Ralph Wasn’t Hugged Enough As A Child

Some of my fellow Democrats are all in a tizzy about Ralph Nader’s imminent decision about whether he’ll run for the presidency. I think they’re unwittingly playing into the man’s thirst for attention. Let him run, if that’s what he wants. Most left-leaning voters with any political sense will realize the stakes are simply too high to even consider Nader. And the ones who do won’t be enough to matter. Nader won’t have the benefit of any party structure to get him on the state ballots, which I believe will hinder him greatly. We need to get acknowledge and accept that the US is a two-party nation, for better or worse. Third parties may eventually win a place in state legislatures and Congress, but the presidency is simply not an attainable goal without the support of a major party machine. Nader is only a threat if the Democrats can’t draw a bright line between themselves and the Republicans. And in 2004, that shouldn’t be difficult. So whatever Ralph decides, it should be met with a collective yawn.