Nader struggles for recognition
By NATE PHILLIPS
News Writer
With the presidential elections just around the corner, the race is becoming increasingly tighter between presidential nominees Al Gore and George W. Bush.
Many voters, however, forget that there are several alternative party candidates who are also seeking the executive office.
Leading the race among these candidates is Green Party leader Ralph Nader. Nader seeks to establish a new type of presidency — one that listens to the people, and less to the political influences in Washington.
Recently, there have been a large number of controversies concerning the representation of Nader's campaign. He has not been allowed onto many ballots across the United States, and was refused participation in the presidential debates. Many voters are disappointed in the unfair treatment of Nader thus far in the election.
Nader presents a distinct threat to Gore's overall vote because he could possibly sway liberal voters away from Gore. In the 1992 and 1996 elections, Ross Perot made a significant impact on the overall election. In the same way, voters for Nader could pull votes away from Gore.
"Nader's ability to get on a ballot is not that outstanding of an accomplishment. Perot set the bar for this eight years ago, and quite possibly cost Bush the election," said Al Tillery, a Notre Dame government professor. "Nader could pull liberal voters in favor of the environment and taking money out of politics away from Gore's camp."
"Nader being on the ballot will take away votes from Gore," said Notre Dame government professor Benjamin Radcliffe. "How many votes is still up in the air, but nevertheless, it probably will not be enough to make a shift in the overall outcome of the election."
In response to his inclusion on the Illinois ballot, Nader is hosting a rally in Chicago today. It is unclear whether other states will follow Illinois' lead and allow Nader to be included on the ballot in November.
It may be too early to make any accurate judgments as to how much Nader will affect the election, because it is not clear how many states will place Nader on their ballots.
Nevertheless, Nader's attempt to make a large impact on the upcoming election is unlikely.
"Nader owns only about 5 percent of the overall popular vote," said Radcliffe. "Rationally, it seems that support will even fade a little bit as the election approaches."
Even though his chances on making a major impact on the overall election are low, the controversy over Nader's campaign continues to exist, and will remain until it is seen how many states place him on their ballots.
Last week, the fiasco concerning the lack of representation of Nader's campaign reached a new level. Not only was he neglected participation in the Oct. 3rd debate at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, but he was refused admittance by the debate commission to watch the debate.
Nader had a valid ticket to the presidential debate viewing in Lipke Auditorium, which was given to him by Northeastern student Tod Travares. As Nader stepped off of the bus, debate officials and police officers confronted him.
"Imagine that, a private company — controlled by the two major parties and funded by beer, tobacco, auto and other corporations — misused police power to exclude me from the premises, even though I had a ticket to enter issued by the debate commission themselves," Nader said, as reported by the Associated Press.
Nader was also prohibited to participate in a planned interview with Fox News, whose trailer was located on the site of the debate.
"This is the beginning of the end of the Commission on Presidential Debates," Nader said.
In response to his exclusion from the debate, Nader released a statement to the co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) demanding an apology for the actions of the commission.
He also released a proposed settlement, which states that the CPD would not only allow him to enter all future debates, but also donate $25,000 to the nonprofit Appleseed Center for Electoral Reform at Harvard Law School. Although his requests may seem extreme, Nader promised to pursue redemption in the legal system if his requests are not met by today.
The public response to Nader's exemption from the debates seems to indicate that the CPD was at fault for not allowing his participation.
"Although Nader's chances at becoming president are far-fetched, his views are representative of enough of the American people, that he should be able to express them in a debate forum," said Notre Dame sophomore Adam Harrison.
Whether or not the CPD was at fault, however, remains ambiguous.
"The Commission of Presidential Debates has set a certain standard for those allowed into a debate," Tillery said. "Whether or not that standard has changed mid-stream, I'm not sure, but it seems as though Nader warranted enough support to be invited."
Recently, however, Nader's luck has taken a turn for the better. The Illinois State board of Elections is scheduled to put Nader on the November ballot at a meeting on Wednesday. This decision conflicts with the views of the Democratic Party of Illinois, who requested that Nader be held off of the ballot.
"It is easy to say that a large number of liberal voters will vote for Nader," Radcliffe said. "When push comes to shove, it will be interesting to see whether or not the third party will make a significant impact as the election approaches."
All News Stories for Tuesday, October 10, 2000
