WP, Nader opinion piece: Dems Will Do Anything to Keep Me Off Ballot

[DeepModem Mom]

Parties to Injustice
Democrats Will Do Anything To Keep Me Off the Ballot

By Ralph Nader
Sunday, September 5, 2004; Page B03

This summer, swarms of Democratic Party lawyers, propagandists, harassers and assorted operatives have been conducting an unsavory war against my campaign's effort to secure a spot on the presidential ballots in various states. It is not enough that both major parties, in state after state, have used the legislatures to erect huge barriers, unique among Western democracies, to third party and independent candidacies. Now they are engaging in what can only be called dirty tricks and frivolous lawsuits to keep me and my running mate, Peter Miguel Camejo, off the ballot while draining precious dollars from our campaign chest.

This contemptuous drive is fueled with large amounts of unregulated money, much of it funneled through the National Progress Fund, an ostensibly independent group led by Toby Moffett, a former Democratic congressman who is currently a partner in a largely Republican lobbying firm called the Livingston Group. By contrast, to defend ourselves from the assault, we have to draw on funds that are limited and regulated by the Federal Election Commission.

News reports show that the National Progress Fund and other so-called independent 527 organizations (named for the section of the tax code under which they incorporate) were operating openly at the Democratic National Convention. They held meetings to discuss the best strategies and tactics to push the Nader-Camejo ticket off the ballot and they raised money from Democratic fat cats to accomplish their goals. It is evident that these "independent" groups are actually not independent but working closely with the Democratic Party....

***

Watching...bullying maneuvers and harassing lawsuits around the country, I marvel at the absence of condemnation by Sen. John F. Kerry or Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic National Committee chairman....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60689-2004Sep3.html

:nopity:

[Fionn]

1. Poor poor Ralphie!

Awwww!

Go and run in Redstates fucker!

[Democat]

2. My opinion piece: Nader will do anything to keep Bush in office!

Nader is working for the GOP just as surely as the Swift Vets are.

He is not on our side anymore - he sold out.

[Catfight]

3. Tales from the Crypt, Nadar still speaking from the grave. n/t

He's not on the ticket because no one gives a shit about the old boring bag of bones. Can't he just go home and smoke his pot.

[soothsayer]

4. Ralph--drop out, support Kerry, and use all that repug money to fund

pro-environment causes or whatever you'd like! (giuliani funded his divorce with his leftover millions, don't forget)

I wonder if Kerry is going to give nader some kind of post. I heard nader's astrological charts is really hopping---the first few months of 2005 will be the best time EVER to be ralph nader.