Showing posts with label Presidential Candidate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presidential Candidate. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2009
Republicans Adjust Brand to Absorb Alienated Moderate Conservatives
Is Black the new Black?
When Barack Obama won the Presidential election, a shift occurred around the world. Suddenly, a black man attained the highest position of power in the United States and arguably the world. People across America said they had not believed that they would live to see the day when a "black man" would win the Presidency.
In response to President Obama's surprising and effective campaign, delegates of the Republican National Committee selected former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele as its new chairman, hoping to change its brand from that of extreme Limbaugh loving conservatives to that of minority embracing pro-economic moderates.
Former RNC Chairman Mike Duncan responded to the news by declaring, "Obviously the winds of change are blowing." Duncan had hoped to have been re-elected.
"It's time for something completely different," Steele said at his acceptance speech. "We are going to bring this party to every corner, every board room, every neighborhood, every community, and we are going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us. We want you to work with us. And for those of you who want to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over."
"The RNC isn't diverse yet," said CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder. "When people speak of broadening the party's geographic diversity, they are speaking in code. They mean that the party needs to welcome more moderates; needs to be more forgiving of departures from orthodoxy; needs to be less antagonistic to pro-choicers and gays."
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
President Bush Accepts that Mistakes - Well There's Been a Few
President Bush sits down with CNN to discuss the 2008 Presidential Election and the truthiness of his regrets from his two term in this video.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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.
Friday, August 8, 2008
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:
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.
"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.
Monday, July 28, 2008
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.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
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.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A message of Praise to Ingrid Betancourt
from Attendees of the 2008 Green Party of the United States National Convention
More information on Ingrid Betancourt
Saturday, July 19, 2008
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."
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."
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Moving Forward with the Progressive Agenda, McKinney Captures Green Party Nomination
Nader Wishes the Green Party's Candidates Success in Ballot Access
Cynthia McKinney, six-term Democratic Congresswoman, snagged the Green Party nomination for the Presidency in its first round of delegate votes, naming hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente her running mate. A jubilant crowd responded to the relieved candidate, whose path to the nomination has seen some trouble.
The merging of "radical" black politics and "tree-huggin" Greens was never going to be easy. Nevertheless, the struggles were swallowed in the bosoms of hundreds of dancing people in the audience. Members of McKinney's campaign, the other candidates and the Reconstruction Party took the stage.
While the Green Party completes its navigation toward the Cynthia McKinney campaign for President, both candidates Ralph Nader and McKinney have expressed their deep respect for one another and have pledged to continue working on parallel progressive paths. Each of them describes their campaign as a movement. McKinney's campaign will focus on delivering new voters from the hip-hop, Reconstruction communities, arenas that Nader is unlikely to challenge for votes.
Both Nader and McKinney have carefully selected running mates who are youthful and energized, preparing to pass the baton of leadership. We'll report more soon. We have been crushed by deadlines related to our film. Until then, here is Nader's public statement.
RALPH NADER ISSUES STATEMENT ON CYNTHIA MCKINNEY'S NOMINATION
Washington, DC: Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader issued the below statement today on the Green Party's nominee for President of the United States, Cynthia McKinney.
"I want to congratulate Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente on winning the Green Party nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I wish them well and hope they go into all 50 states and spread the message of the Green Agenda. The country needs a diversity of voices that are unrelentingly progressive, forthright, candid, and documented in good sound civic values and the wellbeing of all the people.
"Third party candidates usually are more forthright and they highlight social justice issues that are regularly ignored or contravened by the two major parties. As history shows from the anti-slavery Liberty Party of the 1840's to the women's suffrage and farmer and labor parties up to the early 20th century, eventually the big ideas of these little parties break through.
"Although the Nader/Gonzalez and Green Party platforms have many similarities, we are not competing for votes, but instead we are allies joined in a common struggle to tap the huge and growing numbers of millions of unsatisfied voters who want to vote for something better than the lesser of two-evils. The more progressive voices and choices, the more widespread will be the definition of freedom as participation in power.
"In Cynthia McKinney, the Greens have an energetic and courageous candidate unafraid to challenge America to be better for the millions who are marginalized, overcharged, underpaid and ignored by the two-party duopoly. Her vim and vigor offers the Green Party an excellent chance to break through in 2008 and provides voters one more viable alternative to the DemReps. I wish her and Ms. Clemente good luck."
Cynthia McKinney, six-term Democratic Congresswoman, snagged the Green Party nomination for the Presidency in its first round of delegate votes, naming hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente her running mate. A jubilant crowd responded to the relieved candidate, whose path to the nomination has seen some trouble.
The merging of "radical" black politics and "tree-huggin" Greens was never going to be easy. Nevertheless, the struggles were swallowed in the bosoms of hundreds of dancing people in the audience. Members of McKinney's campaign, the other candidates and the Reconstruction Party took the stage.
While the Green Party completes its navigation toward the Cynthia McKinney campaign for President, both candidates Ralph Nader and McKinney have expressed their deep respect for one another and have pledged to continue working on parallel progressive paths. Each of them describes their campaign as a movement. McKinney's campaign will focus on delivering new voters from the hip-hop, Reconstruction communities, arenas that Nader is unlikely to challenge for votes.
Both Nader and McKinney have carefully selected running mates who are youthful and energized, preparing to pass the baton of leadership. We'll report more soon. We have been crushed by deadlines related to our film. Until then, here is Nader's public statement.
RALPH NADER ISSUES STATEMENT ON CYNTHIA MCKINNEY'S NOMINATION
Washington, DC: Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader issued the below statement today on the Green Party's nominee for President of the United States, Cynthia McKinney.
"I want to congratulate Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente on winning the Green Party nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I wish them well and hope they go into all 50 states and spread the message of the Green Agenda. The country needs a diversity of voices that are unrelentingly progressive, forthright, candid, and documented in good sound civic values and the wellbeing of all the people.
"Third party candidates usually are more forthright and they highlight social justice issues that are regularly ignored or contravened by the two major parties. As history shows from the anti-slavery Liberty Party of the 1840's to the women's suffrage and farmer and labor parties up to the early 20th century, eventually the big ideas of these little parties break through.
"Although the Nader/Gonzalez and Green Party platforms have many similarities, we are not competing for votes, but instead we are allies joined in a common struggle to tap the huge and growing numbers of millions of unsatisfied voters who want to vote for something better than the lesser of two-evils. The more progressive voices and choices, the more widespread will be the definition of freedom as participation in power.
"In Cynthia McKinney, the Greens have an energetic and courageous candidate unafraid to challenge America to be better for the millions who are marginalized, overcharged, underpaid and ignored by the two-party duopoly. Her vim and vigor offers the Green Party an excellent chance to break through in 2008 and provides voters one more viable alternative to the DemReps. I wish her and Ms. Clemente good luck."
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Cynthia McKinney announces Rosa Clemente as Vice-Presidential Running Mate
Cynthia McKinney, frontrunner for the nomination as the Green Party Presidential candidate has announced that political hip-hop artist and activist Rosa Clemente has taken on the running-mate role in this coming election.
Rosa Clemente is renowned for her dynamic and political activism. This commitment to attracting the promised hip-hop community brings new light and vitality to McKinney's campaign that has been running under the radar recently.
Rosa Clemente is renowned for her dynamic and political activism. This commitment to attracting the promised hip-hop community brings new light and vitality to McKinney's campaign that has been running under the radar recently.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Columbian Green Party Presidential Ingrid Betancourt Appears on Larry King
After receiving a standing ovation by the French Senate, Ingrid Betancourt, the 2002 Columbian Green Party Presidential candidate kidnapped by the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), subjected herself to an interview with Larry King who was slow to ask the questions germane to why she had been kidnapped, yet her responses encompass the sanity we wish the media would take on this matter.
King baited Betancourt with sensationalistic questions, but her response laid the most gruesome ordeals of her captivity to rest. "Many things occurred in the jungle which should remain in the jungle," said Betancourt. She added, "I don't want to forget, but I want to forgive."
She is due to address the National Assembly on Wednesday and will receive the Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction, from President Nicolas Sarkozy during Bastille Day celebrations on Monday.It is wonderful to see this heroic, lovely woman free Her countenance and strength is sure to fuel deep conversation at this year's convention.
King baited Betancourt with sensationalistic questions, but her response laid the most gruesome ordeals of her captivity to rest. "Many things occurred in the jungle which should remain in the jungle," said Betancourt. She added, "I don't want to forget, but I want to forgive."
She is due to address the National Assembly on Wednesday and will receive the Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction, from President Nicolas Sarkozy during Bastille Day celebrations on Monday.It is wonderful to see this heroic, lovely woman free Her countenance and strength is sure to fuel deep conversation at this year's convention.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Youngest Presidential Candidate, kat swift, Achieves Electability
Happy Birthday to the youngest candidate for US President, kat swift, who just turned 35 and now qualifies for the high office.
One of swift's priciple platform issues is egalitarianism and she points to the age
requirement of Presidential candidates as one of those isms that is Unconstitutional.
"For my birthday," swift said, "I want every person who doesn’t
benefit from the system in place to do something that makes
one happy, followed by an action that will take away one piece
of support given to those with power over their lives. Something
as simple as not using gas one day, or diverting that $20
donation from a media-preferred candidate to food for four
homeless people in your ‘hood."
Speaking of ageism, Ralph Nader, inveterate of the political scene, has come out with a strong platform stance on allowing 16 year olds to vote. It has met with heavy criticism in some arenas, while it has appealed to the young. However, civic engagement is part of everyone's right, and Nader argues, duty.
Who should vote? Who should run? Who should take part in our democracy? Feel free to comment.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Cynthia McKinney Declares her Independence from US Policy
powered by ODEO
Manifesting change in US policies will take the courage of voters to select legislators that represent their values, says Cynthia McKinney in this public presentation. The six-term Democratic Congresswoman turned Green restates familiar campaign themes, with passion.
Interestingly, she refutes the largely held opinion amongst Greens that she will be the candidate of choice at the Green Party Convention this year in a plea for donations. She also makes a beautiful pitch for anti-war activist turned Congressional candidate, Cindy Sheehan who is challenging Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. McKinney said that voters all over the United States are taking interest in the race where Pelosi calls home, Calfornia's 8th Congressional District.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Mother's Day Progressive Party with McKinney and Nader
Calendar Announcement:
Enjoy a progressive feast of events with third party candidates this Mother's Day. Both Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader and Green Party Candidate Cynthia McKinney will be speaking in the Bay Area, California on Sunday, May 11.
Nader/Gonzalez Events
More Info Call -(510) 914-8355 or events@votenader.org
$10 contribution/ $5 student/low-income (no one turned away)
Sunday May 11th 7pm
Ralph Nader & Matt Gonzalez Rally
Roxie Theater
3117 16th Street San Francisco, CA 94103
Monday May 12th 12pm
Ralph Nader & Matt Gonzalez Rally
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
1924 Cedar St. (at Bonita) Berkeley, CA 94709
Monday May 12th 8pm
Ralph Nader & Matt Gonzalez Rally
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95062
McKinney Event
Enjoy a progressive feast of events with third party candidates this Mother's Day. Both Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader and Green Party Candidate Cynthia McKinney will be speaking in the Bay Area, California on Sunday, May 11.
Nader/Gonzalez Events
More Info Call -(510) 914-8355 or events@votenader.org
$10 contribution/ $5 student/low-income (no one turned away)
Sunday May 11th 7pm
Ralph Nader & Matt Gonzalez Rally
Roxie Theater
3117 16th Street San Francisco, CA 94103
Monday May 12th 12pm
Ralph Nader & Matt Gonzalez Rally
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
1924 Cedar St. (at Bonita) Berkeley, CA 94709
Monday May 12th 8pm
Ralph Nader & Matt Gonzalez Rally
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95062
McKinney Event
Sunday, May 11 2-5 PM
Anna's Jazz Island
2120 Allston Way, Berkeley, Ca 94704
(Just East of Shattuck Ave.)
Presidential Candidate, former congresswoman the Honorable Cynthia McKinney and District 1 School Board Candidate Tennessee Reed. Speakers will include Devorah Major, Cecil Brown Reginald Lockett, Ishmael Reed, Kim McMillon.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Polidoc Crew Explores Green Party Presidential Hopeful Kent Mesplay's Home Turf
The Polidoc Crew is in the San Diego area to find out more about Presidential candidate Kent Mesplay.
Mesplay, an environmental scientist and political activist, knows the odds are against him and his Green Party, but he is still hopeful that this campaign will shed light on issues of security and sustainability, cornerstones of his platform.
Next week, we'll have a short piece about him ready for you to view and wow - has he ever developed while on the campaign trail.
Mesplay, an environmental scientist and political activist, knows the odds are against him and his Green Party, but he is still hopeful that this campaign will shed light on issues of security and sustainability, cornerstones of his platform.
Next week, we'll have a short piece about him ready for you to view and wow - has he ever developed while on the campaign trail.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Nader's Lawsuit Against DNC Bares New Teeth
Additional Civil Rights Suit Filed in Early April
We all like to win. It feels good and in the case of politics, it can feel so deeply right; on the other hand, losing can hurl one into a catatonic depression. Is an election worth winning at any cost? As citizens, we would rather not have to worry about this question; but, certain conditions over the last eight years have forced us to, whether it is because of missing ballots, disenfranchised voters, faulty touch screens, questionable backend voting software, or in the case of this story, obstructive lawsuits.
Many forces gathered to select George W. Bush as President in 2000; the nonchalant attitude about taking Florida even before the first vote count was in should be enough cause for serious scrutiny of all subsequent elections. This article does not address the less than virtuous strategies that Republican champions and their foot soldiers use throughout the course of a campaign or election. That will endure its own article.
Instead, it is about the right of an individual to run for office and the power held by the two-party system to stop that potential candidate.
In 2001, when power broker Terry McAuliffe took the reigns as Chairman of the DNC, the party had hit bottom, he told Washington Post reporter Thomas Edsall. “This party was demoralized in 2001." said McAullife. "People were madder than heck at the party. 'Why did we allow this to happen?' and 'Why didn't we fight harder?' . . . We went through a very tough time in 2002 after the midterm election."
He said “It was one of the darkest times in our party."
McAuliffe, or the Dem's "Comeback Kid", was returning to a high-ranking position in the center of the Democratic Party after a period of scandal over financial deals with political consequences. As the biggest fundraiser in the party, he intended to fully reclaim his power broker position with the Clintons at hand. He would devise a strategy to take back the White House and fiscally position the Democratic Party for the next 25 years. Desperate times call for desperate measures. DNC leaders committed to secure a win of the White House for the Democrats and specifically John Kerry. This effort included targeting several campaigns, including Al Gore's, as well as the other thorn in McAuliffe's side, Ralph Nader.
At the time, Nader was continuing to rankle the feathers of the Democratic Party by referring to the Democrats and the Republicans as “Tweedle-Dee” and “Tweedle-Dumb”, a sharp critique that stung the former more than the latter. Democrats resented Nader’s homogenization of the two-major parties; they recognized enormous differences between its policies and platform and that of the Republicans.
However, from Nader’s perspective, the Democrats nursed on corporate funds for its campaigns and had become too cautious and unimaginative to form a critical campaign against Bush. Nader had assured the Democratic candidate John Kerry that he would resist running if Kerry would take up at least three of his core issues. However, as the 2004 campaign continued, Kerry pursued a pro-war platform that failed to carry any of Nader's issues to the table or people. Nader felt compelled to run.
Private appeals from McAuliffe failed to dissuade Nader from running and a pre-planned attack on the Nader campaign ensued. His petitioners were harrassed by private investigators and intimidating letters were sent to discourage Nader volunteers, claiming that they would be held on felony charges if their signatures were proven false. After turning in the ballot petitions, the DNC, through operatives, besieged the Nader campaign with a suite of 24 lawsuits in 18 states and 5 FEC complaints, initiated within a 12 week period.
While many of the cases and all the FEC complaints were dismissed, the unfounded suits did succeed in bankrupting and exhausting the resources of the campaign and forced Nader and running mate, Peter Camejo off five state ballots. Assisted by the corporate media, the continuing tar and feathering of Nader as “spoiler” has done immense harm to his public reputation , though Nader himself seems to bare the dent in his armour well.
Pennsylvania is home to the most egregious lawsuit, where, aside from getting kicked off the ballot, the court, without legal precedent, charged a heavy personal legal fee of $82,000 for administration costs of counting signatures to Nader and Camejo. No court has ever allowed the legal fees of the plaintiff to be passed along to a candidate before; it set a dangerous precedent for third party candidates who are generally campaigning on little to no dollars. Additionally, the Pennsylvania legislature has increased the number of signatures required for a third party or Independent candidate up from 27,000 to 67,000 while the Democrats and Republicans are still only required to collect 2000. As each signature costs about a dollar to collect by an independent contractor, this puts the third party and independent candidates at a significant disadvantage.
The fundamental unfairness of such extreme differences in ballot access should shock us, yet it gets little media attention. Even in Naomi Wolf’s recent book “10 Steps Towards Fascism”, ballot access does not emerge as a step towards shutting down our democracy because it happens so invisibly, before dissenting voices can enter the electoral system for public consideration.
Petitions to appear on the ballot have been attacked before, but nothing like what happened to Nader in 2004, according to Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News. Winger, a political scientist, has been closely observing ballot access issues for over 40 years.
“The Democratic Party tried to keep various minor party and independent presidential candidates off at least a few ballots in 1936, 1948, 1976, 1980...but in 4 cases, the targeted candidate never ran for president again.,” Winger said. “Nader's treatment in 2004 was uniquely bad.”
Nader has spent the better part of the last two years recruiting a pro-bono lawyer staff in preparation for his 2008 run. His bold parry? A surprise countersuit against the DNC, the Kerry/Edwards campaign and Kerry personally, in which Nader claims that leaders within the DNC used malicious and frivolous law suits to obstruct his 2004 campaign.
Hall remembers hearing about the DNC led ballot access lawsuits as they began. He felt shocked that a major party used legal maneuvers to attack an individual candidate. He said that the media failed to cover the details of the story. "It’s been a disappointment to me. I work for Ralph Nader. I obviously have a perspective. But look, the facts are out there, if you can’t report that, then there’s a problem." He continued, "It’s really remarkable that every major newspaper covered the story but almost none of them broached the subject."
The point of the counter suit is not so much about extracting money from the DNC leaders, though Nader would put rewards toward fighting for a reasonable nationalized federal ballot access law for third parties and independent candidates. Nader would also return to Peter Camejo, his 2004 running mate the $20,000 portion of the legal fees levied against the campaign. The point of this lawsuit is to bring this issue of ballot access up at a time when his Presidential run provides some spotlight in the mainstream media and helps shield the 2008 campaign from refreshed attacks and there is still time for the Democrats to implement electoral solutions to the "spoiler" effect, like Instant Runoff Voting, an electoral system that allows the voter to rank their votes and thereby reduce the effects of the winner-take-all, less of two-evils system currently in place.
This case is currently being considered by a judge in the Washington DC District Court. “But there's no telling how long that will take,” said Hall. “The status is, we filed the complaint, the defendants filed motions to dismiss (mainly arguing that we failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted), we have opposed those motions, and now the judge has to rule.”
“It’s too late, and too little,” said McAuliffe’s lawyer, John H. Young, who asked the judge to dismiss the case on the grounds that, as the election was over, the case was moot. He argued that the case had gone beyond the statute of limitations and should be dismissed.
Nader’s lawyer, Hall said the statute of limitations should not apply because the defendants conspired beyond the 2004 election to conceal their role in keeping Nader off the ballot. It was not until after the elections, Hall said, that Nader learned about the loose relationship between the Democratic Party and lawyers working with the Ballot Project Inc., an organization directed by Raikin that was formed to keep Nader off state ballots in 2004.
Young said that in the heated atmosphere of the general election it was ridiculous to think that the efforts to neutralize Nader were concealed; the frivolous lawsuits were merely a tactical means to a practical end.
Winger said, “The fact that Peter Camejo did pay over $20,000 to the people who challenged the Nader-Camejo petition in 2004 keeps the Democrats from saying Nader and people associated with his 2004 campaign haven't suffered any concrete harm. I think it will go to trial.”
On April 5, 2008, Hall filed a federal civil rights claims supported by newly discovered evidence that employees of the state of Pennsylvania participated in the DNC leadership effort to keep Nader-Camejo off the ballot in that state. “If so,” said Hall, “that would be illegal, and it would also considerably support the "state action" element of our civil rights claims.” Hall expects there will be a new round of motions to dismiss based on that complaint.
“Nader has upped his tactics. The DNC will do the same,” speculated Cat Woods, a Nader supporter and former Green Party Co-Chair of the National Candidates and Campaign Committee.
Nader seems to be prepared to meet them in this upcoming election, warning the DNC leaders, "Don't try to get into the briar patch of frivolous lawsuits to try to get us to lay off (running), because you're going to get thorns. It's going to backfire."
Should the Democrats try to obstruct Nader's ballot access this time, more trained eyes are watching. And running mate, Matt Gonzalez, who is a civil rights attorney, will be at hand to fight alongside the aged but tireless knight. Gonzalaz oversaw the implementation of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in San Francisco, which has received favorable response from voters. While not in itself perfect, IRV does take away the manipulative power of a winner-take-all system. Though IRV and other ranked voting systems are in place in municipalities and even other countries, Democratic and Republican legislators currently in power in the U.S. are reluctant to approve measures which might increase competition for themselves.
(There are currently 10 pending ballot access lawsuits across the nation, with a few more in the works, according to Winger. Some of these lawsuits represent coalitions between presumed odd bedfellows like Libertarians and Greens, who nonetheless share a value for the Constitution, decentralization, and getting out of Iraq; others are led by individual candidates. )
References:
Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition
McAuliffe is Dem’s Comeback Kid
CNN - Wolf Blitzer interview with Ralph Nader, 11/2/07
Phillyblog.com DNC and Nader
Nader vs. DNC
Civil Lawsuit
ACLU Takes On Montana Ballot Access Bill
Lawyers ask federal judge to approve Nader lawsuit against former DNC chairman
MSNBC - 2004
John Murphy Account
Democracy Now Interview of Nader lawyer, Carl Mayer
We all like to win. It feels good and in the case of politics, it can feel so deeply right; on the other hand, losing can hurl one into a catatonic depression. Is an election worth winning at any cost? As citizens, we would rather not have to worry about this question; but, certain conditions over the last eight years have forced us to, whether it is because of missing ballots, disenfranchised voters, faulty touch screens, questionable backend voting software, or in the case of this story, obstructive lawsuits.
Many forces gathered to select George W. Bush as President in 2000; the nonchalant attitude about taking Florida even before the first vote count was in should be enough cause for serious scrutiny of all subsequent elections. This article does not address the less than virtuous strategies that Republican champions and their foot soldiers use throughout the course of a campaign or election. That will endure its own article.
Instead, it is about the right of an individual to run for office and the power held by the two-party system to stop that potential candidate.
In 2001, when power broker Terry McAuliffe took the reigns as Chairman of the DNC, the party had hit bottom, he told Washington Post reporter Thomas Edsall. “This party was demoralized in 2001." said McAullife. "People were madder than heck at the party. 'Why did we allow this to happen?' and 'Why didn't we fight harder?' . . . We went through a very tough time in 2002 after the midterm election."
He said “It was one of the darkest times in our party."
McAuliffe, or the Dem's "Comeback Kid", was returning to a high-ranking position in the center of the Democratic Party after a period of scandal over financial deals with political consequences. As the biggest fundraiser in the party, he intended to fully reclaim his power broker position with the Clintons at hand. He would devise a strategy to take back the White House and fiscally position the Democratic Party for the next 25 years. Desperate times call for desperate measures. DNC leaders committed to secure a win of the White House for the Democrats and specifically John Kerry. This effort included targeting several campaigns, including Al Gore's, as well as the other thorn in McAuliffe's side, Ralph Nader.
At the time, Nader was continuing to rankle the feathers of the Democratic Party by referring to the Democrats and the Republicans as “Tweedle-Dee” and “Tweedle-Dumb”, a sharp critique that stung the former more than the latter. Democrats resented Nader’s homogenization of the two-major parties; they recognized enormous differences between its policies and platform and that of the Republicans.
However, from Nader’s perspective, the Democrats nursed on corporate funds for its campaigns and had become too cautious and unimaginative to form a critical campaign against Bush. Nader had assured the Democratic candidate John Kerry that he would resist running if Kerry would take up at least three of his core issues. However, as the 2004 campaign continued, Kerry pursued a pro-war platform that failed to carry any of Nader's issues to the table or people. Nader felt compelled to run.
Private appeals from McAuliffe failed to dissuade Nader from running and a pre-planned attack on the Nader campaign ensued. His petitioners were harrassed by private investigators and intimidating letters were sent to discourage Nader volunteers, claiming that they would be held on felony charges if their signatures were proven false. After turning in the ballot petitions, the DNC, through operatives, besieged the Nader campaign with a suite of 24 lawsuits in 18 states and 5 FEC complaints, initiated within a 12 week period.
While many of the cases and all the FEC complaints were dismissed, the unfounded suits did succeed in bankrupting and exhausting the resources of the campaign and forced Nader and running mate, Peter Camejo off five state ballots. Assisted by the corporate media, the continuing tar and feathering of Nader as “spoiler” has done immense harm to his public reputation , though Nader himself seems to bare the dent in his armour well.
Pennsylvania is home to the most egregious lawsuit, where, aside from getting kicked off the ballot, the court, without legal precedent, charged a heavy personal legal fee of $82,000 for administration costs of counting signatures to Nader and Camejo. No court has ever allowed the legal fees of the plaintiff to be passed along to a candidate before; it set a dangerous precedent for third party candidates who are generally campaigning on little to no dollars. Additionally, the Pennsylvania legislature has increased the number of signatures required for a third party or Independent candidate up from 27,000 to 67,000 while the Democrats and Republicans are still only required to collect 2000. As each signature costs about a dollar to collect by an independent contractor, this puts the third party and independent candidates at a significant disadvantage.
The fundamental unfairness of such extreme differences in ballot access should shock us, yet it gets little media attention. Even in Naomi Wolf’s recent book “10 Steps Towards Fascism”, ballot access does not emerge as a step towards shutting down our democracy because it happens so invisibly, before dissenting voices can enter the electoral system for public consideration.
Petitions to appear on the ballot have been attacked before, but nothing like what happened to Nader in 2004, according to Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News. Winger, a political scientist, has been closely observing ballot access issues for over 40 years.
“The Democratic Party tried to keep various minor party and independent presidential candidates off at least a few ballots in 1936, 1948, 1976, 1980...but in 4 cases, the targeted candidate never ran for president again.,” Winger said. “Nader's treatment in 2004 was uniquely bad.”
Nader has spent the better part of the last two years recruiting a pro-bono lawyer staff in preparation for his 2008 run. His bold parry? A surprise countersuit against the DNC, the Kerry/Edwards campaign and Kerry personally, in which Nader claims that leaders within the DNC used malicious and frivolous law suits to obstruct his 2004 campaign.
Hall remembers hearing about the DNC led ballot access lawsuits as they began. He felt shocked that a major party used legal maneuvers to attack an individual candidate. He said that the media failed to cover the details of the story. "It’s been a disappointment to me. I work for Ralph Nader. I obviously have a perspective. But look, the facts are out there, if you can’t report that, then there’s a problem." He continued, "It’s really remarkable that every major newspaper covered the story but almost none of them broached the subject."
The point of the counter suit is not so much about extracting money from the DNC leaders, though Nader would put rewards toward fighting for a reasonable nationalized federal ballot access law for third parties and independent candidates. Nader would also return to Peter Camejo, his 2004 running mate the $20,000 portion of the legal fees levied against the campaign. The point of this lawsuit is to bring this issue of ballot access up at a time when his Presidential run provides some spotlight in the mainstream media and helps shield the 2008 campaign from refreshed attacks and there is still time for the Democrats to implement electoral solutions to the "spoiler" effect, like Instant Runoff Voting, an electoral system that allows the voter to rank their votes and thereby reduce the effects of the winner-take-all, less of two-evils system currently in place.
This case is currently being considered by a judge in the Washington DC District Court. “But there's no telling how long that will take,” said Hall. “The status is, we filed the complaint, the defendants filed motions to dismiss (mainly arguing that we failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted), we have opposed those motions, and now the judge has to rule.”
“It’s too late, and too little,” said McAuliffe’s lawyer, John H. Young, who asked the judge to dismiss the case on the grounds that, as the election was over, the case was moot. He argued that the case had gone beyond the statute of limitations and should be dismissed.
Nader’s lawyer, Hall said the statute of limitations should not apply because the defendants conspired beyond the 2004 election to conceal their role in keeping Nader off the ballot. It was not until after the elections, Hall said, that Nader learned about the loose relationship between the Democratic Party and lawyers working with the Ballot Project Inc., an organization directed by Raikin that was formed to keep Nader off state ballots in 2004.
Young said that in the heated atmosphere of the general election it was ridiculous to think that the efforts to neutralize Nader were concealed; the frivolous lawsuits were merely a tactical means to a practical end.
Winger said, “The fact that Peter Camejo did pay over $20,000 to the people who challenged the Nader-Camejo petition in 2004 keeps the Democrats from saying Nader and people associated with his 2004 campaign haven't suffered any concrete harm. I think it will go to trial.”
On April 5, 2008, Hall filed a federal civil rights claims supported by newly discovered evidence that employees of the state of Pennsylvania participated in the DNC leadership effort to keep Nader-Camejo off the ballot in that state. “If so,” said Hall, “that would be illegal, and it would also considerably support the "state action" element of our civil rights claims.” Hall expects there will be a new round of motions to dismiss based on that complaint.
“Nader has upped his tactics. The DNC will do the same,” speculated Cat Woods, a Nader supporter and former Green Party Co-Chair of the National Candidates and Campaign Committee.
Nader seems to be prepared to meet them in this upcoming election, warning the DNC leaders, "Don't try to get into the briar patch of frivolous lawsuits to try to get us to lay off (running), because you're going to get thorns. It's going to backfire."
Should the Democrats try to obstruct Nader's ballot access this time, more trained eyes are watching. And running mate, Matt Gonzalez, who is a civil rights attorney, will be at hand to fight alongside the aged but tireless knight. Gonzalaz oversaw the implementation of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in San Francisco, which has received favorable response from voters. While not in itself perfect, IRV does take away the manipulative power of a winner-take-all system. Though IRV and other ranked voting systems are in place in municipalities and even other countries, Democratic and Republican legislators currently in power in the U.S. are reluctant to approve measures which might increase competition for themselves.
###
(There are currently 10 pending ballot access lawsuits across the nation, with a few more in the works, according to Winger. Some of these lawsuits represent coalitions between presumed odd bedfellows like Libertarians and Greens, who nonetheless share a value for the Constitution, decentralization, and getting out of Iraq; others are led by individual candidates. )
References:
Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition
McAuliffe is Dem’s Comeback Kid
CNN - Wolf Blitzer interview with Ralph Nader, 11/2/07
Phillyblog.com DNC and Nader
Nader vs. DNC
Civil Lawsuit
ACLU Takes On Montana Ballot Access Bill
Lawyers ask federal judge to approve Nader lawsuit against former DNC chairman
MSNBC - 2004
John Murphy Account
Democracy Now Interview of Nader lawyer, Carl Mayer
Amy Goodman, Democracy NOW! Covers Ground in Bay Area
Host of "Democracy NOW!" Amy Goodman has been touring Northern California for the last couple of days.
Today's show featured Nader's Vice-Presidential running mate Matt Gonzalez who had some comments on the CBS Democratic Debate held on Wednesday. He hopes that Nader will be allowed into the debates so that issues which are not currently addressed by the two major parties, like living wage, and election reform solutions like Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) would get some attention from the public. He expects that if people could hear Nader, many would be persuaded to consider him.
Also, Lawrence Lessig, law professor at Stanford comments on Net Neutrality and its significance to growing democracy in a corporate media world. He sees the trafficking influence of service providers as a threat to a system that has, until recently, spawned the development of democracy in other nations as well as our own.
Today's show featured Nader's Vice-Presidential running mate Matt Gonzalez who had some comments on the CBS Democratic Debate held on Wednesday. He hopes that Nader will be allowed into the debates so that issues which are not currently addressed by the two major parties, like living wage, and election reform solutions like Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) would get some attention from the public. He expects that if people could hear Nader, many would be persuaded to consider him.
Also, Lawrence Lessig, law professor at Stanford comments on Net Neutrality and its significance to growing democracy in a corporate media world. He sees the trafficking influence of service providers as a threat to a system that has, until recently, spawned the development of democracy in other nations as well as our own.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Nader Charges Citizens to Tackle Politics Head On, No Seatbelts Required
"How do you satire a satire?" Nader asks in this hour long video address (which starts about half way through the clip), before an applauding crowd at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on April 5. Suffering a little campaign fatigue but showing no intent to let up his opposition to this "Whitehouse marininated in oil" or this Congress, the orator eloquently rises and delivers his impassioned and concerned appeal for greater citizen participation in politics.
"Are we a serious people requiring our members of Congress, 535 members who put their shoes on every monring like we do, to stand tall for the major framework of law and justice in our country, the US Constitution?”
His begins with a call for the impeachment of President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney; Nader has long called for their impeachment. However, he trains his eyes on the Democratic Congress and assails it for abdicating its responsibility to impeach “the most impeachable President.” He remarks, “There’s something deficient in the DNA character of the Democratic Party.”
He then talks about the media, whom he finds to be derelict, more fascinated with interpreting the latest gaff between candidates and manufacturing gossip than in pressing for greater depth.
He also has a word for lawyers, some 800,000 of whom he would like to see out there in droves defending the Constitution, but for one reason or another have excused themselves. “We give lawyers the privilege of monopolizing access to the courts, that privilege comes with a responsibility to defend the public interest, especially in such dire times.”
Finally, Nader calls upon individuals to awaken our civic mindedness and get involved. “Unless we develop the civic personality that gets us really upset to break with our routines, to connect with our neighbors and communities, to do what we didn't think we were capable of doing, to develop our civic talents, we will simply watch this country of ours continue to slide into the abyss under the domination of a two party duopoly that excludes competition and turns our government over to giant corporations. These giant corporations are now THE government.”
He likened the spirit of citizen watchdogs to that of birdwatchers. He hopes that we all turn an eye to our legislators and learn what they are doing and set high expectations on their conduct. If someone in one part of the country sees something, then a whole flock of activists can look at it. And if that bird should land on the Capitol Dome, the watchers will follow.
In conclusion, he quotes the philosopher Cicero, "Freedom is participation in power." As always, go forward.
"Are we a serious people requiring our members of Congress, 535 members who put their shoes on every monring like we do, to stand tall for the major framework of law and justice in our country, the US Constitution?”
His begins with a call for the impeachment of President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney; Nader has long called for their impeachment. However, he trains his eyes on the Democratic Congress and assails it for abdicating its responsibility to impeach “the most impeachable President.” He remarks, “There’s something deficient in the DNA character of the Democratic Party.”
He then talks about the media, whom he finds to be derelict, more fascinated with interpreting the latest gaff between candidates and manufacturing gossip than in pressing for greater depth.
He also has a word for lawyers, some 800,000 of whom he would like to see out there in droves defending the Constitution, but for one reason or another have excused themselves. “We give lawyers the privilege of monopolizing access to the courts, that privilege comes with a responsibility to defend the public interest, especially in such dire times.”
Finally, Nader calls upon individuals to awaken our civic mindedness and get involved. “Unless we develop the civic personality that gets us really upset to break with our routines, to connect with our neighbors and communities, to do what we didn't think we were capable of doing, to develop our civic talents, we will simply watch this country of ours continue to slide into the abyss under the domination of a two party duopoly that excludes competition and turns our government over to giant corporations. These giant corporations are now THE government.”
He likened the spirit of citizen watchdogs to that of birdwatchers. He hopes that we all turn an eye to our legislators and learn what they are doing and set high expectations on their conduct. If someone in one part of the country sees something, then a whole flock of activists can look at it. And if that bird should land on the Capitol Dome, the watchers will follow.
In conclusion, he quotes the philosopher Cicero, "Freedom is participation in power." As always, go forward.
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