Knocking out Nader becomes a campaignDemocratic activists adopt hard-line tacticsCampaigns may die, but campaign operatives dust themselves off and move to the next project -- often carrying old grudges and philosophies with them.
And while the next big thing is usually a rising political star, one of the newest rivalries in politics this year involves two grass-roots campaigns aimed at knocking out Ralph Nader. A year ago, this is how two unconventional primary campaigns became contenders: Some upstart strategists and wannabe politicos launched websites on their own, and used them to build grass-roots support. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean drew early energy from independent weblogs, encouraged by Dean's official campaign headquarters. Retired Army General Wesley K. Clark got ample persuasion from big-name political veterans, but also credited two "Draft Clark" movements with drawing him into the race. Now, veterans of both efforts have launched anti-Nader campaigns, which they hope will persuade voters who are leaning toward the consumer advocate to throw their support to Democrat John F. Kerry. As in the primaries, when competing strategies ruffled feathers, the groups disagree about how best to go after Nader. Some alumni of Draft Clark 2004, a group that built a proto-campaign organization before Clark launched his own, have set up a political action committee and website called StopNader.com. This week, they plan to start running a scathing television ad in the battleground state of Oregon, linking Nader's 2000 candidacy to President Bush's policies. "Ralph, what's more important, your nation or your ego?" the voiceover asks. "Don't do this to us again." Meanwhile, some old hands from Draft Wesley Clark, a separate group that used fund-raising pledges and publicity stunts to generate buzz for Clark, have joined former Dean communications director Tricia Enright to form an advocacy group called The Nader Factor. They've borrowed some old Dean catchphrases -- "You have the power to take back this country!" their website declares -- and produced a gentler ad that started running yesterday in Wisconsin and New Mexico. Whether either strategy can succeed remains to be seen. So far, Nader isn't budging, said his campaign spokesman, Kevin Zeese. Nader will be in Boston today to meet with supporters and has embarked on a marathon tour of 11 states in one week, Zeese said. "It makes all of us here want to do more of what we're doing," Zeese said. "He's not going to let these whining Democrats, these carping Democrats, change his mind." That's part of the reason StopNader.com leaders describe their approach as "hard-line," with an emphasis on practical steps they hope will keep Nader from gaining traction. They plan to file an amicus brief in Texas, where Nader has launched a court challenge to state signature rules that are keeping him off the November ballot. They want to scrutinize the signatures Nader is collecting in other states, in part, one operative said, to keep the campaign busy so it has less time for rallies and persuasion. Continued... |
