Presidential Geek Survey Diary – Day 237
Which one of you invited Ralph Nader to the party? Was it you, GOP? Are you hoping to split the Democratic vote so your candidate can ride in to the White House on a natty, three-legged steed born of the Electoral College and Supreme Court rulings?
Nader announced his third-party candidacy on Meet the Press this morning in a flurry of criticisms for Undead Grampers, B-Rock, and Hillary Clinton. They didn’t fully support Medicare. They didn’t crack down on Pentagon waste. They’ve allowed the military budget to get out of control.
Hillary Clinton responded to Nader’s announcement:
“Obviously, it’s not helpful to whomever our Democratic nominee is. But it’s a free country.”
B-Rock was a bit more diplomatic:
“In many ways he is a heroic figure and I don’t mean to diminish him. But I do think there is a sense now that if somebody is not hewing to the Ralph Nader agenda, then you must be lacking in some way.”
Mike Huckabbe noted that Nader pulls votes from Dems and stated the obvious:
“Naturally, Republicans would welcome his entry into the race.”
No word on John McCain’s response to the announcement, but one can surmise that he’s thrilled to no longer be the oldest candidate.
[nms:john mccain,1,0]
The Geek Survey welcomes his entry into the race, because it can never be ignored by too many candidates.
Score
Nader’s 5th: 1 Geeks: 0
Ugh. If I were him, I’d be embarrassed to run for president at this point. I’m all for third parties. At the same time, he’s become the butt of jokes. Is that any way to bring focus to the issues you care about? By having people take you less and less seriously?
I get the guy having the desire to give Americans another choice, but this isn’t like buying canned chili at the grocery store. This is an instance where having too many choices can really screw thing up for everyone.
I’m really hoping this doesn’t throw the general election. . .