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October 30, 2007
Ralph Nader Sues Democratic Party
Consumer advocate and 2004 independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader sued the Democratic Party on Tuesday, contending officials conspired to keep him from taking votes away from nominee John Kerry. ** Nader's lawsuit, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court, also named as co-defendants Kerry's campaign, the Service Employees International Union and several so-called 527 organizations such as America Coming Together, which were created to promote voter turnout on behalf of the Democratic ticket. ** The lawsuit also alleges that the Democratic National Committee conspired to force Nader off the ballot in several states.
"The Democratic Party is going after anyone who presents a credible challenge to their monopoly over their perceived voters," Nader said in a statement. "This lawsuit was filed to help advance a free and open electoral process for all candidates and voters. Candidate rights and voter rights nourish each other for more voices, choices, and a more open and competitive democracy."
Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that the DNC tried to bankrupt Nader's campaign by suing to keep him off the ballot in 18 states. It also suggests the DNC sent Kerry supporters to crash a Nader petition drive in Portland, Ore., in June 2004, preventing him from collecting enough signatures to get on the ballot.
Posted by Post Scripts at October 30, 2007 11:18 PM
Comments
At the time of this election it was assumed by many this was exactly what was happening. I heard it on talk radio!
I'm sure there are many instances where this has happened to 2nd tier candidates because they can upset the vote. I'm not advocating this dirty tactic, but, in Nevada a popular Libertarian pulled just enough votes away to get liberal Harry Reid elected. This is why campaigns will resort to dirty tricks to knock out candidates who will take votes away from a potential front runner.
In many smaller state races we can see this played out by professional operatives of the "ordained" candidate (choosen by the incumbency) who regularly try to smear and destroy co-party challengers.
Politics is a rough and sometimes ruthless game, make no mistake about it!
I hope Nader gets satisfaction in court, but reality says he won't.
Posted by: Jack at October 31, 2007 10:53 AM