top
US
US
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

At last a poll that includes Cynthia McKinney

by Jonathan Nack
First presidential poll to include both McKinney and Nader
mckinney.jpg
Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party's candidate for president, is currently polling at 1 percent, according to a national poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN, and reported on today by Angus Reid Global Monitor. This is the first poll reported on by Angus Reid, a poll tracking organization, to include McKinney.

The poll found that 6 percent would vote for Ralph Nader (Independent/Peace and Freedom Party (in California only)), and 3 percent would vote for former Congressman Bob Barr (Libertarian Party). http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/31436/seven_point_lead_for_obama_in_us_race

The poll found Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) has a 4 point lead over Senator John McCain (Republican) - 46 percent to 41 percent.

In previous elections, Nader has polled considerably higher than his vote total on election day. Whether that holds true this year, and if it holds true for McKinney and Barr, remains to be seen. McKinney's vote total could benefit from her being the only woman on the ballot in most states.

Neither Nader nor McKinney are likely to be on the ballot in all 50 states, which is one reason their vote totals may not reach their national polling numbers. Another is that voters, fearful either Obama or McCain will win, depending on their political views, will decide against voting for a small party or independent candidate.

McKinney and Barr have less name recognition than Nader, which could lead to their poll numbers increasing, as more voters learn about them.

In 2004, Nader received .4 percent (466 thousand votes), Libertarian Party candidate Michael Badnarik received .3 percent (397 thousand votes), and Green Party candidate David Cobb received .1 percent (120 thousand votes). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2004

In 2000, Nader, running as the Green Party candidate received 2.7 percent, and the 2.9 million votes he received was his high water mark, while Harry Browne, the Libertarian Party Candidate, received .4 percent (384 thousand votes).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election,_2000

Should Nader, McKinney, or Barr receive 5 percent of the popular vote, they (or their party's nominee) would automatically have ballot status in all 50 states and receive matching federal funds in the 2012 presidential election.
§Ralph Nader
by Jonathan Nack
nader2.jpg
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Heather
Look, for all those in a trance,
NADER is an opportunist
who is getting paid CASH money by the republicans
TO TAKE AWAY votes from the third parties.

Nobod can figure out WHY he is still running, not to say he;s
is the OLDEST candidate running.

<img src="http://angrybear.blogspot.com/nader_pie.jpg" alt="nader_pie.jpg" />
by Heather S
McKinney for President
by Heather
Cynthia McKinney for President

by Jonathan Nack
Ralph Nader deserves more respect.

Why is Nader running? Because he thinks he's going to reach more people with his progressive, anti-war, anti-corporate, pro political reform message than any other candidate. If one judges by this poll, he's right.

It's true that Nader is not a team player, and likes to campaign on his own terms. He didn't have the belly to fight with those Greens who opposed his candidacy. He was unwilling to seek the Green Party's nomination and to participate in the Green's internal debate. That's a weakness in my view.

However, despite some Greens complaining loudly, and basically getting attacked from all sides with the Dems and Repubs hating on him for their own reasons, Nader is running a positive campaign. You won't see him slamming Cynthia McKinney - he congratulated her on winning the Green Party nomination. He only comments critically on the Green Party when directly asked.

The truth is, that despite never joining the Green Party, nobody has recruited more members to it or campaigned for more of its candidates than Ralph Nader.

Nader is a giant who deserves our respect. Who else on the left could run the kind of independent campaign he's running and get the media coverage he has?

I happen to be supporting Cynthia McKinney for many reasons, not the least of which is that she campaigned for and won the Green Party nomination. I think it's important to build radical left party(ies) and organizations. McKinney is doing that. She doing it with substance, style and grace. I think she's a great candidate.

However, the truth is that Nader has raised ten times the amount that McKinney has and, according this poll, currently has six times the support.
by reality check
The truth is that Nader's candidacy in 2000 helped the Green Party gain ballot status in seven or eight states. He won over 5 percent in many of those states. That enabled the GP to run candidates for statewide offices in 2002. But instead of building on that growth, the GP misleaders like Medea Benjamin pushed for and succeeded in running the stupid Anybody But Bush Safe States strategy in 2004 and nominated the unknown and unqualified David Cobb. Thanks to his pathetic showing, the Greens lost ballot status in almost all those states they had gained in 2000. Why would Nader want to get involved in more GP B.S.?

In 2004 Nader and Peter Camejo sought the Peace and Freedom nomination in CA but were rejected, partly because Camejo was associated with the GP, partly because some P&F-ers wanted to play it safe and not have a repeat of 2000 (as if Nader caused the 'election' of Bush, not the supreme court, fraud, or theft of the election by Bush and failure of Gore to challenge it), and partly to nominate Leonard Peltier and get publicity for the campaign to win his freedom (he's still in Leavenworth prison...).

Nader and Matt Gonzalez on the P&F line this year represents an opportunity to challenge restrictive ballot access laws and fight the corporate takeover of our government institutions. Whether they will help build P&F or a national independent progressive (or socialist) movement or whether McKinney can help build the broken down Green Party or the Reconstruction party/movement remains to be seen, but at least we'll have choices beyond the opportunists McCain and Obomber.
by VAGreen
The reason why Cobb won the nomination in 2004 was that Nader chose not to seek it. He probably would have won it had actually tried, instead of seeking an "endorsement" and not even showing up to the Green convention. Endorsements are for special interest groups, nominations are for political parties. As for losing ballot lines, Nader only got 0.4% of the vote in 2004, and probably would have fallen short of the votes needed to keep ballot status in most of the states that Cobb fell short in.

State Green Parties like Illinois have grown in recent years. They don't spend their time complaining about 2004.
by PFP Delegate
Cynthia McKinney might have received the Peace and Freedom Party nomination if she had really wanted it. While coming in second in the PF primary she , according to Party leaders, made liitle effort to even contact the party in the months before the convention. Unlike Nader and Gloria La Riva she made next to no effort to win over delegates in the weeks before the convention last weekend . Her main orientation , perhaps understandibly , was to secure the Green slot .Adding to the mix she had a combined ''hospitality suite '' with Gloria La Riva the night before the convention began , adding to the rumors that she was asking those delegates committed to her to vote for La Riva on the second round . (Which never occurred. Nader won on the first vote )
I have a lot of respect. for McKinney. She pushed a progressive agenda as far as she could within the Democratic party. The party leaders responded by essentially pushing her out . (I hope what happened to her is a object to all those ''progressive democrats '' who insist , despite all the evidence to the contrary that the ''left'' can take over the Democrat party )
I hope both she and Nader can garner several hundred thousand votes each in California and several million nationally . (I also wish the La Riva-Puryear candidacy well in the states where there on the ballot )
But i and most PF ers will be putting most of our efforts in the Nader/Gonzalez campaign , because i see that as the best way to reach voters about the need to bring all the troops home not only from Iraq but also Afghanistan and to educate people about the struggles of the working class .
by PFP Delegate
I meant to write ''object LESSON to those ''progressive democrats '' '' etc.
by C. T. Weber
As I understand it Ralph Nader submitted his papers in Iowa and Utah under the organizational name of Peace and Freedom. Who knows, maybe there will be others.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$230.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network