[lbo-talk] Nader and His Detractors

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>You forgot to quote the next part:
>
>>So why would Ralph run as an Independent now?
>>Throughout American history third parties and independent 
>>candidates have pushed the agenda toward the just needs of the 
>>people and changed one or more of the major parties on many 
>>important subjects - abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, 
>>deficits, agrarian rights, labor right, social security, health 
>>care and civil rights, to name just a few.
>>Third parties and Independents have been the seeds of regeneration 
>>and great social movements.
>>The Greens are not planning on deciding whether or under which 
>>conditions they will run a Presidential candidate until their June 
>>Convention in Milwaukee.
>>Because of the deadlines under the unfair ballot access laws, Ralph 
>>could not wait until then to see whether the Greens would field a 
>>candidate this year and under what restrictions.
>>He still plans to work with local and state Green parties and 
>>supports their main values, but he wanted the ability to start 
>>before June and be able to run an innovative campaign and bring out 
>>more Independents and nonvoters who don't want to identify with any 
>>party.
>>Ralph is and always has been registered as an Independent.
>>A third of the country identifies themselves this way and more and 
>>more people want a viable check on the two parties.
>
>So if the party doesn't serve Ralph's purposes, the hell with it. 
>And there's always the Reform line.
>
>Doug

The state deadlines for filing ballot access petitions for which the 
Green Party convention (June 23-28, 2004) was too late: Texas, May 
24; Arizona, June 9; and Illinois, June 21.  The Green Party should 
have held its convention and decided on its presidential candidate 
sooner, ideally in 2002 and at the latest very early in 2004, 
regardless of whom the party decides to nominate or endorse. 
Moreover, the less known the presidential candidate is (like David 
Cobb), the more time the party needs to put him or her on all ballots 
and run a strong campaign.
-- 
Yoshie

* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/>
* Greens for Nader: <http://greensfornader.net/>
* Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/>
* OSU-GESO: <http://www.osu-geso.org/>
* Calendars of Events in Columbus: 
<http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>, 
<http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/>
* Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/>
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/>
* Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio>
* Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>