Nader scoffs at suggestions he dilutes liberalsBy Mike Glover, Associated Press, 04/05/00
He pointed to studies of the 1996 election when he was on the
ballot in California, and said he drew almost as many Republican
voters as Democrats.
''Our two parties are basically one corporate party wearing two
heads and different makeup,'' Nader said. ''There is a difference
between Tweedledum and Tweedledee, but not that much.''
Nader was in Iowa to announce his presidential bid as a Green
Party candidate. He made his name as a consumer advocate and his
campaign is a hard-core liberal assault on monied interests and
what he sees as corporate control of the political system.
Some Democrats worry that Nader will pull from liberal voters
who otherwise could be counted on to vote Democratic. Though his
appeal is small, draining a few votes in key competitive states
could make the difference in the race between Vice President Al
Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
Nader said there's balance in the campaign, with Reform Party
candidate Pat Buchanan likely to drain votes from Republicans. In
the last election, Nader said about 40 percent of the votes he
received in California came from Republicans.
But in the end, he said, it really doesn't matter very much.
''They are look alike parties,'' Nader said. And if his campaign
causes either party to shrink, ''that's exactly what we want them
to do.''
|