OCA Policy Board Member John Stauber on the November Presidential Election

Published on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 by CommonDreams.org

It¹s All About Bush

by John Stauber

Ralph Nader has been publicly complaining because the overwhelming majority
of those of us whom he asked to be his formal endorsers in 2000 have united
this year to support John Kerry in swing states.

A list of the seventy-five Nader 2000 Citizens Committee members now urging
support for Kerry is online at our website . It includes Barbara
Ehrenreich, Phil Donahue, Jim Hightower, Susan Sarandon, Noam Chomsky, Ben
Cohen, Peter Coyote, Granny D, Manning Marable, Bonnie Raitt, Tim Robbins,
Studs Terkel, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Eddie Vedder, Cornel West and Howard
Zinn.

In an interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now Nader dismissed us as
having suffered ³a total loss of nerve.² In the past he¹s called us ³scared
liberals.² Sorry Ralph, but the reality is that this election is a
referendum on George Bush. In the real world the only way to dump Bush is to
mobilize voters for Kerry in swing states, and that is our goal. Other than
John Kerry, Ralph Nader could do the most to defeat Bush if he were willing
to help lead a united front against him, but he is not.

We who were the Nader 2000 Citizens Committee obviously have huge
disagreements with Kerry on Iraq and other issues. But this election is not
about Ralph Nader or John Kerry, it¹s about getting rid of George Bush and
ending the far-right domination of all branches of the federal government.

The world changed after 9/11 when the Bush administration exploited that
horrific attack for political and ideological purposes, using it as an
opportunity to launch an unjustified and frankly stupid first-strike war
against Iraq. Sheldon Rampton and I have documented in our books ³Banana
Republicans² and ³Weapons of Mass Deception² how the Bush administration has
set a tone and enacted measures undermining our liberties. Bush and Cheney
are pursuing a reckless and deadly foreign policy of war and empire that has
turned the world¹s outpouring of sympathy after 9/11 into a deep fear and
loathing of America.

Much of the leadership of the Democratic Party < including Kerry and
Edwards < rubber stamped the actions of the Republicans in going to war in
Iraq and in undermining civil liberties. Led by the right-wing media echo
chamber at Fox TV and on talk radio, the mainstream corporate media became
cheerleaders for Bush¹s war on Iraq. The Republicans brilliantly used their
march to war to win control of both houses of the Congress in 2002. For the
first time since 1932 the Republicans now control the Supreme Court, the
Congress, the Senate and the White House. They also control most
governorships and state legislatures.

Those of us who were Ralph Nader¹s official endorsers in 2000 have no
illusions about John Kerry, the Democratic Party, or our need to mobilize
and organize for fundamental social and political change here in the United
States. We believe that the first step to progressive change is uniting to
defeat George Bush and Dick Cheney. On November 2nd we Americans will have
our only opportunity to remove Bush from office. If we fail to stop Bush, we
will send a loud message around the world that the American people support
and ratify what the Bush regime has done. November 2nd is people¹s
impeachment day in America and the choice is simple. The only vote that will
work to remove George Bush is a vote for John Kerry in battleground states.

Ralph Nader made a strategic mistake in running this year for president. To
date he has primarily divided green voters and spent most of his time and
energy attacking Democrats or his former allies. I spoke with Ralph a year
ago and asked him not to run but rather to lead a movement to defeat Bush
and end Republican domination by supporting the Democratic nominee. He
replied, "If I did that, they would ignore me. I would get no attention."

Ralph Nader denies that his candidacy helps Bush, but Republicans,
Democrats and most political analysts agree that it does. The October 4,
2004 Zogby poll concluded ³there is little doubt that Ralph Nader is hurting
Kerry.² It is true that Democratic party leaders are conducting a widespread
and often unethical campaign to keep Nader off state ballots. This
ham-fisted effort led by former Monsanto executive and lobbyist Toby Moffett
has gained the Nader candidacy sympathy in the press and bolstered the
resolve of Nader supporters to vote for Ralph.

The situation will no doubt get uglier as the election nears and Ralph
Nader and the Green Party candidate David Cobb stump for votes in swing
states. It is important that we keep one goal in sight, rejecting George
Bush. I urge everyone who like me lives in a battleground state to help
defeat of George Bush by pulling the lever for John Kerry.

John Stauber (info@vote2stopbush.org) is a co-founder of
http://www.vote2stopbush.org/ and the co-author of five books including
Banana Republicans, Weapons of Mass Deception, Mad Cow USA and Toxic Sludge
is Good For You. These are his personal views and not those of any
organization with which he is affiliated