In Florida Allows Nader's Name of Election Ballot, it looks like he will be drawing those critical votes from the highly contested area.


Interesting thing there Huey. Oh Well, there are other states that really matter, right?

great.

Jeb Bush's supervisor of elections usurps the authorities of the courts.

makes me feel good about it.

If the Liberal Judges are using their positions to usurp the Constitutional rights of the Electorate, they should be reversed. How hypocritical of you to suggest Bush manipulated the 2000 election at the Ballot and you will openly try to manipulate it against the Independant Party today. You libs are absolute REPROBATES. Look it up, it's a perfect description of your Party.

what are u talking about Ali Babbles?

this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the "Constitutional rights of the Electorate".

a presidential candidate must meet certain criteria before a state places his name on the ballot; criteria which, according to the FL Judge, Ralph Nader simply did not meet..



in other words, if Ralph Nader cant meet the pre-determined criteria the state of Florida requires in order to be placed on the ballot, he has no more right to be on that ballot than I do.

this in no way, shape or form "usurps the Constitutional rights of the Electorate" because the electorate has no constitutional right to have a candidate placed on the presidential ballot who does not meet the criteria..

neither does it violate their constitutional right to choose who to vote for, as NO ONE is denying them their right to write in the name of their candidate of choice.

even the reason given by the FL Secretary of Elections mentions NOTHING of the "constitutional rights of the electorate", but rather gives the LAME excuse of "Hurricane Ivan might hit us" instead.

did u even read the article??




your argument is weak and your point is moot.

youre gonna have to try harder that that if u want to participate in political debate with grown ups.

Bad News For Lurch!

I repeat, the Dems are once again trying to cheat to win. It is the job of rightous Republicans everywhere to keep them honest and in line. Even John Kennedy who wrote this article agree's with me. ... You continue to lie, decieve and rewrite the story in order to say what you want it to say. You should be ashamed of yourself for trying to keep poor Ralph off the ballot. You libs are mean, ugly and not nice at all not to invite a nice man like Ralphy to the party in November, so take that you bully.



Bush appointee orders Nader back on Florida ballot, sparking furor

BY JOHN KENNEDY

The Orlando Sentinel


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - (KRT) - Ralph Nader is back on Florida's presidential ballot - for now.

Secretary of State Glenda Hood stepped in Monday and ordered Florida's 67 election supervisors to add the Reform Party candidate's name - just days after a Tallahassee judge sided with the state Democratic Party and stripped him from the ballot.

"We are acting as an honest broker," Hood said. "Supervisors are under the gun in sending out these ballots."

But the move by Hood, the former Orlando mayor named state elections chief by Gov. Jeb Bush, the president's brother, quickly exploded into a partisan fight over Nader's candidacy.

"This is amazing," said Scott Maddox, state Democratic Party chairman. "What Glenda Hood and Jeb Bush have done is turn the state's Division of Elections into the political and legal arm of the state Republican Party," which is seen as wanting Nader on the ballot to pull votes from Democratic Sen. John Kerry.

Hood's order - sent in a memo to supervisors - came moments after she filed a legal appeal Monday of the temporary injunction against Nader issued last week by Leon County Circuit Judge Kevin Davey.

The judge supported the Democratic Party's contention that the Reform Party no longer is a viable party and that its nominating convention was a sham designed merely to get Nader on the ballot in Florida and other states.

Davey set a hearing for Wednesday to allow Nader's side to make its case for joining five other minor-party candidates already on the ballot. But Hood's office said it was wrong to remove Nader while legal action still is pending.

A Saturday deadline is looming for Florida elections officials to mail about 50,000 ballots to military personnel and other voters overseas. At the moment, Nader would be on that ballot.

Hood's action also is unlikely to be the final word. In separate action, an appeals court Monday sent the matter of Nader's candidacy to the Florida Supreme Court for review.

The state Supreme Court, which was at the epicenter of Florida's 2000 presidential-recount fight, is well aware of the crushing deadlines set by state-elections law, said spokesman Craig Waters.

But justices have not yet set a hearing date.

"At this point, there's not way of knowing" whether a hearing will be set by Friday, Waters said, which state officials portrayed as the last day overseas ballots can be printed.

The Nader campaign hailed Hood's decision as a victory - even if temporary.

"It's just bizarre; this should not be in court," said Kevin Zeese, a Reform Party spokesman. "If the Democratic Party would stop focusing on the undemocratic activity it is doing in trying to get us off the ballot, we could move ahead with the real issues of this campaign."

Democrats want Nader off the ballot because they fear he could draw votes away from Kerry, the party's presidential nominee. In 2000, Nader ran as a Green Party presidential candidate and won nearly 3 percent of the vote.

Republicans want him on the ballot - and Nader last week quickly found Ken Sukhia, a Tallahassee attorney with strong GOP ties, to represent him. Sukhia is a former U.S. attorney appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and also helped represent the current president during Florida's 2000 recount.

In Florida, where George W. Bush beat Democrat Al Gore by 537 votes, Nader received 97,421 votes. Officials from both parties agree most would have gone to Gore.

Gov. Bush certified a state ballot with Nader's name on it Sept. 1 - the day after the state deadline for minor parties looking to appear on the November ballot.

Nader is on the ballot in 26 states but has been barred in five states, Reform officials said.

While Nader is being helped by Republican-allied attorneys in Florida, state Democrats were joined in the lawsuit by a group of four voters backed by The Ballot Project, which has worked to eliminate Nader from the ballot in most battleground states.

Ed Stafman, an attorney for these voters, decried Hood's action as a "sneaky and lawless one."

"They want to get the ballots printed and in the mail before a final court ruling," Stafman said. "It's clear this is an irresponsible action by the secretary of state to give the Republican Party an advantage."

Hood dismissed such allegations.

"We need to have this taken care of in an expeditious manner," she said.

Gov. Bush also defended Hood's ruling while conceding it's "not a perfect one." He said politics did not play into the decision.

"While the process goes on, we cannot put ourselves in the position where the ministerial role of the supervisors can't be fulfilled," Bush said. "And that is to make sure that someone who should be on the ballot is on the ballot."

ummm.. ok?

and how does that article and your paragraph long rant about "righteous Republicans and cheating Democrats" refute anything i said in my post?


can u dispute that in order for a candidate's name to be on a ballot, u must meet certain criteria?

can u dispute that a FL judge, who's responsibility it was to determine if Ralph Nader met that criteria, ruled that there was "at least 15 things wrong" with his case?


lets stay on subject and debate facts rather than go back and forth with ridiculous rhetorical ranting and raving.

thanx.

Without you posting the 15 points this partisan liberal judge used to discriminate against Ralph it is kinda hard to comment on them. I find it interesting that you use these alleged 15 points but don't see fit to print them specifically. That is such a liberal trick to control the debate without defending your argument with details. Ya know baby huey, i try to be gentle and good natured with you and all you do is abuse my sensibilities. whas a guy aspoda do ova heeaaa. Never the less, All's fair in love and war and this is a war for the Whitehouse and George has the right to counter every dirty trick you guys can come up with.