Tao of Pauly

Wednesday's Politico Roundup: Ides of March Madness & Nader Time

The NY Times suggested that Nader's presidential bid will be Kerry's downfall. Here's a bit:

The candidacy of Ralph Nader looms as a potentially lethal threat to Democratic hopes of regaining the White House: With Mr. Nader in the race, Mr. Bush leads Mr. Kerry by 46 percent to 38 percent, with Mr. Nader drawing 7 percent of the votes. In a sign of the polarized electorate Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry are facing, three-quarters of supporters of each candidate asserted they would not change their mind before the election.

For more Ralph Nader press, be sure to check out Anti-Nader Media Bias is written by by Matthew Continetti and he thinks that no one is being harder on Ralph Nader than the media.

IT'S NO EXAGGERATION to say that Ralph Nader's independent candidacy for president faces many hurdles. Nader isn't on the ballot yet--anywhere.... But chances are that Nader can clear most, if not all, of these hurdles... What's more, John Kerry's voting record, which includes "yes" votes for the invasion of Iraq, No Child Left Behind, and the Patriot Act, may drive some left-liberals to vote for Nader.

Still, there's one obstacle that Nader may find insurmountable: The media are almost uniformly critical of his campaign, and of him personally. This wasn't always the case. In 2000, when Nader announced he would seek the Green party's presidential nomination, news outlets were dismissive. Here's how the New York Times's Lizette Alvarez reported Nader's announcement four years ago: "Mr. Nader, 65, whose quest for the White House in 1996 earned him less than 1 percent of the vote . . . acknowledged he would face an uphill battle as the Green Party nominee."

But wait, there's more Nader news. The Nader Interview appeared in the Village Voice. He sounds off on immigration which I found interesting:

No incentives for brain-drain specialists that are needed in their own countries to replace our specialists at lower wages. Stop visas and incentives for scientists, engineers, medical doctors, and so forth. Second, stop supporting oligarchs and dictators who push people to our shores when they'd rather stay home—like in Mexico and Central America. Third is: Don't have an immigration policy that allows corporate employers to further exploit these workers. So if they are here and they are employed, they should get all the fair labor standards, minimum-wage protections. Then we should adopt a legal-permit system like Canada has for temporary work.

OK, let's get around to the rest of the DC hooligans. Bush challenged Kerry to name names and come out and say which European leaders are backing him. Can you say Le Frogs? In a random poll Bush scored well with young Americans aged 12-17.

And of course the latest buzz has been that Kerry wants to tap Senator John McCain as his VP nominee. Democratic Senator Joe Biden endorses a Kerry-McCain ticket. Will McCain jump parties? Or will Kerry have to settle on someone like John Edwards or Welsey Clark.

On the international front, following the 3.11 attacks, Spain's Socialist Party wins election and promises troop withdrawl from Iraq.

And one last parting shot, Marijuana Party is stoked for May 4th local elections. Make sure you visit their home page: U.S. Marijuana Party and the MRF of New York.