May 13, 2004
THAT GIANT SUCKING SOUND:
Reform From Pat to Ralph (Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Beth Lester and Clothilde Ewing, May 13, 2004, CBS News)
The Reform Party's endorsement of Ralph Nader provides the independent candidate a shortcut to seven ballot lines, including battleground states Florida, Michigan and Colorado, and revives the argument over what his impact will be in November. Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese tells CBS News that Nader will decide "on a state by state basis," which states he will run as a Reform candidate in, but the endorsement gives him an attractive option.However, The New York Times quotes an expert in ballot access who questions whether Nader will be able to take advantage of the Reform ballot in Florida. "Richard Winger, an expert in ballot access, said that a quirk of state election law could stymie Mr. Nader in Florida. Mr. Winger said the law required a party to have a national convention in order for its candidate to be on the ballot. The Reform Party held a telephone conference call instead of a convention to nominate Mr. Nader."
Shawn O’Hara, Reform Party USA chairman, told CBS News that they are also holding a national convention, but they are "working on a time and a place." O'Hara says Nader accepted the party's endorsement minutes after receiving it and that the two will work hand in hand to get him on as many ballots as they can.
Further evidence that the far Left and far Right have converged, but it takes Kerry votes so more power to 'em. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 13, 2004 2:11 PM
May the stars bless them in their efforts.
Posted by: genecis at May 13, 2004 9:00 PMIt's merely more proof that the Reform Party wasn't ever a "party", but rather a vehicle for its quirky founder.
The Reform Party didn't endorse Buchanan; Buchanan's minions hijacked it.
Like the Sierra Club dust-up.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at May 14, 2004 3:35 AMI wonder how different things would have been had Perot in 1996 worked out a deal with Dick Lamm to be the nominee. Perot could have insisted on certain platforms Lamm had to adopt to gain his blessing, and Lamm would have legitimized the party as a true centrist alternative to the GOP and Dems and begun the process of building true institutions within the party. Instead, Perot's ego got involved and he had to run again. I guarantee that 95% of the people initially attracted to it in 92-96 aren't even looking at it. Just another quack group now.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at May 14, 2004 1:58 PMIt was a crank group then, there just happened to be a crankier mood on the Right..
Posted by: oj at May 14, 2004 2:41 PMI work in a field related to elections, and we used to refer to The Reform Party as the Ross-Perot-for-President Party.
That's why most third-party attempts bomb out at the start. They only run one candidate (the founder) for one office (President) and probably have only one member (guess who).
The most successful third party in US history was the Progressives, about a century ago. They never had a President, but they had a couple governors and congressmen and a lot of state assemblymen, exerting enough influence that their agenda was finally co-opted by the major parties, so they achieved much of what they first organized around.
Posted by: Ken at May 14, 2004 7:23 PM