This message was self-deleted by its author

[Jim Lane]

28. NO ONE's actions exist in a vacuum.

Nader still deserves all the opprobrium heaped upon him, and today's decisions only add to his legacy of infamy.

Sure, with the benefit of hindsight, we can see how Gore could have won. If he had spent one day more campaigning in Florida, he might have won it by a cheatproof margin. Alternatively, if he had skipped one day in Florida, and spent it instead in New Hampshire, he might have legitimately lost Florida, but won New Hampshire, and thus become President. And if he had tacked further to the right, he might have influenced some progressives to vote for Nader in California (no effect) and Florida (again, producing a legitimate win for Bush), but he might have carried his more conservative home state of Tennessee, thus becoming President.

Of course, the Naderites who bash Gore never want to consider the possibility that he could have won by being more conservative. It's always more pleasant to think, "A candidate whose views were like mine would have a better chance of winning." Those of us in the reality-based community know that that isn't always true.

I don't know if you personally are a Naderite or not, but your emphasis is certainly on Gore's failure to counteract Nader's bullshit. My emphasis is on Nader's spewing of the bullshit in the first place.