Poll shows Nader at 6%, with Bush/ Kerry tied
In the first poll since John Kerry locked up the Democratic nomination, Kerry and President Bush are tied while independent Ralph Nader has captured enough support to affect the outcome, validating Democrats’ fears.
It’s a long way to November, so predictions are a bit silly at this point. It occurs to me that if the Dems want that 6% then they can jolly well tilt to the left and grab it. Or maybe Nader, who has hinted he might throw support to the Dems if it was crunch-time, will ask for something in return, something public, like a high level governmental posts for environmentalists, that sort of thing. However Nader has said he expects the Democrat to win and the race not to be close.
Nader can take the heat, he’s been doing it for 40 years against overwhelming opposition. I’m not sure the Green Party and their candidate, whoever that will be – probably David Cobb – will be able to withstand the sustained withering attacks they will face in the coming months.
Cobb favors a “safe states” strategy which means he won’t run in swing states, in effect ceding votes to the Democrats. Thus, he gives away any bargaining chips Greens might have with the Dems should crunch time happen and the Dems need a Green endorsement. You bet they might deal then, but with “safe states”, they don’t have to deal, because Cobb early on will have already given them everything they want. Which, in a word, is “dumb”.
There’s little internal agreement among Greens about what they should do in 2004, and this this lack of unity will not help in their coming presidential campaign.
As for Nader, if the Dems want that 6%, I suggest they appeal to those voters, not attack them.