Ralph Nader Douses New American Hero with Verbal Vinegar *update

*updated with links to other articles with long and interesting threads of comments

Ralph Nader loves to turn a phrase or evoke a parable, but there's a lot of reaction to this latest word play. In this clip, he catches some heat from the Fox TV host when he describes the governing choices of the President-Elect Obama as either to be that of Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom. This kind of hyperbole lends Nader to criticism by many who do not follow his deliberate prose. The show's host scolds him for not having some kind of reverence for this day. For Nader, it's just another day of protest.

In general, the two Progressive Presidential candidates, Nader and McKinney, responded to Obama's win with enthusiasm and recognition that this is a big day for people of color. Both crafted the motivating messages for their followers, that the job is not done and that they must apply continued pressure on politicians. However, where Nader applies vinegar, McKinney applies honey. Both are useful antiseptics with different purposes.

For some interesting reflections on the Nader comment, follow these threads:
Truthdig
The Daily Beast
SFGate

McKinney Says Time is Out for Special Interests - Election of Obama a Great Opportunity

Cynthia McKinney, Green Party Presidential Candidate, extended her congratulations to the President-Elect, but extended the challenge to her progressive audience to keep up the charge. The group was awaiting election news results for bosom friend and peace activist Congressional candidate Cindy Sheehan at her campaign headquarters in San Francisco, California.

"Time is out for OUT special interest rule in Washington D.C. Time is out for special interest rule in Sacramento, California and in all the state capitols across this country.

It is time for us to take our country back and I believe the change in the White House is the beginning of people thinking that they are taking their country back. And our work is to organize, mobilize, agitate to make sure that actually takes place."

Also in attendance was Presidential candidate for the Party for Socialist and Liberation Gloria La Riva.

Open the Debates: Clever Response from Nader Campaign on VP Debates

Here's an achingly funny romp through the CPD's Vice-Presidential Debate juxstaposed to responses from Ralph Nader's Independent running mate candidate, Matt Gonzalez.


While this rendering is a comical redux of the responses from candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, it does offer an opportunity for another voice to be considered during these debates. Matt Gonzalez, Vice Presidential running mate to Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader, provides his own responses to questions posed at the VP debate.

Homer Simpson Faces Vote Switching Diebold Machine

Homer Simpson, American citizen looking for "Change", faces a serious challenge when he faces off with the Vote Switching Diebold Machine in this clip.

Naomi Wolfe Describes Her New Work "Give Me Liberty"

Interview with Naomi Wolf author of "Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries" given October 4, 2008 on Mind Over Matters, KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle.

Independent VP Candidate Gonzalez Responds to Dem-Rep Debate

Independent Vice Presidential Running Mate to Ralph Nader, Matt Gonzalez responds to Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden's debate. Gonzalez emphasizes that the two war vested candidates do not offer the American people a pro-peace choice and that both parties are complicit in the economic crisis due to their failure to properly regulate the systems with which they were entrusted.

McKinney Campaigns Through California

Cynthia McKinney Visits Fairfax, CA for Green Party Gathering from Polidoc on Vimeo.
Green Party Presidential Candidate, Cynthia McKinney, wrapped up a week of campaigning in California with a Bay Area visit over the weekend. She met with Bay Area Greens in bucolic Fairfax. The hosts, Larry Bragman and Lew Tremaine, mayor and city council member of Fairfax as well as , were proud to be hosting the town's first Presidential candidate visit. It was a gorgeous day and McKinney supporters had come from all over the Bay Area to hear their candidate speak.

McKinney attended several events while in California, including a co-hosted evening with comedienne Roseanne Barr attended by Greens, 911 Truthers and hip-hop activists.

McKinney has grown as a Green, an identity that she wears with greater and greater certainty. Coy and cautious with the press, she had allowed us to interview her at a Green Party retreat more than a year and a half ago at which time, she was "just getting to know the Greens" from outside of Georgia. Now, having traveled all over the country (though not yet to every state), McKinney has noted the differences. She has also educated herself on the history of the United States Green Party, a somewhat complicated tale that exposes the difficulty of raising a third party in a winner-take-all system.

Open the Debates - Guest Editorial

by Kevin Gosztola

At the Democratic National Convention, I marched down to the Pepsi Center with Rage Against the Machine, The Coup and Flobots in support of Iraq Veterans Against the War and their demands for Sen. Barack Obama to support immediate withdrawal from Iraq, reparations for Iraqis and benefits to veterans returning home. Our presence forced Obama to accept a letter from IVAW.

At the Republican National Convention, I witnessed what government at all levels will do to silence people who feel compelled to use their First Amendment rights. On Sept. 4, the city deployed more than 100 police with gas masks to trap about 250 people intent on marching. Bicycles, horses, batons, dump trucks and bulldozers were used in a standoff that ended with police deploying chemical weapons and arresting and detaining press and protesters who had been trapped.

Both showed how Republicans and Democrats will fund the suppression of free speech.

Both gave me the chance to go to Nader Super Rallies to support the opening of the presidential debates.

Closed debates, excluding Cynthia McKinney, Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin and Ralph Nader, are scheduled to begin Sept. 27. I’m tired of Coke and Pepsi and was thrilled when Rep. Ron Paul called on people to vote third party weeks ago. The four third-party options being whitewashed by the media in this election united behind four issues are foreign policy, civil liberties, national debt and the Federal Reserve.

After more than seven years of Bush, I refuse to do some mathematical equation to come up with who I have to vote for in order for such and such to not happen and will not vote for a candidate who calls upon the people to compromise with corporatists on the “war on terror,” Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, offshore drilling and, now, solutions to our broken economy.

Do a Google search. Since 2000, Nader has been predicting this Wall Street disaster. Sen. John McCain and Obama have been silent, and worse, they are now allowing Bush to swindle the American people by bailing out the corporations responsible. Do you really want to bail out gamblers who created this mess?

When 81 percent think this country is heading in the wrong direction and 60 percent think the two parties are failing us, that signifies the need for a certain agenda-one which involves the people inventing a new way forward instead of being cynical about the future.

Ralph Nader Seeks Peace and Freedom Ballot Line - Video

Nader Seeks Peace and Freedom Ballot Line from Polidoc on Vimeo.

This video of veteran activist Ralph Nader was shot on Saturday, August 2, 2008 in Sacramento, California at the California Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) Convention. Ralph Nader vied for the party's Presidential nomination against contenders of other parties seeking the valuable ballot line. Green Party candidate, Cynthia McKinney, Party for Socialism and Liberation's Gloria La Riva and Socialist Party's Brian Moore, each offered compelling solicitations, but Nader won out in the first round of votes. La Riva came in second. PFP is a socialist, pro-peace party pre-dating the California Green Party.

Attaining this ballot line was crucial to the Nader campaign as it would add significantly to his perceived electability. For entry into the nationally televised debates, The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) requires that candidates have an electoral chance of winning and be listed on 5 mainstream media polls. Without California, historically one of Nader's strongest states, mainstream media could more easily discount the viability of his campaign.

Nader Calls a Super Rally in Denver for Eve of Democrats' "Big" Night

Currently shut out of the Presidential debates by the requirement thresholds set by the non-profit "Non-Partisan" corporation Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), veteran Presidential campaigner Ralph Nader has called for a Super Rally to be held on the Eve of presumptive candidate Barack Obama's big night.

The CPD requires that candidates poll at least 15% nationally, as measured by the average of five corporate media polls. In contrast, the League of Women Voters (LWV), who sponsored the debates of three Presidential cycles (1976, 1980, 1984) employed a 5% rule as measured by independent polls.

The LWV ceased to sponsor the debates in 1988, after the George Bush and Michael Dukakis campaigns drafted the first secret debate contract, a "Memorandum of Understanding" that dictated who got to participate and who would ask the questions. On October 3, The LWV 14 trustees voted unanimously to drop out of the debates, and issued a press release:

The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates ... because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public.

The organization Open Debates has criticized the CPD for awarding control of the debates to Democratic and Republican campaigns. It notes that the CPD's Executive Directors are gaming lobbyist Frank Fahrenkopf and pharmaceutical lobbyist Paul Kirk. The debates are sponsored by multi-national corporations and their presence is quite visible during the televised debates.

Strict control of the poll threshold, particularly in conjunction with ballot access regulations, also instituted by the two major parties, assures that the Democrats and Republicans need not fear the invasion of dissident voices on the debate stage. However, disident voices do resonate with the public when provided the opportunity. Consider Governor Jesse Ventura who explains his surprising win thusly, "I was allowed to debate. I proved that you could go from 10 percent to 37 percent and win if you're allowed to debate. Rest assured these two parties don't want to ever see that happen again."

Earlier this year, an organization called Science Debate 2008 had tried to convene a debate between then Democratic contenders Clinton and Obama and Republican McCain. No takers. Science Debate orgnizers then hoped that they might get to host an event in the fall. Obama has agreed to just three debates as controlled by the CPD. Perhaps the Science Debate 2008, Google and Open debates could get together and present a debate which allows for the 5 per cent threshold candidates. If Obama and McCain choose not to come, they must have their reasons, but at least we'd hear from the likes of Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin - maybe we can have some spontaneous dialogue that way. A novel approach to debate, spontaneity.

If you are interested in opening up the debates, you can e-sign this petition. If not for this election, than for the next.

League Of Women Voters Wikipedia Page
Open Debates
Science Debate 2008

CPD has had it with Google, Goes for Withering MySpace Instead

Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader Calls for an Open Debate, posted: August 6, 2008

The vibe for a quality third party debate has never been more prime, but who would air it? How would it be paid for?

Google recently offered to include Nader in a debate with the Republican and Democratic nominees if he reached 10 per cent in the polls. Now, up to 28 ballot lines, the veteran candidate-activist may well succeed in attaining the goal of 45 state ballot lines which could improve his poll numbers. However, Barack Obama has announced that he has agreed upon 3 debates only, as set forth by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a "non-profit" "non-partisan" group controlled by the Republicans and Democrats which requires a 15 per cent showing in the polls. MMMM. Obama has not agreed to an earlier consideration of townhall meeting appearances as proposed by the McCain campaign.

Obama's declaration implies that he will not engage in a Google YouTube debate. The debate was to be held in September in New Orleans, a seat of controversy since the Katrina Federal Response debacle. Instead, the commission announced a partnership with social website MySpace, through a MyDebates.org social networking portal.

“For the first time in American history, viewers of the debates will be empowered to watch the event in real time online and review candidate responses on demand," said company CEO Chris DeWolfe in a statement Wednesday morning. For the first time? Really? MMMMMMM.

MySpace has good reason to vie for the privilege. Media mogul Rupert Murdock paid $580 million for MySpace in 2005 and advertising on the website has fallen. To attract new advertising dollars, the social networking site is now offering larger ad spaces.

Murdoch recently said Facebook was a "flavor of the month," according to a British tech news site.

Now is the time Google. The CPD has had enough of you and your open democracy style. Put on that third party and independent candidate debate. Set a threshold for qualification that is reached based on ballot access and/or poll numbers. Provide the opportunity for conversation that the Commission, Obama, McCain denies you, the other candidates and the voters. Play your part in prying open this juggernaut.

Pelosi Challenger Sheehan Achieves Ballot Access as Independent

Cindy Sheehan, who is challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the 8th Congressional district, achieved ballot access last week, the first major hurdle of the campaign. This political ad, posted on YouTube attacks Pelosi for blocking impeachment discussions and not inhibiting war spending. It was not produced by the Sheehan campaign but it is representative of her supporters' enthusism.

Pelosi has just released a new book, "Know Your Power: A Message to American Daughters." whose sales are off to a very slow start. Her book tour is haunted by anti-war and pro oil drilling activists. While pundits do not see Pelosi losing this upcoming re-election, she clearly will not be getting a free ride.

Petitioning for the Underdog

This is really a place holder for a deeper article to be written on petitioning for ballot access, but until then, let us send you to the Wilderside where they offer an on-the-ground petition campaign rehash.

RT&T Reports Gas Station TV Access Denied to Obama in Florida

Real Time Traders Newswire (RTTNews) reports that Obama's camp claims that Gas Station TV revoked their media buy in Florida after pressure from oil companies during the 11th hour.

"Once again, the oil companies and their friends are standing with Sen. McCain, the candidate for President who is proposing to offer them a $4 billion tax cut," Obama spokesman Mark Bubriski said.

"It looks like Gas Station TV doesn't want the American people to know about Sen. Obama's plan to offer working families a $1,000 energy rebate," he added.

Well, maybe it was in the 11th hour of a 24-hour clock. According to Gas Station TV, it is and has been against company policy to run politican ads.

"At a time when presidential campaign ads monopolize prime time, we believe it is important to be able to provide traditional advertisers with a clutter-free environment to showcase their brands and target marketing messages to a captive audience," its CEO David Leider said in the statement.

It must be hard to pass up those lucrative campaign ad dollars.

The Hill reports that the Obama and McCain campaigns and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have collectively spent about $10.3 million on campaign advertisements in Pennsylvania alone. Ohio media buys have reached about $6 million. The next three states are Michigan, Florida and Virginia.

RTTNews offers articles related to news events and market information that effects trade values. It is possible that their wind testing on this matter was open to shallow reporting.

Fox Business picked up the piece from Gas Station Network's PR firm and added:

No invoices indicating approval from Gas Station TV to run a political ad were developed and at no time were related financial transactions completed with Gas Station TV and its partners. Email chains not coming directly from Gas Station TV staff members indicating anything different are inaccurate, taken out of context and lack understanding of the standard media buying process, as well as Gas Station TV's ad review and approval process.

However, Fox also offered a lengthy description of the company straight from the companies own PR firm, so it is difficult to assess just whose gas tank is being filled.

It is all spin, of course, but as we crank the engine up on political advertising, it is worth noting the variety of spark plugs both of the mainstream camps are firing up.

Comedy Central Interviews Green Party VP & She Slaps em Back

Comedy Central's Third Party Thirdspolosion tries a bit of their satire with Green Party Vice-Presidential Candidate Rosa Clemente, but Rosa is down with it. She unabashedly faces their humor in her own inemicalbe style, which is right in your face.

With this kind of attitude, I think she might be ready for Colbert and how could resist the temptation to get down with some hip-hop; he is, afterall a musician himself. The lady knows how to play her cards, though her irony was clearly lost on some who commented on the article.


Here's a peak at how she responds to Comedy Central's Second Stringers:

Indecision2008: Do you think a Green Party candidate can win the presidency?
Rosa Clemente: YES

INDY: No, seriously. Do you actually think a Green Party candidate can win the presidency.
RC: AS LONG AS IT'S A DARK GREEN

INDY: What's the 3rd party convention scene like?
RC: WHITE FOLKS THOUGHT WE WERE THE HELP

INDY: Tell us about your first 100 days.
RC: ARREST BUSH AND COMPANY, MAKE ANGELINA AND BRAD'S CHILRDREN MY CABINET AND NO MORE TAXES

INDY: Who's your favorite president. Ever. From any country. Or TV Show?
RC: PRESIDENT PALMER FROM THE SHOW 24

INDY: Describe your leadership style in one word. Don't say green.
RC: HIP-HOP.

INDY: Who will you be voting for?
RC: WHO WILL YOU BE VOTING FOR?


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Kent Mesplay Addresses the 2008 Green Party National Convention at the Presidential Candidate Forum

These are Kent Mesplay opening remarks at the 2008 Green Party National Convention, held in Chicago, July 11, 2008. Mesplay emphasizes the use of environmental policies and has coined the phrase, "Sustainability is Security" in an effort to redefine how people think of security.

Now that the Green Party nomination of McKinney has closed this one door, what will Mesplay be up to... Well, he'll be running for California Congress in 2010 for one.

Peace and Freedom Convention this Weekend - Four Candidates, including McKinney and Nader stand-off

The State Convention for Peace and Freedom Party will convene on Saturday, August 2 and 3 at the Hawthorn Suites, 321 Bercut Drive, Sacramento California. At the convention Brian Moore, Gloria La Riva, Ralph Nader, and Cynthia McKinney will be seeking the Peace and Freedom Party’s presidential nomination. A debate among the four presidential candidates will be at the same location on Friday, August 1 at 7 p.m.

Cynthia McKinney Offers Opening Statement at Last of Candidate Forums

Cynthia McKinney @ Green Party Nat'l Convention Candidate Forum from Polidoc on Vimeo.

Cynthia McKinney, six-term Congresswoman and activist, makes her opening statement at the 2008 Green Party National Convention Presidential Candidate's Forum. The following day, she wrapped up the party's nomination and introduced hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente.

Nader and McKinney Heighten Ballot Access Buzz in the Big Apple

Both Progressive Presidential candidates, Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party and Independent Ralph Nader, launched their ballot access campaigns this week in New York State.

The Apple state requires independent and third party candidates without ballot status to collect 50,000 "valid" voter petition signatures or an amount equal to 5% of the number of voters in the recent gubernatorial election, to qualify to have their name appear on the ballot. Think of the effort and money spent that might be better spent on media or staff or travel accommodations.

As a result of the DNC led assault on Nader in 2004 which threw him off several ballots, candidates now aim to get twice the number of required signatures to assure qualification. That means 100,000 signatures.

Video Producer, Craig Seeman offers the following video segments of Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney at a New York News Conference.




Using a phrase coined by her running mate, Rosa Clemente, McKinney promotes a new slogan for her newly adopted party, "The Green Party is not an alternative, it's the imperative."

Jib-Jab Celebrates Campaigning with this New Animation