Oregon's Green Party snubs Nader

[stevedeshazer]

Oregon's Pacific Green Party rebuffed the presidential candidacy of Ralph Nader this weekend and gave the majority of its delegates to veteran party activist David Cobb.

The Oregon branch of the Green Party voted at a convention at Portland State University to allocate 14 of its 19 delegates to Cobb. Nader, who is running as an independent but says he would welcome the Green Party endorsement, received one delegate. Four delegates were scattered among two other candidates and "none of the above."

The national Green Party will meet this month in Milwaukee to choose its presidential nominee. Nader ran as the party's candidate in 1996 and 2000 but is running as an independent this time.

<snip>

Cobb, who lives in California but previously ran for office in Texas as a Green, has said he would campaign primarily in states that -- unlike Oregon -- are not hotly contested by the two major parties.

link: http://oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/108660932876490.xml

This pretty much takes Nader out of play in Oregon...it will be an assist to Kerry.

[AP]

1. Nader rejected the Reform Party nomination, on grounds that running on any

party's line on the ballot would be antithetical to the message of independence that he's trying to send.

I suspect that he's telling the parties covertly not to bother. In the last year Nader has been trying to foreground the issue of ballot access, and I suspect that he's trying to make the message of his campaign failure -- ie, failure to get on the ballots. That way he has an issue that he can draw attention to, and has an explanation for why he won't be on the ballot that isn't explained by unpopularity. Know what I mean?

[tandot]

2. Great. n/t

[andyjackson1828]

3. I don't hink this means Nader is done in Oregon...

He missed his first chance to get on the ballot in April. He's now in the process of getting the 15,000 signaures he needs for his 2nd chance to get on the ballot.

All this sotry means is that the Oregon Greens going go their nat'l convention are not backing Nader.

[mzmolly]

4. I'll take it!

;)

[GreenInNC]

5. Oregon and Maryland

are seen as two of Nader's strongholds. Oregon voted heavily for him in 2000 and most of his upper level staff lives in Md. This Oregon thrashing along with his defeat in Md. this past weekend speak volumes.

[stevedeshazer]

6. I wasn't aware of the Maryland connection

Thanks for the information.