Nader draws 12,000 in Minneapolis

[Tom Lehman]

Andy---Bush is such a dim-bulb that even the radical Republicans are having a
hard time getting pumped up about the guy.  Bush comes off as dumb not corny
here in Ohio.  It looks to me that a lot of the "republican/independent/I vote
for the man not the party types" are at a loss over Bush.  I look for Nader to
pick up some of these votes from the genuine independents, who might otherwise
vote for duh Bush.

The best and most factual attack on Bush's record in Texas comes coutesy of
Ralph Nader. Nader's critique of Bush is better and stronger than anything else
that I've seen from any source including the AFL-CIO.  It runs 7 hard hitting
pages!

Gore's got his problems and they are of his own creation.  The toxic waste
incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio is a classic.  Back in '92 Gore promised to
stop the construction of this incinerator if elected.  It was being built about
a football field away from a grade school.  Well it turns out that one of Gore's
financial backers was a financial backer of the incinerator and the incinerator
got built.  So, brother Gore does have a few people he has seiously pissed off
in this manner.  And Nader will be the protest vote rather than duh Bush.

Tom

Andrew English wrote:


> The Ralph Nader/Green Party rally in the Target Center in Minneapolis drew
> 12,000
> last night.  I didn't go, but it was carried live on CSPAN.  From the shots
> of the crowd,
> it appeared predominantly made of young people.   Other speakers included
> Winona
> LaDuke, Michael Moore, and Phil Donahue.
>
> It is amazing to me that the Nader campaign can draw such large crowds for
> political rallies
> at $7 a ticket in several cities.   It is another sign that "the times they
> are a-changing".
>
> However I am puzzled that Nader is able to mobilize large numbers of people
> for rallies
> but at the same time is in the low single digits in the polls.
>
> Either the pro-Nader vote is being discounted when pollsters screen out
> "unlikely voters" -
> (in which case we will see on Election Day whether or not Nader brings a lot
> of new voters
> to the voting booths and does better than in the pre-election polls) or
> Nader voters are simply much more intense in their support and much more
> likely to turn out
> for a rally than Gore or Bush voters.  Probably both factors are present to
> some degree.
>
> I have not been involved in the Nader campaign - I am presently working on
> several
> union organizing efforts in Florida and am headed back there next week.  But
> perhaps people
> who have been more involved in electoral efforts in this election may wish
> to comment on their experience.
>
> -Andy English
> Twin Cities Labor Party chapter