Dems Wary as Republicans Boost Nader
July 24, 2004 -- Consumer advocate Ralph Nader's quixotic presidential campaign says it submitted about 5,400 signatures to get on the Michigan ballot, far short of the required number of 30,000. Luckily for him, approximately 43,000 signatures were filed by Michigan Republicans on his behalf, more than meeting the requirement.
This week in Michigan, state Democrats filed a complaint to challenge a majority of those signatures, which they say are invalid. It is one chapter in an odd but potentially history-altering side story of this presidential election: Pro-Nader Republicans and anti-Nader Democrats may now be waging more aggressive Nader campaigns than even Nader's own effort.
‘You Are All Invited’
At an Oregon campaign event on June 26, Nader told the crowd, "You are invited here whether you are a Democrat, a Green, a libertarian, independent, a Republican; you are all invited."
Many Republicans didn't need the invitation and were already working hard to help Nader's signature drives to get on state ballots.
The Michigan Republican Party volunteers out circulating petitions two weeks ago, however, do not want Nader to be president. Rather, they hope Nader will siphon off votes from John Kerry to ensure President Bush's re-election. Nader could have rejected those GOP-obtained signatures, but the deadline to do so passed at 4 p.m. Monday with no protest from him or his campaign.
Just as aggressively, Democratic officials are doing everything they can to keep Nader off ballots, challenging his signatures in Michigan and elsewhere. Friday in Boston, Nader told reporters he had complained about these tactics — which he has called "dirty tricks" — with none other than Kerry himself.
"I said, 'Well, what are you going to do?'" Nader relayed. "He said, 'I'm going to look into this.' I said, 'You better look into this before you're presented with a mini-Watergate scandal.'"
Nader cautioned Democrats, whose national convention begins Monday, that, "It will only be a few days before we hold John Kerry and John Edwards personally responsible for what is going on." Seemingly threatening legal action, Nader added, "It won't be entirely verbal."
