Nader: I'm surprised Kucinich endorsed Obama, the antithesis of Kucinich

[MalloyLiberal]

On Thom Hartmann (who voted for Nader in 2000)

[MethuenProgressive]

1. Kucinich is no Nader.

Nader never sold out.

[Kokonoe]

4. Nader sold out.

[Sparkly]

7. Nader never sold out because Nader never got in.

He doesn't work within the Democratic party; he just looks in from the outside and yells about how terrible it is.

What he knows about winning elections and governing is about as much as the Chimp knows about science.

[comradebillyboy]

11. Nader is like a seagull; he flies in, squawks,

shits on every thing squawks some more and flies away.

Didn't realize Kucinich needed Nader's blessing on who he endorsed.

[blondeatlast]

29. He seems to only feed every four years or so.

He's a strange bird indeed.

[MethuenProgressive]

12. I didn't like where Nader stood, but I was certain he never flip like Dennis has.

Dennis, when push came to shove, turned out to be just another politician.

[skipos]

2. And Nader is now endorsing a guy he worked to defeat in 2004

People change.

[mike_c]

3. as a Kucinich supporter, I'm shocked too...

...and would never support Obama instead. I suppose this has something to do with Iowa caucus strategies, but I still think it's a bad idea.

[LWolf]

8. Exactly.

While I'm sure this is an Iowa caucus strategy, I think it's going to work against Dennis in the long run, because I agree with Nader on this: Obama IS the antithesis of Kucinich. Dennis even seems to acknowledge that with the "one thing in common" remark.

[flvegan]

15. It's a shot at Hillary.

And with the current bad blood between he and Edwards, it doesn't surprise me.

Hillary is the most un-Kucinich like candidate.

[info being]

18. Me too. I vow to never send any more money to DK

Too bad I did just weeks ago. Edwards is my guy now.

[Seabiscuit]

20. I finally hit the "unsubscribe" button on the latest Kucinich message in my e-mail inbox.

[rodeodance]

5. I agree with Nadar on this point. It surprized me also.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. agree. nt

[Seabiscuit]

21. I'm not surprised. I'm shocked. Dumbfounded. Thoroughly disillusioned.

I'm beginning to think Dennis really lives in Fantasyland, and is losing all touch with reality.

[Kokonoe]

25. I was in an accident in a Corvair as a child, the axle broke in half.

Everyone knew the car was a piece of shit. Everyone knew. The joke by my discovered relatives was to send my step dad on directions to see unknown family cousins. The upper michigan road drove up a hill 20 feet then down 20 feet. Up and down up and down, then up 30 feet and down. Finally the axle just broke in half. His first book that made him so popular was just an inside joke.

[LoZoccolo]

9. FUCK NADER! n/t

[MalloyLiberal]

10. What a comeback..too bad Nader is right

[still_one]

16. Nader who? About as significant as Alan Keys in my view /nt

[still_one]

13. Because the system is what it is, the reality is the nominee will be one of the top 3

leading Democratic nominees:

Obama, Edwards, or Clinton

Out of all those candidates he choose the only candidate in that group who was against the IWR

Yes, Edwards has come out and said it was a mistake, and Clinton is much more evasive on the issue, but the fact is, it was still a bad judgement on their part concerning a significant issue

Obama is a Constitutional EXPERT, and that may have also had something to do with the Kucinich endorsement

More likely it is due to who has the best chance to beat Hillary in Iowa though, and at this moment in time, it is Obama

[MalloyLiberal]

14. OBAMA still funded the war as Kucinich criticized him

[still_one]

23. That may be, but that would never have ended the war, not enough votes

and it WOULD be used against him with the independents

If they REALLY want to end the war, legislation should be produced to repeal the IWR, which would then cause the war powers act to kick in, and thus Congress would then have the power to remove the troops out of Iraq without cutting funding which would play as not wanting to protect the troopsl, and I am convienced that is how the MSM would play it, and the idiots in this country would believe it.

They believed the crap about bush protecting the U.S. from another 9/11, they would also believe the crap that Obama or whoever voted against "troop funding" was trying to not protect the troops

Yes, I know the reality is that bringing them home is the WAY to protect the troops, but until we have full control of Congress we don't have a chance, and the stupidity of the American public has turned enough yet. Hopefully 2008 will represent that shift

[John Q. Citizen]

26. And Edwards is the antithesis of Nadar. So what? I'm not a bit surprised that

Kucinich asked supporters to cast their second round vote for Obama in the event that he doesn't make the cut (15%) in a given caucus.

Dennis is trying to get into that top 3 position. His most likely rival, in terms of voters, is Edwards, they are fighting for the same voters in much the way that Obama and Clintion are fighting for the same voters.

I don't see it as any big thing. It's the exact same reason Nadar endorsed Edwards. Think about it.

[still_one]

28. I am not sure if I agree that Edwards or for that matter Obama is the antithesis of Nader

I thought on environmental issues they are all pretty in sync

Other issues are debatable, but I don't think antithesis is necessarily the right way to describe the differences

[MalloyLiberal]

32. Nader sure tihnks Obama is

[Le Taz Hot]

27. I am sick to death of the

"Obama was against the war from the beginning" crap. He wasn't even in the Senate at the time and his mentor is Joe Lieberman, for goddess' sake. I don't, for one second, believe he would have voted "No" on the IWR. He sure as hell keeps voting to continue funding. This guy is getting his orders from the DLC and if you think the DLC gives a shit as to which one of their patsies gets the nomination, I have news for you, they don't!

[still_one]

30. You don't believe for a second he would have voted "no" on the IWR? He critisized it at the time

Why would he critisize it unless he was against it?

Removing funding is political suicide. The way to end the frickn' war is repeal the IWR, which right now doesn't have the votes, as does removing funding for the war.

If you can't get the majority in Congress and the White House, then it is a moot point

If you are upset with the top three leading candidates then vote someone else, but the reality is that the nominee WILL be one of them, and it will come down in 2008 between one of them and the republican candidate, and if you don't think there is a difference between ANY of our candidates verses the republicans, then you should vote for another party

Incidently, he didn't vote for the Iran War vote because he was campaigning, but said he was against it. You probably don't believe that either

The fact is Obama is Constitutional EXPERT, and knows that the IWR was a violation of the War Powers Act, and gave the power to wage war to the executive branch with no Congressional oversight. The crap about Congress can stop funding, would NOT stop the war, that is a joke.

[RufusTFirefly]

17. I'm surprised (and disappointed) too

No doubt it's some arcane political calculus. And it may even work. But it doesn't look good.

[IronLionZion]

19. What were Kooch's reasons? I missed it.

Anyone have a link?

[KaptBunnyPants]

22. It makes tactical sense.

Edwards is the most liberal choice of the front runners. If he doesn't win Iowa, he probably can't win the election. Kucinich wants to knock Edwards out now in order to gain the votes of people who would otherwise vote for the more "electable" choice. He did this the last election too, throwing his support to a more conservative version of Edwards in 2004 to eliminate the Left-wing darling Dean.

[knight_of_the_star]

34. It didn't work then though

And I doubt it will work now. For all the tactical maneuvering Kucinich may have attributed to him now his lack of campaign machinery and ground game in Iowa is going to leave him out in the cold no matter what he does.

[Imagevision]

24. Nader, the most single-handed person to get Bush elected, (twice)

and this putz listens to those who dictate to get him him to sway a vote!

[ronnykmarshall]

31. Oh NO!

Dennis has upset the all self important Santa Ralph!

He going to send a caravan of Corvairs to follow Dennis' every move!

[Stop Cornyn]

33. kick

[Festivito]

35. Didn't look like "endorsement" to me. (We both want change..)

Not: "I support him" not: "I endorse him" Just, we both agree on ONE POINT.

Yes, he did strongly go on to give Obama second place to himself, an arguably strategic second vote for which Dennis could get onto debates and could place him in position to win, if if if...

I would love to have seen Edwards/Kucinich. Who knows. Time heals. We'll see.

[Czolgosz]

36. kick