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January 30, 2008 3:28 PM

Nader Considering Another White House Run

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, whose very name can rile up Democrats still stinging from Al Gore's narrow loss in the 2000 election, is flirting with what would be his third major run for the presidency. News reports indicate he's filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and he's also launched a new Web site, NaderExplore08.org.

The site's launch comes on the same day as Democrat John Edwards' exit from the presidential race. Nader had kind words for Edwards previously, praising his progressive stance on a number of issues and his willingness to challenge corporate interests.

Nader's committee is asking for initial contributions of $300, for which the donor will receive DVDs of Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko," a documentary about Nader, "An Unreasonable Man," along with three books. A posting on the site says the exploratory committee hopes to enlist the support of 1,000 people in each congressional district.

"Maybe we’re wrong," the site's main page says. "Maybe the Democrats and Republicans will nominate Presidential candidates this year who will stand up against the war profiteers, the nuclear industry, the credit card industry, the corporate criminals, big oil, and the drug and health insurance industries. We doubt it."

Nader's latest flirtation with a run is likely to be greeting with eye rolls from the many Democrats who believe that his presence on the Florida ballot in 2000 prevented Al Gore from overtaking George W. Bush in the state and, therefore, the electoral vote. They can take solace, however, in the fact that Nader's 2004 bid had nowhere near the following of his previous try, and he was largely a nonfactor in that race.
Tags:
independent ,
green ,
third party ,
consumer advocate ,
recount ,
2000 election
Topics:
Ralph Nader
January 15, 2008 5:00 PM

Unity08 Founders Now Pushing For Bloomberg Bid

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg continues to evade questions about whether he'll launch an independent run for the White House, but today the group of people urging him to enter the race grew just a bit larger.

Two founding members of Unity08, an effort to field a bipartisan "unity ticket" nominated via the Internet, announced today they're establishing an online petition drive to encourage Bloomberg to enter the race. Former Republican consultant Doug Bailey and Gerald Rafshoon, who served in the Carter administration, praised Bloomberg as a competent, non-ideological leader who could bring people together and solve the country's problems.

"After seven years, this country is ready for a competent leader," Rafshoon said at a press conference in Washington. "It's ready for a non-ideological approach to our problems, and it's ready to stop the partisan bickering that goes on between parties and within parties."

Bailey and Rafshoon said their draft campaign is totally separate from Unity08, which has effectively shut down due to fundraising issues and a dispute with the Federal Election Commission. They also said their new project isn't connected to Bloomberg in any way, though they have told one of the mayor's top aides -- Kevin Sheekey, who's reportedly laying the groundwork for a Bloomberg bid -- what they're up to.

"I think it's fair to say he smiled," Bailey said when asked about Sheekey's response.

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Tags:
Unity08 ,
Doug Bailey ,
Gerald Rafshoon ,
competence ,
independent ,
New York
Topics:
Michael Bloomberg

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