Nader Nixed by Dems

Repression? Payback for 2000? Whatever it is, the Dems are doing what they can to make sure Nader is off the ballet. You decide:

Nader's campaign had submitted more than 22,000 signatures to Arizona election officials June 9 — far more than the 14,694 valid signatures required by state law to compete against President Bush and Kerry.

Two Democratic voters had filed a lawsuit last week, backed by the Arizona Democratic Party, questioning the validity of Nader's nominating petitions and other documents. The Democrats argued that more than 70 percent of the signatures were invalid.

As a Maricopa County Superior Court judge prepared to hear arguments in the case, Nader campaign attorney Richard Mahrle conceded there were "technical errors" in the ballot petition and said Nader would not contest the lawsuit.

So, on a technicality Nadar is not going to be on the 2004 ballet in Arizona. And why?

Democratic National Committee spokesman Jano Cabrera said Friday that the national party supports efforts by state parties to validate Nader signatures, but it is not providing resources to help state parties in that effort.

"We feel that no matter how small a percentage of the vote he is drawing, he is drawing that support from John Kerry. A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush," Cabrera said.

No, I would have thought that a vote for Nader is a vote for Nader. I guess what they're saying is that your vote doesn't count unless it's for us.