They Lost at First, So Dean Fans Try No. 2

Howard Dean’s supporters are at it again.

Undeterred by the collapse of the former Vermont governor’s Democratic presidential bid, some Deaniacs launched a movement Tuesday to make their man No. 2.

The group hopes to gather 200,000 signatures urging the presumptive nominee, Sen. John F. Kerry, to choose Dean as his running mate.

It was independent candidate Ralph Nader, who many Democrats fear will siphon votes from Kerry, that reinspired the Dean die-hards.

“Gov. Dean neutralizes that Nader factor,” said Michael Meurer, the group’s co-founder and a former Dean volunteer from West Los Angeles. “There’s a real synergy there between Dean voters and some Nader voters.”

The organization’s website, DraftDeanforVP.org, has amassed fewer than 2,000 signatures so far. Meurer is realistic about the likelihood.

“We know it’s a longshot,” he said. “The very worst that could happen is we raise his profile, he gets more of a voice at the convention.... It’s a matter of keeping the progressive agenda moving forward.”

The Kerry campaign’s response to the running mate selection process was characteristically opaque: “It will be the right person at the right time,” spokeswoman Laura Capps said.

Dean is unaffiliated with the Dean for VP movement, said his political group, Democracy for America.

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Negating Nader

Ralph Nader’s dogged fight to keep third-party politics alive has spawned two groups aiming to reduce the bite Nader could take out of the Democratic vote.

One organization, TheNaderFactor.com, features three ex-staffers of erstwhile presidential hopefuls Howard Dean, Rep. Dick Gephardt and retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark. They’re working to unite Democrats and Nader supporters in the effort to unseat President Bush. The group on Tuesday premiered a television ad in Wisconsin and New Mexico.

The spot has a high school teacher saying, “By supporting Ralph Nader, I actually helped George Bush.”

“The degree to which Democrats and Nader supporters may disagree

Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese says the groups ought to focus on “making [John F.] Kerry a better candidate.”

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Who’s Counting?

$179 million: Amount raised by the Republican National Committee.

$91 million: Amount raised by the Democratic National Committee.

71%: Share of American voters who think U.S. Roman Catholic bishops should not publicly pressure Catholic politicians about abortion, according to a recent survey.

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Duly Quoted

“In the event of an emergency, my hair can be used as a flotation device.” -- Sen. John F. Kerry at the launch of his new campaign plane.

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Compiled from staff, Web and wire reports by Times staff researcher Susannah Rosenblatt.