Electability of Presidential candidates

Nader to Run Again [NYT].

Ralph announced today apparently. I am still on his mailing list from the last Presidential campaign and receive requests for contributions every few months so his announcement is no surprise to me. The usual “spoiler” talk will no doubt start again, which is shameful. If you prefer Obama, good for you, but don’t belly-ache about Nader taking away votes that “belong” to other candidates. In the current campaign, the question of Obama’s experience and record often arises, and it seems his popularity is riding a wave based on his powerful oratory and the nebulous promise of change. On the other hand, I have heard Nader speak, read his writings, and know that he is a tireless advocate for the common man as well as a fierce opponent of the war in Iraq. If I could single-handedly choose the next President, it would be Nader without question. A person could spend hours attending an Obama rally and learn barely anything about him, but I doubt one could say the same about Nader after watching An Unreasonable Man.

Nader is perpetually written off as “unelectable.” Excellent name recognition, but puny war chest. Who knew who Bill Clinton was four years before he ran? Outside of Texas, Bush (Jr) was an unknown. Prior to 2004, I will bet very few outside of Illinois had heard of Obama. What made all of these other candidates “electable?” I am hard-pressed to come up with a better answer than “money.” The question in my mind then becomes, “Do I relegate myself to voting for the best candidate that someone else’s money can buy?”

I have often heard people bitch about the quality of their Presidential candidates, and my instinctive response is, “There are more than two choices.” As long as people believe otherwise, however, we’re gonna be in this rut. In the last election, the Democratic party filed suit to keep Nader off the ballot in several states. They sued to give voters fewer choices. How dirty is that? I told myself I would never vote for a major party candidate again. In 2004, the decision to vote for Nader was a no-brainer. Kerry refused to take a strong anti-war stance, and had I voted for him, mine would have truly been a wasted vote.

Another idea, however, dominated my thoughts. You must learn to walk before you can run. Without even 20% of the vote, a third-party candidate will likely be considered “unelectable.” Before getting 20%, one must be able to get 10%. Before 10%, one must win 5%. I imagine we are nowhere close to getting a third-party President, not for a few more election cycles at least, but it has to start somewhere.

Not even closed to being finished. More later.