Republicans fund Nader as decisive electoral weapon

Republicans fund Nader as decisive electoral weapon
By Suzanne Goldenberg -- The Guardian
Tuesday August 10, 2004
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In two separate lawsuits, Democratic activists in Pennsylvania sought to keep Mr Nader off November's ballot.
The move intensifies the war between Republicans and Democrats over Mr Nader's candidacy, a conflict fuelled by the maverick's willingness to accept funds and help from some of George Bush's most ardent supporters.
Republicans are eager to see Mr Nader do well - not because of his stand on the environment or Iraq - but in the hope that he will tip the balance towards Mr Bush in the race against John Kerry, the Democratic challenger. But the Democrats have stood their ground, with activists harrying Mr Nader's effort to get on the ballot in several states.
In the Pennsylvania lawsuits Democrats accused the Nader campaign of falsifying thousands of names on petitions endorsing his candidacy in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas. His campaign was also accused of failing to pay the contractors who organised the petition and who allegedly paid homeless people a dollar for each signature.
A spokesman for Mr Nader said only petition gatherers who turned in fraudulent signatures were unpaid.
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"The bottom line for us is that we are partisan Democrats, and we are very much interested in getting John Kerry elected," said Michael Manzo, aide to a Democratic state legislator. "We view Mr Nader's candidacy as a threat. Will it be a large threat? We hope not, but we are not willing to take any chances."
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In the battleground state of Arizona he was knocked off the ballot on a technicality, and the party is raising funds for legal challenges in Florida, Michigan, West Virginia and Nevada.
Mr Nader dismissed the challenges as a display of insecurity. "It shows the lack of confidence Democrats have in their own candidate," he told Businessweek magazine.
However, among Mr Nader's new supporters this election is the billionaire Richard Egan, who was appointed ambassador to Ireland after raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for President Bush. Campaign monitors say other big Republican donors have contributed as well. In Oregon, also poised for a tight contest, two conservative groups admitted telephoning supporters to help put Mr Nader on the ticket.
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Read the rest here.

Shooting himself and his masters in the ass everytime he opens his mouth!

"It shows the lack of confidence Democrats have in their own candidate," Not at all. What we don't want is a dupe providing cover for Republicans to steal the election. I guess if my viability as a candidate was based on Republican contributions, I'd be beholden on my benefactors to smear the Democrats, too.

Richard Egan built EMC....

Failing that they will pull a "Florida".