The Oberlin Review
<< Front page News October 1, 2004

Nader supporters challenge Dems

Despite his absence on the Ohio ballot, Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign has become one of the primary political issues dominating campus discussion this election season.

Democrats often contend that Nader, then the candidate for the Green Party, lost the election for nominee Al Gore by pulling liberal votes from important electoral battlegrounds such as Florida.

Although the Green Party no longer supports Nader, he is running again as an independent candidate. Many Oberlin students support Nader’s, anti-corporate, anti-war views, but plan on voting for Democratic candidate John Kerry to ensure that Bush is defeated.

However, some students are committed to Nader’s candidacy. College sophomore Elizabeth Miller has planned to vote for Nader throughout the entire election season. She objects to those who claim that she is holding a vote from the Kerry. “It’s my vote,” she said. “You can’t waste a vote. If that means Bush wins, then Bush wins. I don’t think Kerry will be that much better.”

Support for Nader has continued on campus despite the fact that he was recently denied a place on the Ohio ballot. Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell ruled on Tuesday that Nader did not meet the required 5,000 signatures needed for a candidate to be on the ballot.

The legitimacy of the 15,000 signatures the campaign submitted was called into question after allegations that many of the ballot petition signatures were circulated by out-of-state petitioners or signed by residents of California and Illinois. The Nader campaign is currently trying to take the issue to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Nader’s main organized support on campus comes from the Socialist Alternative, an organization that is part of the International Worker’s Community, an international Socialist network.

The Socialist Alternative has supported Nader throughout the election season. Their tactics to support their candidate have included putting up posters arguing for Nader’s viability as a candidate and manning booths in front of Wilder with information on the Nader campaign and bringing in a speaker from the Socialist Alternative.

The group is also sponsoring a speech by Peter Camejo, Nader’s running mate. Camejo will be speaking on Tuesday, Oct. 5 in the King building.

John Gallup, a member of the Socialist Alternative, supports Nader as an alternative to what he sees as two similar candidates.

“I hate [president George W.] Bush and I hate his agenda, but I feel that Kerry represents the same agenda.”

Jones feels that his support for Nader will put pressure on the Democratic party to pay more attention to liberal voters.

“The Democratic party feels that because so many liberals hate Bush, their vote is assured,” he said. “They’ve been completely ignoring progressive views in this election.”

First-year student Colin Jones, also a member of the Socialist Alternative, sees Nader as a strong alternative to Democratic policy.

“The Democrats are always conflicted,” he said. “They’re trying to be corporate and populist at the same time. Republicans get things done by presenting a strong front, and we need to do that on the left.”

One reason many Oberlin students don’t vote for Nader is Ohio’s status as a critical state in the election. Another student feels that he can show his support for Nader while still putting a vote in for Kerry in Ohio.

“I’m swapping votes with a friend in California,” he said. “This way, Nader can get recognition and Kerry will get a vote in a swing state. Of course, swapping votes is illegal, but it’s a loophole around the system that’s set up to benefit only two parties.”
 
 

   

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