Among the debate topics: Should Ralph run for president? The participants: Howard Dean and a candidate who always has an opinion on the subject -- independent Ralph Nader.
Dean, the former Democratic presidential hopeful who attracted legions of liberal followers before his bid fizzled out, will debate Nader for 90 minutes on July 9 before a studio audience.
National Public Radio's weekly program "Justice Talking" is sponsoring the debate, and correspondent Margot Adler will moderate.
Dean has been urging his supporters not to back Nader, but to stay within the Democratic fold and vote for John Kerry,
"I am anxious to debate Ralph Nader in order to speak about why he wants to run for president," Dean said in a statement. "This is the most important election in my lifetime and a third party candidate could make a difference -- this November and for years to come."
July 01, 2004
And Now, The CAGEMATCH!!!
Dean vs. Nader on whether or not Nader should be running. This could be interesting. Via Pandagon:
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In 2000, a vote for Nader was more an expression of one's support for the Green party and dissatisfaction with the moderate leadership of the Democratic party than a serious call for a Nader presidency. The schism between Nader and the Green party means a vote for him this time around will not help build a progressive movement; and his behaviour has made me question whether he is even someone I would want to be president.
Besides, what kind of progressive wants to risk Bush getting another four years to run this planet into the ground? Every indication says this is going to be an extremely close election, even with Fahrenheit 9/11.
I still think that Nader might drop out in October and is only in this to keep Kerry honest on the issues and keep said issues in the public discourse. The further in we get the more I'm starting to have doubts about it, but his recent endorsement of John Edwards for VP is encourageing. Edwards is far from an ideal choice for Nader if he was choosing based on policy, but he does look like the guy in field most likely to help Kerry's numbers.
And ultimately, I don't think Nader's going to pull anywhere near the ~4% he got in 2000. He's getting on the ballots based on Republican signitures, but those Republicans aren't going to vote Nader in the election. Sure, he'll pick up some random voters that just see him on the ballot, but I really find it hard to believe that any significant number of people will just casually vote Nader. If you're far enough left to consider voting Nader this time around you're almost certainly either a hardcore Naderite or you see him as a threat to a Kerry election. I don't think there are too many ambivalent lefties this time around.
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