Why is it *my* #%^*ing fault?

[Gothmog]

229. I disagree

I do not think relying on polling data and facts is simplistic or erroneous. I am using the same type of causation standard that is used in the real or legal world, i.e., but for causation. But for Nader's desire to punish the Democratic Party for his own ends, we would not have seen bush being elected, the Iraq war or the Citizen's United.

I note that you do not want to discuss the fact that Karl Rove and the GOP was funding Nader. From the article posted above:

On July 9th, the San Francisco Chronicle headlined "GOP Doners Funding Nader: Bush Supporters Give Independent's Bid a Financial Lift," and reported that the Nader campaign "has received a recent windfall of contributions from deep-pocketed Republicans with a history of big contributions to the party," according to "an analysis of federal records." Perhaps these contributors were Ambassador Egan's other friends. Mr. Egan's wife was now listed among the Nader contributors. Another listed was "Nijad Fares, a Houston businessman, who donated $200,000 to the Bush inaugural committee and who donated $2,000 each to the Nader effort and the Bush campaign this year." Furthermore, Ari Berman reported 7 October 2004 at the Nation, under "Swift Boat Veterans for Nader," that some major right-wing funders of a Republican smear campaign against Senator John Kerry's Vietnam service contributed also $13,500 to the Nader campaign, and that "the Republican Party of Michigan gathered ninety percent of Nader's signatures in their state" (90%!) to place Nader on the ballot so Bush could win that swing state's 17 electoral votes. Clearly, the word had gone out to Bush's big contributors: Help Ralphie boy! In fact, on 15 September 2005, John DiStaso of the Manchester Union-Leader, reported that, "A year ago, as the Presidential general election campaign raged in battleground state New Hampshire, consumer advocate Ralph Nader found his way onto the ballot, with the help of veteran Republican strategist David Carney and the Carney-owned Norway Hill Associates consulting firm."...

Indeed, the Bush strategists would need to have been stupid not to have thought this idea up, especially because the Republican Party has routinely funded, and otherwise helped, in Democratic primaries, the weak political candidate to win the Democratic nomination, in order to enhance the chances for the Republican candidate to beat his ultimate Democratic opponent. This has been one of the Republican Party's most effective tactics.

Liberal suckers might not have known that Nader was working for the Republicans, but the Republican Party's leadership certainly did - and they acted accordingly. The only people who didn't were Nader's own voters.

Most of Nader's funding came from the GOP. The GOP knew that Nader would hurt Gore and help Bush. The GOP big donors are smart and know how to get the most for their money. In this case, they knew that funding Nader was a great investment because they knew that Nader would hurt Al Gore. This is exactly what happened.

We can agree to disagree but I really do believe that Nader's arrogance and stupidity gave us Citizens United and was responsible for the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. I have a party meeting tomorrow night and then I have to continue planning to see if I can organize a voter id clinic in my county to try to undo some of the damage inflicted by Nader.