Nader splits pulls evenly from Republican / Democrat vote in Florida

Two stories from Political Wire

Without a competitive primary, the American Research Group polled the general election ballot in Florida and found John Kerry is at 45%, President Bush is at 44%, and Ralph Nader is at 4%.

Interestingly, Republicans and Democrats “are just as likely to say they would vote for Nader.”

From a national AP poll.

Bush had 46 percent support, Kerry had 45 percent and Nader was at 6 percent. While Nader is drawing a significant percentage of the vote, he “is unlikely to get the Green Party’s nomination and he faces a stiff challenge in getting his name on the ballot in the 50 states.”

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Republican billionaire mayor favors gay marriage!

NYC mayor want state to legalize same-sex marriage

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has refused in his two years in office to disclose his personal views on gay and lesbian marriage, told 80 journalists at a lesbian and gay fund-raising dinner in Manhattan Thursday night that he favored changing state law to legalize same-sex unions,

It’s clear that since even mainstream Republicans like Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger are now favoring gay marriage, that Bush’s attempt to get a constitutional amendment banning it will blow up in his face. Of course, he has to do it in order to keep his loony right flank pacified, but doing so may cost him dearly with mainstream voters.

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Haiti

Molly Ivins, as usual, hits the target dead-on.

Anyone see any reason to think Haiti will be better off without Jean-Bertrand Aristide? Just another little gift from the Bush foreign policy team, straight out of the whacko-right playbook.

Jesse Helms always did think Aristide was another Fidel, not being able to distinguish between a Catholic and a communist. We know the main armed opposition group is a bunch of thugs and that they have been joined by old Duvalierists, including members of the Tonton Macoutes, the infamous torturers.

The Bush administration wanted this to happen — it held up $500 million worth of humanitarian aid from the United States, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and International Monetary Fund. Without U.S. or multilateral help, the country spiraled downward.

So here we are, reduced to hoping for the best again.

Meanwhile, thousands of Aristide supporters pour into streets. “Crowds call U.S. President a ‘terrorist”

And some union-busting under cover of rebellion.

On Monday this week, 34 textile workers in northeast Haiti, members of a union, were fired.  The next day, as fellow workers moved to take action in their defense, armed “rebel” forces arrived at the factory — invited there by management.  Some workers were handcuffed.  Others were beaten up.  The remaining workers were terrorized into returning to work.

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Chavez tells U.S.: ‘Get your hands off Venezuela!’

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told the United States on Friday to “get its hands off Venezuela” as he accused Washington of backing a wave of opposition protests seeking a recall vote against him.

In related news, the Venezuela opposition has abandoned their attempt to recall Chavez.

Chavez has survived a coup attempt, a recall attempt, seems more popular than ever - all the while loudly denouncing the machinations of Bush and gang. This is one tough, smart hombre.

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