the last presidential election.

Alternative parties have two weeks longer to get 20,000 fewer signatures. The Green, Libertarian and Reform parties have mounted petition drives to get on the Texas ballot. "

If you have an established party, you already have a voting base to draw from, so it's assumed you automatically represent more people. It's not that they decided to make it harder on independents, it's that they cut the parties some slack, because they are collectives.

Perot had no trouble.

I am a Green, but I might be forced to vote democrat this year cause.. well.. you know why!

But I am surprised to see so many people who are anti-Nader. Republicrats that are afraid he's taking votes from Kerry. It is why this country will always be run by conservatives.

I remember in the last election... they asked Nader if he felt that he cost Gore the election. His response? Gore cost ME the election.

You may laugh... but I think he was right.

and he wasn't even in the same zip code as "right"

So, do you agree with St. Ralph the Pure that there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans? I assume so from your oh-so-cute use of "Republicrats"

a conservative?
Have you bothered to look at his voting record or issue positions?
For those to say (this time) that there is no difference between Kerry and Bush, is just ludicrous.
www.johnkerry.com
The truth shall set you free, if you seek it out.

why all the vitriol spewed at nader? isn't opposition part and parcel of a democracy? everybody here spewing at nader is ignoring his record, ignoring all the work that he has done and is just like 'he should drop out because he could take votes away from kerry'. seems to me they should be wondering WHY that's a possibility rather than rushing to denigrate him. ever wondered WHY there are so many liberals for nader? nader offers an option. progressive candidates in the democratic party (sharpton, kucinich etc.) are given no support. hell, i'll say it, they're ignored. people like dean, who are slightly more moderate, but at least have balls are...well you saw what the media did to him. for a progressive voting their conscience, a vote for nader sends a message to the democratic party that they do not feel included in the 'big tent'. and for a true progressive, ABB does not mean anyone but bush, it means anyone BETTER than bush. and despite the flaming i'm going to get for this, i'm going to say it: i don't think kerry is any better than bush. easier to swallow sure, but no better. mr. kerry will win. but will it make any difference? i fear that the US may be jumping from frying pan 1, coated with stale oil, into frying pan 2 sprayed with PAM.

and I have very little respect for him.

Sue away - that'll be less money for your campaign

Fuck him...

RL

He went hogwild with the "unconstitutional" petitions in 2000 and 2004 up til now.