Becuase Everything Else Sucks

Huge Victory: Ralph Nader Gets on CA Ballot!

By Manila Ryce
Published Monday, August 4th, 2008, 1:00 am
Filed under: Personal Posts, US Politics

I’m proud to have been a part of this. Before going on the road to petition for the Nader campaign in Nevada I worked for them here in my home state of California to get Ralph the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party, a feminist and socialist party which has ballot access in the state. Delegates at the statewide convention of the Peace and Freedom Party chose Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez to be their presidential and vice-presidential nominees this past Saturday in Sacramento. The results are as follows:

Ralph Nader: 46 votes
Gloria La Riva: 27 votes
Brian Moore: 10 votes
Cynthia McKinney: 6 votes

Securing the California ballot line is a huge victory for Nader/Gonzalez and will give millions of Californians the opportunity to vote for a candidacy that will shift the power from the corporations back into the hands of the people. (In 2000, 418,707 Californians voted for Nader/LaDuke–representing nearly 15 percent of our national vote total that year.)

Blocked out by the mainstream media, we’ve still polled five percent and above in four separate polls this year - including the most recent CNN poll this week putting Nader at six percent.

With California done, the Nader campaign is now on the ballot in 21 states. Continuing to climb over the barriers set forth by the Democrats and Republicans, they’ll soon be on the ballot in 30 states by August 10th, and 45 states by September 20th.

My hat is off to those young petitioners around the country who’ve been working so hard to ensure that their fellow Americans have the right to vote for a non-corporate candidate. Most Americans don’t even know you exist, or why you do what you do, but moments like this put it all into perspective. Thank you.

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7 Responses to “Huge Victory: Ralph Nader Gets on CA Ballot!”

  1. Eerily, the Dems and Repubs are extremely undemocratic in this process; it’s time for America to awaken from its dumbed-downness perpetuated by their apathetic belief in what Corporate media tells them. A third party, one of conscience, is a must in the US.

    We’d have the same in Canada without the socially conscious voice of the NDP which keeps the two corporate backed property parties in check. How do you think we attained Universal Healthcare, and just about any other progressive solution to problems we face as a nation. It’s time for a third party [at least] in America, Nader has been that voice in the USA for decades. Wake up America, take back your liberties and rights and speak up and help get Nader on the ballot in all States and please check his name in the appropriate box for President. “We the People” just may become a reality, with Peace and Freedom, again.

    Peace

    camelien
    08/4/08 at 9:08 am

  2. As a registered PF&P voter, I think it’s great if Nader wants to run, but for him to be running on the P&FP ticket is a huge joke. The PF&P website claims that “Both nominees agree with the fundamentals of the P & F platform”. Yet when I click on the link for “Platform” on that same website, I see the very first category listed as “socialism”, which calls for “social ownership and democratic management of industry and natural resources” and “worker’s democracy”. These socialist principles are clearly a “fundamental” of the platform, and yet there is no way that Nader endorses this. He is not a socialist. So the PF&P makes a disingenuous claim about Nader in order to justify the fact that this ostensibly socialist party has nominated a non-socialist who doesn’t even agree with one of the most essential elements of the party platform. I am so disgusted that I am ready to switch my party registration away from PF&P. They should have nominated Brian Moore, who was the only real socialist running for the nomination. Instead they threw party principles to the wind, and then lie about it on the party web page.

    Mike
    08/4/08 at 11:40 am

  3. I wouldn’t thinking you’ve done anything to be proud of. Ralph Nader doesn’t possess the political sense of a dog catcher. Never held any public office has he? Didn’t run in the Democratic primary, did he? because he’s unqualified.

    Vigilante
    08/4/08 at 9:43 pm

  4. Not quite such a simple question, Mike.
    First, while Nader does not identify himself as a socialist, or any other kind of “ist,” he has often been accused of being a socialist by such publications as the Wall Street Journal. This is based on his positions, which are quite thoroughly anti-corporate (more so than many European ruling parties that say they are socialist).
    I (a life-long member of the Peace and Freedom Party) am certainly a socialist. I voted for Brian Moore on the first ballot on Sunday at the PFP Convention - and was as surprised as most to discover that no second or third ballot would be needed. But I am not unhappy with Nader as our nominee. Nader’s best and most radical positions get little media coverage. On Friday night, after the forum, I was in the Moore-Alexander hospitality room with Ralph Nader and Brian Moore, who talked into the night, along with various delegates. I staggered off to bed shortly before midnight, while they were still at it. But from what I heard, it was hard to get a gnat’s eyelash between the positions on issues (especially economic issues) of vigorous socialist Moore and “non-socialist” Nader.
    Just before adjourning, the Convention adopted a resolution: “This 40th anniversary Convention of the Peace and Freedom Party proudly reaffirms its commitment to socialism as specified in our Platform.” Many voted yes, none voted no, and there were only three abstentions. Obviously, those who nominated Nader voted for the resolution.
    Nader balks at accepting a label, but he supports plank after plank after plank in our socialist Platform. And so do a great many voters, when they have the chance to consider them. This could be an amazing campaign. If you are looking for socialist campaigners to work with in California, the Peace and Freedom Party is the place to be right now. -Kevin

    Kevin Akin
    08/5/08 at 12:09 am

  5. Keith, my guess is that the Wall Street Journal probably considers anyone even remotely to the left to be “socialist”. I realize that labels themselves don’t matter, and I accept your point about Nader avoiding labels. But when you say that Nader supports plank after plank in the socialist platform, does this include “social ownership and democratic management of industry and natural resources” and “worker’s democracy”? Does his anti-corporate rhetoric extend to actually opposing the private ownership of big business and instead having these enterprises managed socially?

    I think it is great that everyone at the convention re-affirmed their commitment to socialism, but a lot of socialists have endorsed Nader in the past, so I think this is not unusual (many socialists and marxists endorsed Nader in 2004, for example.) It isn’t the socialist credentials of the convention members that concern me–it is Nader’s.

    Mike
    08/5/08 at 10:53 am

  6. Whoops, I meant to say Kevin, not Keith. Sorry about that.

    Mike
    08/5/08 at 10:54 am

  7. Hello all,

    More info from the P&F convention and Ralph - and the rest of the candidates…Hope it’s ok to post here…

    Ralph Nader Acceptance Speech at Peace and Freedom Convention

    Pictures and Video of Event

    Live Blog from Event

    All Good Things,
    -Alice

    Alice
    08/5/08 at 12:23 pm

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