Nader selects Peter Camejo as running mate.

[TheMightyFavog]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040621/ap_on_el_pr/nader_running_mate


WASHINGTON - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader (news - web sites) selected longtime Green Party activist Peter Camejo (news - web sites) to be his running mate on Monday, a move sure to boost his chances of winning the Green Party's endorsement this week and its access to ballot lines in 22 states and the District of Columbia.

(snip)

The announcement came in advance of the Green Party convention beginning Wednesday in Milwaukee. Nader, who ran as the Green Party candidate in 2000, is not seeking the party's nomination but he has pursued an endorsement from the third party.

(snip)

Camejo received more than 212,000 votes as the Green Party candidate for California governor during the 2003 recall drive that led to the ouster of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites) and the election of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites). Nearly 400,000 people voted for Camejo in 2002 when Davis was re-elected.

Nader was polling about 6 percent nationally, according to a recent Associated Press poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. The consumer advocate has raised just under $1 million and spent nearly all of it, starting June with about $73,000 in the bank and just under $25,000 in debts, according to the latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (news - web sites).


Come on, Greens, grow a fucking brain this year, hold your nose and endorse Kerry. Tell that caker Nader to fuck off this year so we don't get four more years of minibrain.

[Snow]

1. And what did Camejo have to say in reply?

I hope he has sense enough to run screaming....

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

You mean like he did in the recall?

His ego needs its own zipcode..for those of us around the labor movement for decades, he's an advocate and a bloviating gasbag who craves the spotlight and takes credit for other people's efforts.

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Thank Nader for making Green Party even more irrelevant.

:eyes:

(that was sarcasm if you are clue-impaired)

[sleipnir]

3. Camejo holds some weight, if I were Kerry I'd be a little worried.

Not that Kerry isn't going to (hopefully) stomp the crap out of Bush, but this would give me a little pause, if I were on his staff. It's not terrible, but Camejo and Nader both have some major name recognition, which is enough to sway some voters off of Kerry.

I'm not sure what should be done in the Kerry camp, but this is slightly unsettling and, I predict, will give Nader another .5-1.0 points in the polls. That could be enough to give leverage to Bush in several battleground states. If Nader can even get his sorry ass on the ballots...

This is an interesting development, we'll see if the Greens go for it...

[nodictators]

7. This is really bad news

Camejo pulled 2.8% of the vote in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election. As a Hispanic (Venezuelan) he may pull votes from Hispanic Democrats. But as an environmentalist, he will pull few votes from Hispanic Repubs.

In fact, Camejo did poorly in CA Repub counties.

Nader and Camejo are shills for Bush, and nothing more.

[bluestateguy]

4. People who support Nader are not serious about defeating Bush

They are more interested in flailing around and wasting time on ideological crusades that are going nowhere.

[The Sushi Bandit]

5. Dump your resentment with Nader and the Greens!

They didn't loose the last election... Gore, Lieberman, and the DNC lost it!

Gain back the heart of CORE DEMOCRATS and we can win.

[Kira]

10. Actually Gore

won the election. Even though he had the DNC and Holy Joe taking away from his message.

[mgc1961]

6. I'm now leaning to Nader...

although I contributed to Kerry campaign today.

If the Kerry team is wise they'll give this development the attention it deserves. The Nader campaign can still be made irrelevant if Kerry selects a running mate with similar "Left" creditials or takes a more oppositional stand to Knucklehead.

Will he ignore the Greens and play it safe with a Republican-lite running mate? Time will tell although I'm not holding my breath after the McCain fiasco.

Come on John, be bold!

[earthside]

8. NOT Leaning to Nader

I am a delegate to the Green Party National convention this week and I am NOT leaning to Nader.

Nader is not a Green ... and if the Greens "endorse" Nader, it will mean the end of the Green Party.

Which I think will be a bad thing for the Democrats. Without outside pressure from real progressives, like Greens, it seems to be the nature of the Democratic Party and many Democratic candidates to slowly but surely move to the right ... and become Republican-lite ... a prescription for losing. -- That, is what did them so much damage in the 2002 elections.

I am hoping that the Green national convention gives Ralph Nader a black eye this Saturday by rejecting his attempt to hijack the Green Party this year. Greens should nominate someone like David Cobb who wants to run a "safe states" campaign -- building the Green Party but not competing in any state where it is close between Kerry and Dumbya.

I also do hope though that this sends a message to Kerry not to take liberals and progressives for granted. Kerry will win if he is a distinctive, bold Democrat, he will fail if he lets himself become just a "kinder and gentler" version of the radical Republicans.

[mzmolly]

9. I totally agree, excellent post!

"In the 2004 presidential election, we must not split our vote between Greens and Democrats. I know the Greens have party building to do, but, if Mr. Bush wins again, there will be no America for them to build their party in. So they must defer this time and earn our respect and admiration for doing so." ~ Granny D March 8, 2003

[lovedems]

12. Very nice post!

Kudos to your point that the Greens want to build their party and I hope they are successful in doing so, I just hope they continue to build the party in safe states this year!

My more selfish side speaking, I hope the greens give Nader a black eye too!

[onehandle]

11. Nothing could make me less liberal as the years pass...

...except the stupid dumbf*ck liberals themselves.

Greens......Do the right thing.

[Charlie Brown]

13. As someone who sympathizes with the Greens

I am not particularly enthused by someone like Camejo. I admittedly know little about his history, but a lot of his past associations raises many questions about his motivations. Anyone with as many ties to Merril Lynch and business firms as Camejo seems to be in it for the money, and not for the advancement of social equality. He may have a strong activist history, but appears to be sorely lacking in the area of political experience. It takes more than good ideas to be an efficient statesmen, and I would be extremely reluctant to put my faith in individuals without a track record. I preferred candidates like Carol Miller and Kent Mesplay, who I believe worked through their communities to promote environmental protection, social inititatives, etc. They put a lot of effort into building grassroots support without selling out to corporations or financers. Camejo, however (aside from his links with the business world), appears to have built up a reputation as a follower rather than an organizer. Even David Cobb is a much more credible person for the Greens to tap (even if he is Nader's lawyer), and his education appears more extensive as well. The good thing about Nader selecting PC is that it hopefully excludes both of them from any involvement in the upcoming campaign. If the Greens endorse either of them, they'll lose a lot of the standing they've worked so hard to attain.