Nader Did Not "Steal" Votes Or "Spoil" The 2000 Election

[Solidarity]

In another string "IHaveADream" wrote:

"Obviously any vote that IS NOT FOR JOHN KERRY is a VOTE FOR BUSH.
It is that plain and simple."

That's just too plain, too simple and simply not logical or true.

Were the 400,000 votes cast for Patrick Buchanan in 2000 actually votes for Bush? Or does that twisted logic consider them votes for Gore? And how about all the votes cast for the Libertarian, socialist and other candidates in 2000? Were they also votes for Bush or perhaps Gore?

In 1976, I voted for a 3rd Party presidential candidate because I didn't like Gerald Ford or Jimmy Carter. Now tell me if I voted for Ford or for Carter according to that logic. Perhaps we should flip a coin to determine which candidate I really voted for!

Candidates do not steal votes from other candidates. However, the Supreme Court does steal elections as they proved when Bush was appointed President.

Candidates have to convince voters to support them. In the 2000 election Gore failed to convince 7 million registered Democrats to vote for him .... they voted for Bush. And he failed to convince about 3 million Nader voters to support his campaign. Now tell me that was Ralph Nader's "fault".

I'm sure that Gore did convince many Nader supporters to vote for the Democratic ticket once they got to the ballot box. How many? I don't know but I'm sure it must be at least hundreds of thousands.

Assuming that's true, perhaps someone has done the research and can tell me how many votes Gore "stole" from Nader. If Gore hadn't been on the ballot Nader could have received tens of millions of votes!

So let's get off this "spoiling" and "stealing" elections nonsense and have a civil discussion on this issue. No need to flame here like a freeper.

[FrankBooth]

1. Wrong.

But go ahead and continue to delude yourself with your absolutist idealism.

[trumad]

2. If you vote for Nader

then you're a fucking idiot.... NUFF SAID

[David Dunham]

3. 70,000 votes for Nader in Florida "elected" Bush. No question about it.

[TheBlob]

16. Actually, it was over 97,000 votes n/t

[mzmolly]

4. Perhaps, but he lied and he's a hypocrite.

:shrug:

And, he's got no chance at beating *. Next....

[qb]

19. I agree. Nader lies like Bush.

1. Dems = Repugs
2. I'll take more votes from Bush than Kerry
3. I did not have sex with that man, Karl Rove.

[Skittles]

5. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Blue-Jay]

10. Best post today!

Thanks, Skittles!

And might I add, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[LoZoccolo]

6. I got to this part and stopped reading.

Were the 400,000 votes cast for Patrick Buchanan in 2000 actually votes for Bush? Or does that twisted logic consider them votes for Gore? And how about all the votes cast for the Libertarian, socialist and other candidates in 2000? Were they also votes for Bush or perhaps Gore?

It's a matter of using my time productively.

[rangerfan]

7. So much for your request not to flame like a freeper.

Personally I think you have a point.

[drthais]

8. ok, fine

let get off the 'spoiling and stealing' nonsense
in regard to those who did or did not
vote for whoever in 2000

we can, instead, begin a discussion
of the plans for the 'spoiling and stealing'
of THIS years election
through Diebold electronic voting machines

you up on THAT one?

[Solidarity]

21. Good Point

Good point. I am up on that one and that is something we all need to be concerned about.

[lovedems]

9. Umm....I don't think you should be calling out other posters

and starting a thread to disagree with them.

Nader is not liked on this message board for good reason. I can't believe you want to pick a fight and then call people who disagree with you freepers.

:shrug:

[Zero Gravitas]

11. A Vote For Nader Is A Vote For Bush

[mrgorth]

12. Any vote not for Kerry IS a vote for Bush

and I'm not even that partisan. We have to get Bush out.

[QC]

13. Nader was one factor among many.

The fact that he was not the *only* factor in handing Florida to Bush does not mean that he had nothing to do with it.

So the argument that Nader is in no way responsible for what happened is just as flawed as the argument that he is singlehandedly responsible.

[lancdem]

15. Good post

In 2000, Nader promised not to get on the ballot in states where he might keep Gore from winning. He broke that promise.

[Bridget Burke]

14. Nader did his part.

And how did you come up with the name "Solidarity"?

[Cheswick2.0]

17. he spoiled the election. He did it on purpose. He said so.

He lied about Gore and his policy plans. He convinced a lot of gullible voters and discouraged alot of swing voters.

He is partially respponsible for what happened in 2000 and he was happy about it.

[Mattforclark]

18. exit polls indicate

that if Nader had not been in the race, Gore would have won not only the popular vote, but the electoral college.

Hence, it is fair to say that Nader cost Gore the election.

[Mountainman]

20. The thinking is that if Nader hadn't run Gore would have gotten enough

votes to win both the popular vote and the electoral college vote.

I heard that 900,000 votes cast in FL went to Nader. If he was not on the ballot Gore would have gotten enough of those 90,000 votes to beat Bush there.

If those facts are correct, I can't see how it can be said that Nader didn't cost Gore the election or didn't help Bush.

I think that to say Nader's running didn't help put Bush in the White House is really sticking your head up your butt!

[VOX]

22. Take a REALLY good look at what happened in Hew Hampshire in 2000...

In 2000, George W. Bush defeated Gore in New Hampshire by only 7,211 votes. Nader came in third with mare than 22,000 votes. It's no big stretch to comprehend that, of those 22,000 votes for Nader, at least 7,212 might have voted for Gore if they truly understood the consequences of a Bush pResidency.

Had Gore won New Hampshire he would have won the White House (without Florida).

[IHaveADream]

23. I stand by my statement .

Any vote that is not for John Kerry is a vote for bush.

This is the real world. Real people are dying. Our country is really hated now. We need to heal our country and the world.

The only way we can heal our country is to cast a vote for John Kerry.

[Lexingtonian]

24. Gee, thanks for the flamebait

Soon we're going to have to start charging people who start threads with this topic $50 per response.

[Skinner]

25. I'm locking this thread.

No calling out of other members.

(Suggestion: If you want to respond to someone's post, consider doing so in the thread where they actually make that post.)