Nader Asks to Be Written In, Not Off

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader brought his campaign to Los Angeles yesterday, urging California voters to write him onto the Nov. 2 ballot.

Nader decried the major-party candidates, President Bush and Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, as members of a corrupt political establishment to a cheering throng of about 200 loyal backers, at a downtown rally at Patriotic Hall.

“They will never give you a standard by which they will concede failure, it’s just full-speed ahead,” Nader said. “If you vote for the lesser of two evils, you still end up with evil.”

Nader made stops in Sacramento and San Diego this week, promoting his new website, WriteInNader.org.

But in his speech Tuesday night, he also offered a broader critique of modern society, such as high prescription drug prices, the dominance of U.S. corporations and the isolating effect of technology.

The consumer advocate’s quixotic presidential bid this year has generated controversy: Many Democrats have condemned Nader’s candidacy, afraid it could tip the balance in a tight race toward Bush. But Nader says the “spoiler” label on him is misplaced.

“The two parties are huge spoilers,” Nader said in an interview Tuesday. “They’ve spoiled our political system to the core. We’re trying to reform it in a way that gives people a framework of greater choices.”

But beyond his core supporters, he wasn’t welcomed by fellow liberals.

“When I hear the name Nader, I think of a four-letter word: Bush,” said Bob Mulholland, a campaign advisor to the California Democratic Party. “If it wasn’t for Nader, Gore would have won. We wouldn’t have this mess in Iraq today.”

In the 2000 election, Nader garnered nearly 3 million votes as a Green Party candidate. Some Democrats believe that cost Gore the election.

This year, Democrats have fought to keep Nader off the ballots in 21 states, often contesting the validity of petition signatures. Still, he has slots on at least 34 state ballots. He’s awaiting court decisions in several others, including vote-rich Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In California, Nader was unable to submit the required 153,035 signatures necessary to qualify, so is now seeking write-in votes.

“We’re trying to get as many votes as we can in a rigged two-party system that keeps you out of the debate,” Nader said.

But the campaign must contend with ballot obstacles and waning liberal support it did not face in 2000, making this year’s effort even more daunting. The campaign has begun charging $10 admission for its events -- $5 for students -- to help offset costs.

Nader’s support was only 2% in a recent Times poll of likely California voters.

Nader will campaign in Arizona and New Mexico this week and is to appear Thursday on CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman.”