Progressives have been living in dread of another Ralph Nader presidential campaign and begged him not to run. But their pleas seem to have inspired the opposite effect. While Nader may once again be gunning for the presidency, and certainly has the right to make the attempt, we need to do all we can to prevent him from having any impact on the 2004 presidential race. The stakes are too high this time.
Let him run, but let him run a failing campaign. Nader only needs 2,000 signatures before September to get himself on the ballot in Wisconsin. Do not sign those petitions to get him on the ballot. Do not volunteer. Do not support him. Nader claims that he is running for president as an independent candidate in order to advance his ideals and agenda, yet all a campaign from him will do is weaken the position of the Democrats. Today, they are the only ones legitimately positioned to beat Bush-recent polls have shown that both Kerry and Edwards would defeat him if the elections were held today. Nader's candidacy will pull some of those supporters away, but only if we let it.
Under President Bush, we have witnessed a huge economic downturn, threats to a woman's right to choose, and a policy of preventive war. Bush promised to unite, but only divides-his efforts to stack the federal judiciary with publicly conservative rather than impartial judges, most recently illustrated with his recess appointment of Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor to the 11th district, is only one example.
In 2000, there were those who voted for Nader because they thought a Gore victory was a sure thing. They will not make the same mistake twice. What remains a concern are those left wing voters with an all or nothing mentality. They fell for his rhetoric last time, that there was no difference between the two major party candidates, that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil. But sometimes, especially in politics, compromise is necessary. You prioritize issues and figure out who will actually make a difference on them. We respect third parties, but now is not the time. The Left needs unity in order to win this race.
Furthermore, with Nader no longer running as a Green Party candidate but as an independent, he cannot even maintain the pretense, as he did in 2000, of building a viable third party movement. The only seeming purpose is the building up of a single man's ego.
Ralph Nader will not be elected president. His campaign may not even be big enough to have an impact on the outcome of the contest. But it is a risk that we cannot afford to take if the end goal is removal of Bush from office. The Democrats can do that. An Independent Nader cannot. Do not help him throw another race.
