Ralph Nader Accuses Terry McAuliffe Of Offering To Pay Him To Pull Out Of States In 2004 Election

Washington Post:

Consumer activist Ralph Nader accused Terry McAuliffe Thursday of orchestrating an effort to remove him from the presidential ballot in 2004 when McAuliffe was chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[ThomasDoubting]

If Ralph Nader was elected in 2000 or in 2004, we would not be in the mess that we are in now! For those who have forgotten, the Supreme Court with a 5 to 4 vote, ordered the State of Florida to stop counting the votes, while George W. Bush was ahead, thereby choosing Bush. If all votes were counted, Al Gore would have been the president. We may not have liked it, but who could we complain to? There have been voting irregularities in the last several national elections, across the country. The candidate with the most corporate money and support wins. Is it any wonder, that the candidates keep moving to the right, even while the people move to the left. We need more candidates like Ralph Nader, and less candidates like Terry McAuliffe. For more details on what happened here RebelReports.com had a great article on it.
http://rebelreports.com/post/114856537/terry-mcauliffes-attempt-to-bribe-ralph-nader-is

[gypsy508]

This shouldn't hurt McAuliffe at all. Most Clintonian Democrats have no moral center to begin with. The Republicans long ago taught them to win at any cost.

[LemonMeringue]

I have to admit:

I was mightily pissed at Nader in 2000.

I heard Nader speak in 2008. Then I watched "An Unreasonable Man" and read up on him.

Nader was a player in Washington. He knows how Washington works. He is dead on right: the Democrats cannot be pure because in the end corporations run everything, and if the Democrats were not on board with them they would not be able to get elected or stay in office.

Nader is right. His criticism of Obama hurts. But it is true the corruption in Washington is bigger than both parties combined.

Still, he exaggerates when he says there is no difference between the parties. There is a world of difference between the parties.

It is the whole system of Washington, owned by corporations and supranational monied interests, that is wrong.

Democrats are the best we've got and ten thousand times better than the last administration.

[LunaPark]

In 2000, Al Gore ran a crappy campaign replete with robotic speeches, poor debate performances, and the most uninspired VP pick ever. Gore should have steamrolled Bush. Gore's campaigned sucked. Get over it and stop blaming Nader.

[jsgaetano]

I guess Nader's racist statements toward Obama were Gore's fault, too?

[1differentdrummer]

You are right, in some respects Gore did run a crappy campaign, but who got more votes? Clearly Gore. Whom did the SCOTUS appoint president in a judicial coup by stopping the FL recount because it would have "harmed" Bush?

And, let's see, did Nader sap votes from D candidates? Gee, I guess it was pretty clearly shown that he did. A vote for Nader was a vote for Bush, forget the voter list purging and the butterfly ballot. How soon some of us forget.

[gypsy508]

That's mostly BS. First off, Pat Buchanan sapped votes from Democrats on the confusing butterfly ballot. Secondly, Gore/Leiberman were the two most vocal Senators in favor of censorship of artists. Who was an artist supposed to vote for?

[JGatsby]

You are talking like a republican. The world isn't black and white there are shades of grey. Yes Gore ran a crappy campaign but Nader's candidacy quite possibly siphoned off just enough votes from Gore to make a difference in Florida which would have made all the difference. Especially if Nader had listened to people like Michael Moore who pleaded with him to throw his support to Gore toward the end of the campaign. That is why I think its quite reasonable to accuse Nader of being an egomaniac. He's stopped listening to anyone including people who used to strongly support him. Have you ever seen a way to contact or communicate with Nader? The other candidates (even McCain) had blogs on their web sites where people could have spirited discussions. Not Nader. Most pundits post their email address so that you can email your reply to their columns directly to them. Not Nader. He just wants to enjoy the lime light regardless if his speeches have any practical benefit and doesn't care a bit to collaborate with others on the left. A sad end for someone with such a great track record as a progressive.

[gypsy508]

Uh, Michael Moore supported Nader in 2000. I think you are thinking about 2004.

[LemonMeringue]

I used to blame Nader for 2000 but I've come around to realizing:

1. Who knew? Nobody knew it would be that close or that Bush would steal it.

2. Anyone who has read much about what happened on election night and the next few days in 2000 understands that a master plan to steal this was in place. If they were ready to do this for Florida, how ready where they do steal it a thousand ways? There was election fraud all over the country in 2000. If Florida had not been the tipping point, something else would have tipped it their way.

3. The count was bogus. The Republicans stopped the recount. In the end it did not come down to a few thousand votes, it came down to refusing to count the votes.

[JGatsby]

"1. Who knew? Nobody knew..." Sorry. Not true. Plenty of people realized it was going to be very close. Michael Moore tells a compelling story about how he supported Nader in that race initially but changed when it was clear that the race was going to be close and that Nader could make a small but crucial difference in states like Florida. Moore tried to get Nader to engage with Gore and to propose to Gore that he (Nader) would throw his support to Gore in return to concessions on policies or otherwise from Gore but Nader was completely uninterested.
"2 a master plan to steal this was in place" True enough. But if Nader had thrown his support to Gore those votes might have made the difference and allowed Gore to win in spite of the crimes of the republicans.
"3 The count was bogus" Same argument. Every vote for Nader is one less that the repubs have to steal.

[rabiddog6708]

I don't blame Nader. I blame the Supreme Court. In a vote along party lines, they stopped the recount and appointed Dubya the winner.

[grumbles]

grumbles to Nadar,"Shut up and go sit down!"

[idisVA]

Nader should have followed his first victim the Corvair into retirement.

[JGatsby]

I think Nader was an egomaniac for running his last two campaigns helping Bush but I would hardly call the Corvair a "victim". Unless you value corporate profits over consumer lives.

[wfoster]

Nader has become precisely what he has claimed to fight against and to have him accuse someone of Bribery after the bribes Republicans paid him to run against not only Al Gore but John Kerry only shows how low a once great man has sunk.

[sandals]

Well I think you are wrong that Nader had a better choice for progressives and liberals, the past two elections 2000,2004 were stolen by the Rethugs.

I use to agree with a lot of what Nader said, but he is not the guy he use to be years ago, he sounds like a constant whiner on a broken record, why is he waiting for so long to bring this up now?
I know the answer it is because Terry McAuliffe is running for Governor in Virginia.

[confidance government]

I have bit of a comment for all you people bitching about Nadar; I don't like the guy either, I think his economic and social policies are insane.

But you are not entitled to the votes that he won in previous elections. If you wanted to get those votes then you should have done things differently. You lost Florida and the presidency because Nader was the better candidate for some thousands of people.

Liberals and progressives by no means owe the Democratic party their undying allegiance.

[lochnessmonster]

I agree. If the Dems had had a better message they would have gotten the votes that Nader did. Same goes for the Republicans. Why do these two parties think that you have to pledge your life and riches to one or the other and that only if you do, only then are YOUR ideas worth listening to? Also, I don't recall that these two parties are in the constitution and the only voice allowed for America.

[flossophy]

Nader is always looking out for the consumer..­. fighting for the v|ctims of unsafe products.

I wonder why he doesn't fight for the vctiims of unsafe ide0logies? S0cialism has ki||ed infinitely more people than all of the unsafe automobiles combined.

Perhaps s0cialism should be recalled to the factory?

[billyfitz]

Can you please explain how socialism has "ki||ed infinitely more people than all of the unsafe automobiles combined", because I think that's the most foolish statement I've seen written in a long time.

How do crackpots like you come up with these theories?

[Acidic]

The standard rethug reply is usually " Millions died under Stalin and his socialist policies " or somewhere along those lines, but it's still complete garbage.

[Imzadi]

Y0u had better never @pp|y for unemployment, Socia| Securiiity or Mediiicare - ever.

[LemonMeringue]

Not socialism. Communism which was a failed twist on socialism, combined with a great deal of oppression.

Huge difference. Get educated.

[Jaybot]

If this helps, in even the smallest way, to keep McAuliffe out of office then this country will owe Nader yet another huge dept of gratitude.

[PublicAdvocate]

Ralph is the greatest living American Patriot and far more honest, courageous, and forthright than any of the candidates in either party in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. He has done more for Progressive causes than any living American.

While Obama was in the Senate, he vigorously imposed impeachment of the BushCheney corp. Nader stood in front of the WH and called for their immediate impeachment. Even now, Obama is giving BushCheney corp. a free pass for their serial war crimes and Constitutional violations.

Obama also voted for the reenactment of the Patriot Act which justifies suspension of habeas corpus, wire tapping against innocent Americans and gives the president the power to imprison a "Suspect" indefinitely w/o trial. Nader opposed this act from the start.

While Nader want s single payer universal healthcare, Obama is compromising for Republicans.

While Nader wanted to pull out of Iraq in 6 months, Obama just keeps the war rolling along.

While Bush and Obama gave bailouts, Nader said NO BAILOUTS!

While Nader said his first act in office would be to cancel NAFTA and the WTO and protecting American workers and families was the right and obvious job of the government, Obama like Bush allows these job stealing programs to continue.

Those who are true Progressives in the FDR tradition (unlike the Conservative Blue Dog DINO's) will recognize and appreciate Nader's lifelong achievements at bettering Americans.

Ralph like FDR has stood up for Americans. Why can't the Democrats follow suit?

[plzchuteme]

It's easy or Nader to shoot off his mouth and make promises when he's on the outside looking in. Obama is finding that out. To make a significant change, the presidency is not the place to start. Congress is the place where real change must take place. I would have had a lot more respect for Nader if he had run for the senate, or at least a governorship and been successful, before he set his sites on the presidency. I don't agree that he has done more for the progressives than anyone. As it turns out, he has done very little at all save automobile safety and promoting Ralph Nader.

[JGatsby]

I was nodding my head as I read your post until I got to "To make a significant change, the presidency is not the place to start. Congress is the place where real change must take place" Huh?! Change doesn't include keeping right wing idealogues off the supreme court? Or an attorney general who is not a political hack but will actually enforce things like the voting rights act? Or an FDA and EPA that actually over see their respective industries rather than acting as shills for corporations? Or a foreign policy that includes diplomacy and is more than "do what we say or we'll bomb you"? Or...
I agree that we also need to change congress. The current democratic majority is an illusion since so many of them are also corporate hack DINOs. But winning the presidency is an essential step as is keeping the pressure on Obama not to veer to the right.

[rabiddog6708]

Because they and Obama are Repub Lite. They are not Dems in the tradition of FDR or even Lyndon Johnson. They cozy up to the wealthy elite, too, but throw a few crumbs to the Dem masses to ensure their continued support.

[TheBaffler]

Thanks for reminding me why I've never been a Democrat, you petulant asssholes. Nader has far more integrity, decency, and vision, and had done more for this country than all your mediocre presidential nominees of the last 30 years combined.

Go ahead and blame him for the milquetoast Gore and Kerry's failures if it makes you feel better, but know that he would've been a far superior president than either of them, and better than the backstabber Obama.

Principled independents can't get elected only because you cow.ards lack the courage of your convictions, and blindly vote for whichever weakling your party serves up instead. Then you whine that nothing ever changes when they carry on with the Reagan model unabated.

You conveniently ignore the facts of his accusations against McAuliffe. It's well established the frightened Dems played every dirty trick they could to derail his campaign. How's that for democracy?

[LemonMeringue]

I agree that Nader has integrity.

How could you possibly support Republicans though? They drove this country into the ground and broke the economy and the nation's moral standing and a lot more.

[Wiseronenow]

And, bringing this up now, the point being besides promoting one of his aides soon to be published book? Wasn't Ralph offered enough that he didn't mention this at the time? Or, is Ralph as much of a political animal and thought he'd hedge his bets and see if he could get a larger offer because he said, "if you don't immediately say no, it's sticks like taffy". Maybe, I missed it in the article, but it didn't read like he said "no" only that he felt it was highly inappropriate.

[gypsy508]

He has said this before. It wasn't national newsworthy press until now because of McAuliffe running for governor.

[DaveyDavey]

Dear Ralph:

Please go away.

Davey