“Ralph Nader spoiled Al Gore’s 2000 victory because Nader’s total caused Gore to be denied Florida’s electoral votes and thus the presidency. This assertion is totally untrue. It was not Nader’s 97,000-plus votes in Florida that cost Gore the election, but the 900,000-plus registered Democrats there who did not support him. One can say the same of the millions of registered Democrats in other states who voted for Bush or did who did not bother to vote.
“In November 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle estimated that 200,000 registered Florida Democrats voted for Bush. Nader himself put the figure at 250,000. Regardless of these estimates, the overall facts in Florida are indisputable: In 2000, there were approximately 3,853,000 registered Democrats, 43.4 percent of the electorate, compared to approximately 3,474,000 Republicans, or 39.1 percent. The rest were independents or registered with smaller parties. Gore received 2,912,253 votes there in 2000, 940,747 less than the total number of registered Democrats.
“The facts are clear: Some 941,000 Florida Democrats did not vote for Gore, nearly 10 times the number who voted for Nader. So who is to blame for losing the election — the Democrats or the Greens and others who voted for Nader and, by implication, Nader himself? Democratic laments about the lost 2000 election in Florida and nationally obscure the truth: Democrats handed Bush the election; stop blaming Nader!”
Quit blaming Nader!
“Ralph Nader spoiled Al Gore’s 2000 victory because Nader’s total caused Gore to be denied Florida’s electoral votes and thus the presidency. This assertion is totally untrue. It was not Nader’s 97,000-plus votes in Florida that cost Gore the election, but the 900,000-plus registered Democrats there who did not support him. One can say the same of the millions of registered Democrats in other states who voted for Bush or did who did not bother to vote.
“In November 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle estimated that 200,000 registered Florida Democrats voted for Bush. Nader himself put the figure at 250,000. Regardless of these estimates, the overall facts in Florida are indisputable: In 2000, there were approximately 3,853,000 registered Democrats, 43.4 percent of the electorate, compared to approximately 3,474,000 Republicans, or 39.1 percent. The rest were independents or registered with smaller parties. Gore received 2,912,253 votes there in 2000, 940,747 less than the total number of registered Democrats. “The facts are clear: Some 941,000 Florida Democrats did not vote for Gore, nearly 10 times the number who voted for Nader. So who is to blame for losing the election — the Democrats or the Greens and others who voted for Nader and, by implication, Nader himself? Democratic laments about the lost 2000 election in Florida and nationally obscure the truth: Democrats handed Bush the election; stop blaming Nader!”
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/OPINION02/804090305