Today seems to be the day to quote people, eh?

[heidi]

Those who truly want America's leaders to stand up to the corporate special interests and build a better country for working people should recognize that, in 2004, a vote for Ralph Nader is, plain and simple, a vote to re-elect George W. Bush.

-Howard Dean, February 23, 2004

Comments

[awelkin.livejournal.com]

The Man! Dean is the man!!!

Catherine

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

It's sad, because it's true.

[eibbil-libbie.livejournal.com]

Most definitely. Can be proved with two words:

Ross Perot.

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

OK... I know I missed something. What did Ralph Nader do/not do?

[heinous_bitca.livejournal.com]

He's running for president again.

[twiggymolly.livejournal.com]

I agree. I wish to ask your expert advice on how to tell the Nader supporters this. I know a lot of people who voted for Nader last time around, and plan on doing so again. (Maybe I should point out that I live in Oregon, where all the hippies still breed proficiently)
Anyway, I have tried all the usual tactics and speech making, but all of them are bound up in their fascist dogma and refuse to be swayed. That may be because I am not well spoken, and if you point out a really good argument why we should not vote for Nader I would be very appreciated. Not that you have to. I know you are very busy and all.
I just talked to someone less than 15 minutes ago, and actually pointed them to this post, but they argued that it is the "principal' of the matter, and that they honestly believe the current democrat candidates are little better than Bush, and they must make a point. They still believe that if everybody voted with their "heart' that they would get enough votes. I tried to point out that the majority of Americans actually don't want Nader, but they think that everyone does. Sad, but true.

So I have not come up with a logical and airtight arguement against Nader, but maybe the people who vote for Nader are not using logic but emotion when voting. What do you think?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I wish to ask your expert advice on how to tell the Nader supporters this.

Tell them to email me. Tell them to email your friend in Miami, Florida, who worked tirelessly against the Bush machine as they tried and unfortunately succeeded in steamrolling over the votes of the people, throwing out enough legitimate votes to secure the state. Tell them to email your friend in Miami, Florida, the state where Bush's brother's secretary of state, who was also co-chair of the Florida for Bush campaign committee, scrubbed the voter registry of thousands of purported "felons" based on a flawed list from ChoicePoint, a private company with deep Republican ties, even though many of those listed had committed misdemeanors, not felonies, and others had committed felonies in other states, served their time, and had their voting rights restored. Those thousands illegally denied the right to vote were disproportionately African-American. Tell them to email your friend in Miami, Florida, the state where thousands of people in minority precincts were turned away from the polls, polling locations were moved without previous notice, and polling places "ran out" of ballots, and where a road block was set up by Florida Highway Patrol officers near a black voting precinct in Tallahassee, our state capitol.

Tell them to email your friend in Miami, Florida, who will tell them about the riots by Republicans to cancel hand-recounts of ballots, and the hours I spent on the phone with Palm Beach residents who'd been misled by the balloting process.

Tell them that if they truly see no difference between Bush and either Kerry or Edwards, they should vote absentee ahead of time, and then come down to Florida and volunteer as a poll monitor for the party of their choice, to help everyone in this state, where voting rights have been besieged by the state government, vote at the polls and have that vote count.

To be honest, if one lives in DC (which will go Democrat anyway) or in Texas (which will go for Bush anyway) vote for whoever you please. But if the candidates are less than 20% apart the day before the election, vote *against Bush*, whatever that means.

Bill Clinton said in that speach I attended a few weeks ago that Democrats - and anyone who's horrified by things like this and this and this and the duplicity regarding Iraq that the best hope for this nation and the world is to work together to get Bush out of office.

And that is all we can do.

[twiggymolly.livejournal.com]

WoW! I am so very grateful that America has activists like you! I am surprised and your generous help is very appreciated. I will go read your links immediately. But more importantly, I will link my friend to your post!
Thank you for all you do and believe in!

Twiggymolly

P.S. May I friend you?

[expetesso.livejournal.com]

Hallelujah. I ranted about this tonight at work, though a bit more forcefully I think. I'm of the opinion that any vote in a presidential electiont hat is not for a Republican or Democratic candidate is a wasted vote. As a vote, it is meaningless because it has no value in actually determining what happens on the political stage. There's no room in American national politics for a third party, and there won't be as long as we have bi-partisan leadership members who *gasp* enjoy their power.

That's not to say that speaking one's mind is wrong, and that the Green party candidate(s) don't have wonderful ideas and goals. But there is not and cannot now be enough support rallied for them to make a difference on a national stage, so throwing away a secret ballot vote on third party candidates silences the voter's voice, rather than giving her/him the megaphone they desire.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Sore loser, Howard.

[powersh20works.livejournal.com]

I think Dean is fairly accurate.

I am an official Green party member, not because I particularly embrace them but because I tire of the two-party system. So I campaigned pretty hard for Nader last time, hoping to get that 3%. And I did this from Michigan, a state that hasn't voted Republican, like, ever... so I felt it was safe.

This year, however, I won't vote for Nader on his independant ticket. I am voting Whoever Democrat. I want to send a message to the yokel in office. Get out!

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

I am THRILLED to see this quote from Dean. Where'd you see it? I must find the original article. And if anyone approaches me on the street to sign a petition to get Nader on the ballot here, I will yell YAAAARRRRR in their face and then AK them ;) Well, at least I'll do the YAAAARRRR part.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

It was posted on Salon.com last night, but it's actually right from Dean's blog.