Nader so called supporters. Who are they? Anyone know one?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

I am seeing Nader polling 4-5% in many of these current polls. Are there any links to articles about any "grassroots" Nader support groups, interviews with volunteers, campaign workers, Nader voters? Of course living near Dallas I hardly even know any Democrats, but seriously, who are these people? I am frankly surprised to see anything even over 1%.

Come NOV, are these people actually going to vote for Nader, or are some going to sober up? What if he doesn't make the ballot in their state? Are they staying home, voting for JK or shrub?

[Jack_Dawson]

1. About 4-5% of DU loves him.

He's a "true" lefty and not a sellout lefty.

[stldemocrat]

2. A coworker...

of mine plans on voting for Nader. He doesn't like:

1) Kerry voted for the Patriot Act.
2) Kerry voted for the attacking Iraq.
3) This new tax cut for big corporations.

plus some others. I agree with not liking that stuff. I am going to hold my nose and vote for Kerry, though.

[WoodrowFan]

3. no but...

you can tell them, VERY self-rightous and delusional. Still waiting for "the Revolution."

[Frances]

4. One of my neighbors voted for Nader in the last election

But I lived in Maryland then and he knew that Maryland would go for Gore.

[Bill Todd]

5. Well, I know some via the Web

since a number of active participants in the Dean blog and forum became Naderites when Dean effectively dropped out. One sentiment many expressed was the desire to vote for someone rather than against the greater of two evils, and I sympathize with that.

I'd probably be a Naderite myself if I were fonder of him. As it is, while I'll consider voting for him in November, I prefer to try to shape Kerry and the party into something acceptable to me in the meantime - and if that happens, many of those ex-Dean supporters who went to Nader seem likely to return to the party (they'd probably even help with the reshaping process, if someone actually got one started).

Of course, Howard was unusual in that he drew support not only from Democrats but from disaffected Republicans, pragmatic Greens and Libertarians who were willing to compromise a bit to support someone whom they trusted and was actually 'electable', various types of Independents, plus the 50% of eligible voters who had given up bothering to vote at all. So it's hardly surprising that a lot of Dean's non-Democratic enthusiasts might consider Nader more worthy of their support than Kerry - especially after seeing what the Democratic party leadership, and Kerry himself, did to Howard.

- bill

[kiahzero]

7. Sorry, but Dean started the flame war

He came out with the "Democratic wing of the democratic party" line before the DLC fired back. At the time, Kerry was barely getting any press at all (he was viewed as dead).

[Bill Todd]

10. Perhaps you need a small history lesson

"The Democratic wing of the Democratic party" comment occurred in February of 2003. At the time, Howard was the proverbial 'asterisk in the polls', and Kerry was the presumptive nominee (at least in my mind, though soon thereafter I decided to back Howard given Kerry's refusal to stand up and be counted against the Iraq war, along with the few principled Democrats like Robert Byrd and John Conyers, before it began, as he had promised to do in his floor speech supporting the Iraq War Resolution). The line, of course, was not a Dean original in any event: he borrowed it from Paul Wellstone. And it generated considerable applause at that DNC winter meeting.

Kerry's campaign was hardly 'dead' then: it would be months yet before it even began.

Now, had the DLC fired back in kind, by holding Howard's positions up to scrutiny as he had theirs (in that "What I want to know..." speech, which you can find at http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/cg/index.html?type=page&pagename=audio_video_archive should you be interested), we Dean supporters would have no beef with them. But their response (and later Kerry's) was, shall we say, considerably less issue-oriented (and I'm afraid that I don't have the time available tonight to educate you in this area - it's not a five-minute project).

- bill

[Zero Gravitas]

8. Naderites

Personally I'm closer politically to Nader's platform than to Kerry's but I'd NEVER vote for him for 2 reasons:

1) Nader is just a vanity candidate, if he was really serious he would be building a grass-roots political (not advocacy) organization that would make a presidential candidacy viable. The guy doesn't even have the organization to get him on the ballot in many places, yet Naderites pretend they are doing something positive and constructive by voting for him! UN believable! Again this is a guy who wants us to think he is a serious political player who can't be bothered to build a political organization!

2) Bush is a billion times worse than Kerry. Bush is a danger to the world and this country, it is imperative to send him packing if we'll ever have any hope of salvaging government of, for and by the PEOPLE (I can't believe I have to make this argument on DU! :shrug: :cry: )

[cmd]

9. Keep an open mind

Kerry is going to the center. That is the way you win elections. You will need to view his past to find out where he stands on issues.

[Mel]

6. here at DU-Yes

but this time around none of my personal contacts/friends are supporting Nader.
I however refuse to attack Nader supporters it's just not my style and if not for ABB I too would vote for Nader as Kucinich isn't getting the Democratic nomination.

I blame the USSC 5 stopping of the voting count, the corporatista media need I explain, Jeb Bush, and Katherine Harris for cleansing Democratic voters from the voter rolls.

What you also have is Republicans playing games right now they are supporting Nader but those numbers will go down. Pukes aren't going to vote for Nader in the Presidential Election they are up to dirty tricks.
Nader isn't going to be a factor this time around it's the Black Box Voting that's the elephant in the room that's what I'm focusing on not Nader.