Nader Joins the Campaign to Reelect the President

Re “Nader Enters Race as an Independent,” Feb. 23: By mounting his kamikaze presidential campaign, Ralph Nader may single-handedly reelect a president who personifies almost everything he’s against. How juvenile and perverse, when Nader could be a real player and could probably force the Democrats to go his way, within reason, on some of his more mainstream issues. He should bargain for an endorsement.

Nader’s actually got some good ideas, and we might all be surprised at what could be accomplished if we tried implementing them. But where his goals, however idealistic or sensible, are simply unattainable in the real-world environment, he should accept the imperfect compromises we all must live with. Perhaps Nader disdains this approach because it smacks of politics as usual. Then let’s try another word: statesmanship. Grow up, Ralph. We need your help too much now for you to play the spoiler again.

Nicholas La Terza

Calabasas

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Thank you, Ralph Nader! As a George W. Bush supporter, I could not be more thrilled with your decision to run for president again. You’ve just helped ensure Bush’s reelection.

Michael Lipofsky

Simi Valley

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There was a time when Nader was an altruistic consumer advocate. Now, by announcing his futile run for the presidency, he has proved to be an aging egomaniac. If, as he stated, he cannot see the difference between the Republican and Democratic parties, he should compare the state of our country now and what it would have been under a Democratic administration.

Does he think we would have had a gutting of the Clean Air Act, appointments of ultraconservative judges, the worst deficit in U.S. history, the Iraq war and other atrocities committed by the Bush administration? One can only hope his well-meaning but misguided followers will come to their senses and realize that a protest vote for Nader is a vote for Bush.

Marvin Haas

Banning