Green Party Badnariks Nader

The Green Party rebuffed Ralph Nader at its convention this past weekend. Its presidential endorsement instead went to David Cobb, a Texas attorney who plans to ease up on the campaigning in states where he might hurt Kerry.

For those of you keeping track at home, that means Ralph Nader has now been rejected by the party that nominated him four years ago -- and embraced by the party that nominated Pat Buchanan. Oh, and his running mate once ran for president on the Socialist Workers ticket. I'm not sure how all this fits into the whole Red/Blue thing.

Comments

[Jason Ligon]

Zorel:

In my defense, it was in the context of having a little fun at the expense of whoever it is around here that periodically freaks out about 'blog' as a transitive verb.

I get snarky as much as the next guy, but I try to avoid name calling per se. 😉

[Jesse Walker]

Zorel:

To be Badnariked is to lose to a Badnarik.

Hey, it's my verb; I can use it however I want to. :>

-J.

[James Anderson Merritt]

Hey Jesse-

I understood your coinage properly even without the explanation. This is the contraction and anglicization of a term that would have been invented by the aliens in the ST:TNG episode, "Darmok," to wit: "Badnarik and Russo, in Atlanta, on the Third Ballot."

Kaplah!

[Mo]

Badnariking sounds much cooler than Russoing

[Czar]

Bleh. I keep reading that as "badniks," as in the evil robots in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Hey, I'm a child of the eighties.

[s.m. koppelman]

I suspect the Green Party leadership really wants Bush gone and a renewed emphasis on winning local races, so they went with a deliberately badnarikous presidential ticket.

[Jesse Walker]

That is, in fact, pretty explicitly what they're doing.

[Julian Sanchez]

James-
I both got and laughed at that reference. Now I think I have to take my own life.

[James Anderson Merritt]

Sorry Julian, didn't mean to trigger your self-destruct sequence. I hope you're reading this from our side of the veil, rather than the other side.

I just have Trek on the brain since watching ST:Nemesis for the first time last night on DVD. Or, as some of us like to call it, the "Where's Wesley" home game.

(Yes, Wesley is there, you just have to find him amidst all the faces and action! What a children's book that would make! Is Viacom listening?)

Seriously, I think "badnarik" as a verb is a very cool thing, and I hope to see more of it in the coming months and years. I'm so glad that the LP convention came before the Green Party one. Otherwise, what happened in Atlanta would now be called "Cobbing" -- not nearly so much fun to say, imho.

Y'know, if you think about it, "Badnarik" almost sounds like a Klingon word, doesn't it?

[Sandy]

It fits more easily into the Red/Brown thing.

[Jason Ligon]

Sandy's right. Let's see, yellow and blue make green ...

[not a crackpot]

How about the Crackpot Party?

Talk about opportunity costs! If any weirdos had just a little bit of film making talent, they could slap their crazy idears into a "documentery" and make millions!!!!

I would buy stock in that venture!

Seriously, there is a huge market right now for crackpotism. It is going mainsteam. Next stop, blames the JOOS for fun and profit.

[http://www.spinline.net/cy/lef]

Why do we even need human beings for these parties.

Just go to:

http://www.spinline.net/cy/lefterator.pl

Cut and paste. Cut and paste. Cut and paste.

There, you have a party platform.

See how easy it is:

"For one thing, the American state, with its unelected president, venal Supreme Court, silent Congress, gutted Bill of Rights and compliant media brings about the result of a pre-fascist atmosphere in America. So far, the 15-minute speech delivered Monday night by President Bush represents the repudiation of international law in order to bring about the theocrat Ashcroft's suspension of our civil rights. On the other hand, Donald Rumsfeld's worldview is solid evidence of an act of international violence that exceeds even those of the "liberal" Bill Clinton. Nevertheless, the unstated purpose of this war brings forth the slaughter of thousands of children by Air Force cluster bombs."

[James Anderson Merritt]

Hmmm ... that leaves Nader with the Reform Party's 7-state ballot access and a WHOLE LOTTA PETITIONING GOING ON.

Badnarik starts out with 26-state ballot access, courtesy of the hard work of LP activists and candidates for the past several years (which is also several states more than the Greens have at the moment, too).

So, in terms of sheer ballot access, Badnarik is arguably the most credible and well-positioned third-party or independent candidate in the race now. His team needs to start hustling to get Badnarik into the opinion polls. If anyone can get into the fixed Presidential debates this year, Badnarik seems the have the best shot. Even if he can't however, there is the possibility of a great consolation prize, which could work to his benefit almost as well as being up on the podium with Bush and Kerry: a third-party debate that includes Nader.

If Ralph stays in the race, I think the blow he suffered by being passed over by the Greens will pretty much kill his credibility as the rightful "third man" in the "big boy" debates. On the other hand, I'd be surprised if he held a debate with himself, and it is hard to seem Presidential if you don't participate in ANY debates at all. So I'm thinking the chances may be good that Ralph would be open to participating in third-party debates which might include Cobb, Badnarik, and even the Constitution Party's Peroutka. Ironically, Badnarik's participation might lend credibility to any such effort (keeping it from being perceived as a Nader infomercial, for example). On the other hand, Nader's participation would guarantee some level of major-media coverage. Sounds like a potential win-win to me.

The 2004 race -- or at least its media coverage -- may be interesting, after all. I'm crossing my fingers.

[Brennan Stout]

Since I know that my state is one of those Blue States that Kerry doesn't need to campaign in I've been encouraging people that want to vote for Bush to instead vote for Badnarik. Bush isn't going to win my state so don't 'waste' the vote and instead help put a third party in between the two crony parties.

[zorel]

Jesse Walker,

I don't get the title to this post - 'Badnarik' as a verb means what? (I thought he got LP ticket, right?)

[Jesse Walker]

I don't get the title to this post - 'Badnarik' as a verb means what?

To reject one or more celebrity candidates in favor of an activist little-known outside the party.

[Jason Ligon]

Don't use it as a transitive verb! Only IDIOTS use To Badnarik as a transitive verb ...

[M. Simon]

I can't wait till Bush starts running on Kerry's (I was a war criminal) Vietnam War Record.

Nader will be the least of Kerry's problems.

Keep this in mind at all times Kerry has three major problems.

1. His Personality
2. His stand on the issues
3. His Vietnam war record

Right now Not Bush is winning. It doesn't matter. It is not time.

In a properly run Bush campaign Kerry is total toast. So far Bush has carried the day. I expect his war fighting abilities will carry over to the election. Kerry is dead man walking. The only thing keeping him alive is the need to sell advertising.

[zorel]

Mr. Walker,

Not to quibble, but it sounds more like:

Green party Badnariks David Cobb, as opposed to Badnariks Nader.

But thanks for the explanation.

Jason Ligon,

"IDIOTS"?!

Wow! That was the first 'uncivil' comment from you that I had ever come across 🙂

[The Lonewacko Blog]

Peter Camejo was the Green Party's choice in the CA recall. He got 6% of the vote. Back a winner!

[kevrob]

I'd buy Where's Wesley, as long as Wes is represented by a Colorforms figure, and the book comes with a die-cut airlock.

Fwooossshhh!

"Cobbing" sounds like something from Savage Love. I'm glad we avoided that.

Kevin