<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1458" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>In a message dated 8/11/2004 4:32:41 PM Eastern Standard Time, nathanne@nathannewman.org writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>What a ridiculous statement.   Both parties are made up of a range of<BR>minority groups that jockey for position-- the NAACP, latino groups,<BR>enviros, the religious right, the NRA, ad nauseum.   Each party is a<BR>coalition of groups who jockey for power within the coalition through<BR>primaries and other methods.  The silliness of the Greens and Nader is that<BR>they think running in the general election is the only way to influence<BR>politics, when quite obviously the openness of US primaries gives groups<BR>the ability for similar influence.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Right... The way that minority positions were so well represented in the democratic primaries (sarcasm off).  The progressives in the DP could not even get minor concessions into the platform.  And of course, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton all got their positions considered by John Kerry.  The way the democratic primary worked out there is no way that anyone can make a statement like this and be considered seriously,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Sergio</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>PS -- I am voting for Kerry (I might get physically ill afterwards)</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>