PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

A Letter to the PA Democrats about Mr. Nader
by stephen donahue Tuesday, Aug. 03, 2004 at 8:44 AM

Ralph Nader likely to be on PA ballots come November 2

August 3, 2004

TO: Democratic Party of Pennsylvania and
Hon. H. William DeWeese, Democratic Leader of the
PA House of Representatives

Dear Mr. DeWeese,

I was amused to read of your reaction to the news that Ralph Nader will likely be on the ballot in our commonwealth as a presidential candidate. Of course I was not surprised by your very irate reaction. Don’t feel too bad because now once again this election cycle, Ralph will give the Democratic Party an easy out for its ineptitude.

The hypocrisy of the Democratic Party around the issue of multi party candidates irritates me. I recently attended a rally sponsored by some veterans groups trying to keep a local VA Center open. I was approached there by a Democratic Party activist who was collecting signatures on a petition for allowing Constitution Party candidates on the PA ballot in November. These candidates include the Presidential and Vice Presidential ticket of Mike Peroutka & Chuck Baldwin and also a candidate for the US Senate named Jim Clymer. I was told that by signing this petition that I would help Democratic Senate candidate Joe Hoeffel because Clymer would siphon votes away from Republican Arlen Specter.

So the Democratic Party is playing the same games that it is accusing the Republican Party of playing. It is just this sort of hypocrisy that keeps me away from the polls on Election Day.

If the Democratic Party tries this year to once again sell itself as being just “Republican Lite” then you will not win and you do not deserve to win. Try standing for something for once and see what happens. If Mr. Kerry embraces single payer universal health care, drastically reducing the Pentagon budget and ending the US imperial makeover of the world, increasing the income tax for the richest 20% and ending all corporate welfare then I might vote for him. Trouble is he doesn’t, the Democratic Party doesn’t.

So, don’t be mad at Nader; be grateful to him because now in November you can blame him for your defeat instead of yourselves.

Good luck on Election Day and may the most money win!

stephen donahue

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