What then to do about Nader?

[mac56]

This thread is not meant as flame bait, but as a sincere inquiry by a seeker of truth. I'm certain this has been debated in great detail here already, though a search didn't turn up this specific question.

There's been a good deal of hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth here this morning once again about Nader. I've done a good deal of it myself. Apparently every time Kerry and Nader are listed in the same poll, Bush comes out ahead of Kerry.

Whether the polls are accurate or inaccurate, whether the margin of error is significant or not, seems a secondary point to me. What does seem clear is that Nader isn't going to go away. Whatever his motivation may be, he's here for the duration.

So what then does Kerry do? Take steps to bring Nader on board, or to conduct damage control? What steps, in either case? What's realistic, in either case? It doesn't seem sensible to not respond.

Thoughts?

edited for clarity

[phillybri]

1. I haven't seen him at all lately...

Maybe just don't worry about him. It sounds like he may not get onto a lot of ballots...

PS: Nice avatar!

[mac56]

2. thanks -

I like yours too.

[drumwolf]

3. Kerry should handle Nader the same way he handled Dean and Edwards...

There's a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle which makes an interesting point: Kerry's campaign was foundering until he had competition from Howard Dean to fire up his own ass. Then the same thing happened when Edwards was nipping at his heels.

Read the article here:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/04/EDG9C5DDS41.DTL

[southpaw72]

4. ignore him

any mention of him on the part of Kerry or the Dems will make him seem like a legitimate candidate.

i wouldn't worry about those polls either. he's not going to be a factor in state-by-state elections, imho.

[mzmolly]

8. Sorry, we tried that in 2000, it didn't work.

We can ignore him, but the voters/media wont. :shrug:

Are we ignoring Bush? Nada...

[sangh0]

5. Ignore him

.

[mzmolly]

6. We DONT ignore him. We show people who he is ... can you say 527?

We need a 527 dedicated to fighting/exposing Ralph Nader for the hypocrite he is.

Who's in?

[DuctapeFatwa]

7. draftcamejo.org Camejo will take all of Nader's votes

Then you won't have to worry about him.

[mzmolly]

10. Right, then we worry about BOTH of them. NOT!

:P

[DuctapeFatwa]

13. Kerry doesn't need the handful of voters who oppose the status quo

And the only people who will vote for either Nader or Camejo are people who are strongly opposed to the crusade, for example, or medical treatment as a commercial product, or the Patriot Act.

All those things are extremely popular with the vast majority of voters, Kerry doesn't need that extremist fringe, he needs to focus more on being a strong war president - remember the US has now started low-grade invasions of Iran, Syria and North Africa - and Tough on Terror.

If Diebold gives him a thumbs up in November, he's going to inherit a Gaza-style occupation of a big chunk of the planet, in various stages of completion. His job between now and then is to assure the voting class that he knows what it takes to bring rogue natives to heel.

[mzmolly]

16. Im tired of the status quo, but as a pragmatist I realize that one makes

progress by taking steps forward.

Rome wasn't built in a day as they say. :hi:

[drumwolf]

9. My prediction about Nader.....

About half of those who voted Nader in 2000 said they would have voted Democrat if Nader hadn't been running. I predict that the percentage will be way lower this time around.

I think most people who could be persuaded to vote for Kerry will do so, and most of the votes Nader gets will come from people who would never consider voting Democrat under any circumstances anyway.

[lindashaw]

14. This comes more to the truth of it than anything. Any informed

voter will go Kerry or Bush. Protest votes will go to Nader. We shouldn't cry over what we would never have had anyway. Be brave, little buckaroos!

[redqueen]

11. REGISTER DEMOCRATS TO VOTE FOR KERRY

Good GOD this is getting tiring.

[mac56]

12. Sorry you find it so.

A good solution, of course.

[RichM]

15. Too late. Dems have already thrown away the left's sympathy by

nominating an enabler of warmongering outrages.

Some on the left will still hold their nose & vote for Kerry; some will not; and few will feel the enthusiasm to work for Kerry. So, no matter what Nader does, Kerry will lose a few percent here. One can argue over how many percent - but there's no doubt there's going to be some loss.

[WilliamPitt]

17. Let him fade away

Ralph has 7% because of all the free press he's getting. He has no money, no party, no infrastructure, no way to get on the ballot in all 50 states without a miracle. That 7% is there because people read his name in the paper, period. If Kerry goes on the attack, it gives Ralph more free press, which is, again, all he has going for him.

Let him fade away.