This is an email to a friend that I wrote in response to an article urging Nader voters to vote for Gore.

Subject: Re: ACTION: Nader Raiding: Far Too Close for Comfort (fwd)
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000 13:21:16 -0500 (CDT)

First of all it is important to remember that this campaign to smear
Nader in swing states is being driven by the
Democrats. MoveOn.org/MoveOn.com was founded in February to raise
funds for Democrats, it is hardly _the_ internet activist voter's
group.

Second of all the logic is fundamentally flawed and its a real shame
the national media has no clue in uncovering this. At least half of
Ralph Nader's supporters are former Perot voters or voters who would
otherwise not vote at all or would choose another third party
candidate. These are voters who are sufficiently pissed
of/disillusioned with the system that they would not vote for Gore
even if Nader dropped out of the race.

Third of all Nader _never_ swore to not campaign in states where the
race was close. Some centrist Nader-ites _hoped_ that he would not
campaign there but Nader or his campaign never made that promise. So
thats one outright lie right there.

I'm going to stop numbering these because there are too many lies. The
"gonadal politics" line was from Nader's 1996 campaign when he _did_
in fact drop out of the race and support Clinton because he wasn't
prepared to run a real presidential race. He used the phrase _once_ 4
years ago and the Democrats have been dragging it out ever since
then. The real point of that line was that he thought such issues as
gay marriage and pro-choice were _duh_ issues, of _course_ women
should have the right to choose, of _course_ gay couples should be
able to marry, lets move on to the real meaty issues of corporate
control of politics. When the media only gives him 30 seconds of air
time he's gotta focus on what he thinks is most important and he feels
these simple issues are a smoke screen used to distract americans from
the more pressing issues of corporate control (because that corporate
control is controling these other issues).

If anyone _really_ listened to him _this_ election they'd know that if
confronted with "differences" between Gore and Bush on reproductive
rights that Nader would point out Gore's 84% pro-life rating as a
congressman, Gore's support for Justice Scalia while a Senator,
Leibermans staunch support for Justice Thomas while a Senator, and the
fact that less than 90% of the abotion clinics open in 1992 are open
now. Nader is unabashedly 100% pro-choice, 100% in favor of NOW's
complete platform for women, 100% in favor of gay marriage. He always
has been. While we're pulling old quotes out of the closet, Gore once
called gays and lesbians "sexually abnormal" and frequently voted for
bills that explicitly abridged gay rights. I could write a book on
this subject but luckily Alexander Cockburn and Jeffery St. Clair
already have.

I have to crack up and _die_ when they say "Winona LaDuke" has been
invisible on the campaign trail these days. Just because the media
isn't on the campaign trail covering her doesn't mean she is not
there. She's been TOURING WITH the Indigo Girls (as she's been doing
 every couple years for the last 8 years) in the Honor the Earth tour
which she organized, stumping for Nader all the way. She's been at
every Super Rally that doesn't conflict with the Honor the Earth
tour. She has made numerous radio appearances. Every time she talks
she is _wickedly_ radical. She's so radical it makes me want to cry
with tears of joy. The Nader campaign is _not_ shutting down her
voice. Her views are featured verbatim on several issues on Nader's
website. I wish the media would cover Winona more. 

Regarding the RNC ads, how is this any different than the DNC running
ads against Nader. Both sides are using Nader as a pawn and Nader
doesn't endorse _either_ side's tactics. The first amendment protects
the DNC and RNC and allows them to run ads for or against Nader as
they choose. This red herring has _nothing_ to do with Nader's views
and _really_ only shows clearly how coniving as amoral the 2 major
parties are. That the DNC would spend resources attacking a man they
supposedly mostly agree with, and the RNC would spend resources
_supporting_ him is ludicrous and shows that they will say _anything_
to win an election. Thus nothing they say can be trusted. Gore can not
be trusted to protect women, the environment, the working class, the
poor, minorities, gays and lesbians, or anyone but the folks who fill
his coffers.

If Al Gore wants to get elected he should go out and earn some more
votes. If he loses because he refuses to campaign on progressive
issues then he's an idiot and fully to blame, not Nader voters, not
Nader. Nader gives him all the chance in the world to behave like a
progressive. Nader has issued a million challenges for Al Gore to _do_
thing while in the white house or to _respond_ to various alegations
and Gore has chosen to ignore them.

The only thing politicians listen to is votes and money. If they can
use their money to steal Nader's votes then they will never listen to
our concerns, they will listen to the concerns of those providing the
money.

Finally another mathematical/logical point. If they are really
expecting a republican congress then that in itself should show that
Bush would win regardless of Nader. If Nader is the only thing taking
votes from the Democrats then he should be _helping_ with the effort
to regain the house. Nader is bringing more non-voters to the ballot
box than anyone else and they'll probably for lack of anything better
to do vote for democrats for congress.

Argh I'm a pirate. 

-- 
Zachary C. Miller - Go We Go - http://zach.chambana.net/ - @=
IMSA 1995 - UIUC 2000 - Just Another Leftist Muppet
  Social Justice, Community, Nonviolence, Decentralisation,
  Sustainability, Feminism, Responsibility, Diversity, Democracy,
  Ecology - http://www.greens.org - http://www.votenader.org