Nader bid no concern for Kucinich
Hometown presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich isn't fazed by reports that one of his staunchest campaign allies, consumer activist Ralph Nader, is weighing his own presidential bid.
Nader has formed a presidential exploratory committee and created a Web site: www.naderexplore04.org. Nader said he'll decide whether to run early next year, after he examines responses from the Republican and Democratic parties to a 25-page agenda he sent them in October. He said his decision "will have nothing to do with the Democratic primary," and that he is still urging Democrats to support Kucinich.
Although some Democrats complain that Nader's third party candidacy cost Al Gore the White House in the last presidential election, Nader said it is "anti-civil libertarian" to assume "the country belongs to two parties, they are entitled to the votes, and everyone else should just shut up and get in line."
"Gore won the election," Nader continued. "The election was stolen from the Democrats. The Democrats blundered and facilitated the theft. The Democrats should stop their chronic whining, look at themselves first and foremost, and go after the thieves and blunderers."
Should Kucinich clinch the nomination, Nader will be less likely to enter the race, said Kucinich spokesman David Swanson.
"If congressman Kucinich doesn't get the nomination, that will be a factor in favor of Nader entering," Swanson said.
Bringing in the green
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is doing his best to become a power broker within the Democratic party by using his grass-roots fund-raising network, and the Internet, for other candidates.
A scant 24 hours after Dean sent an e-mail urging his backers to give money to Rep. Leonard Boswell, the Iowa Democrat in a tight re-election race received $51,557 from more than 1,000 contributors, Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi boasted. The one-day take was more than a third of the $140,262 that Boswell received during the first nine months of this year, Trippi said.
"We wanted to demonstrate to Washington and the other Democrats that the grass-roots campaign we are building can make our party stronger and more competitive, not just for president, but for the Senate and House," Trippi told reporters.
Thanks, but no thanks
Kucinich's political campaign is willing to accept money-raising help from country rocker Willie Nelson, but is taking a pass on his sloganeering assistance. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Nelson suggested that Kucinich adopt the motto "Kucinich: His middle name is sin." The campaign instead will rely on less controversial standbys like "Light Up America," said Swanson.
Bush offshoots
President Bush is preparing to blitz the country with a surrogate campaign team that includes New York Gov. George Pataki, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former administration "big shots" like Ari Fleischer, according to U.S. News & World Report. The magazine said the surrogates will make appearances for Bush to avoid overpoliticizing the president and create "an echo chamber for the president's agenda."
Merry Kucinich
Kucinich's campaign Web site (www.kucinich.us) has come to the rescue of supporters who can't afford regular Christmas cards by letting them spam friends with perky electronic greetings that feature snippets of Kucinich's wit and wisdom, along with messages like "Peace" and "Merry Caucus." "Tell them you care," Kucinich's Web site suggests. "Tell them Dennis cares, too."
The days ahead
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Democratic candidates will participate in a 90-minute debate moderated by ABC News anchor Ted Koppel at the University of New Hampshire. It will be broadcast live on C-Span. A one-hour version will run on Koppel's show, "Nightline," later that night.
Kucinich is fund-raising in Washington tomorrow with Patch Adams, subject of the film starring Robin Williams.
Wesley Clark tours New Hampshire in an RV today through Wednesday, before he attends a New York fund-raising gala, with guests including Al Franken, Robert DeNiro and Vanessa Williams, according to the New York Daily News.
Dean attends a "roast" in New York tomorrow hosted by director Rob Reiner, and attended by celebs Janeane Garofalo, John Leguizamo, Sandra Bernhardt and Kate Clinton.
The Race for the White House column runs each Wednesday and Sunday.
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