The editorial on April 6th titled “Nader’s bid means new possibilities for country” leaves unanswered: what new possibilities? Instead of stepping down in the 2000 campaign, Nader stayed in the race. This decision greatly impacted the election. It is almost impossible to argue that his 97,000 votes in Florida didn’t sway the results in Bush’s favor. The conservatives understood this reality very well, paying for Nader commercials in key states. The closeness of the 2000 election meant that the choice for Nader meant more than just simply voting symbolically for one’s conscience by stressing subtle differences in policy; it meant helping elect a President that is completely antithetical to this conscience. Under Bush, issues of the utmost importance to Nader sympathizers and progressive minded people have been trampled on. The editorial article stated that Ralph Nader is “…more an issue for debate than an actual presidential candidate”. I completely agree. We can debate Nader all we want, but if you want to change the direction of our country, instead of voting symbolically, please vote for an “actual presidential candidate.” The only possibility that Ralph Nader brings is an old one and we saw that in the
election of 2000. This is the possibility of division among liberals leading to another four years of Bush. It is time for progressive-minded people to join together in the common cause of beating George Bush. If you want to see new possibilities for our country actually realized, please support John Kerry for President.