Nader and the Republicans

Eric Alterman and Salon Magazine are both doing a good job of covering the ego trip that is the Nader campaign. I'll stay away from that, and address another salient point. Is it right for the Republicans to be trying to get him on the ballot? I have a friend who is a small-c conservative, and he says no.

I did my usual thought experiment, and thought about how I would feel if it was Perot, and prominent Democratic activists were trying to get him on the ballot to split the Republican vote. The thing is, some Democrats did go over to support Perot, though more Republicans did. I have no question that they shared Perot's neo-populist views. They also voted for him in the general election.

Let's contrast this with Nader's Republican backers. They don't share his views on anything, from gay marriage to controlling corporate interests in government to the War in Iraq. They also will not be voting for him. They only want him to split the left, and don't really care how its done. That's the difference between the Perot and the Nader races, and why the Republican support is immoral.

If the Democrats started trying to get Judge Roy "I want my Ten Commandments" Moore on the ballot in all fifty states, and had the money to pull it off, imagine the vitriol and bile that would be poured onto it by the Republicans. Granted, it would be hilarious watching the Right wing trying to disavow it's Far-Right wingnuts while simultaneously courting their votes. It also would expose the Republicans *nudge, nudge, wink,wink* stances on race relations and other social wedge issues. And the entertainment value of that alone might be worth it.