About the authors of Ralph Don't Run

Eric Weltman
• I am a registered Democrat, and have also been a dues-paying member of the Greens for over 10 years. I am a former staffperson for Ralph Nader, having worked for his Center for the Study of Responsive Law in the early 1990s.

• I truly believe that Ralph Nader is one of the greatest Americans ever. From his work on auto safety, to speaking out against nuclear power, to opposing NAFTA, Nader has been on the forefront of challenging corporate power, promoting democracy, and protecting consumers.

• However, like many of my friends and family, I am very frightened about what four more years of George Bush as president would bring. I believe it is absolutely vital – for the health and safety of our nation and the world – to defeat George Bush in 2004.

• There are many factors that would contribute to defeating George Bush – chief among them, a compelling Democrat. Among these factors is reducing the number of progressive voters drawn to “third party” candidates. As a consequence, I urge Mr. Nader to not run for president in 2004.

• At the same time, as a progressive and someone who strongly shares Green principles, I believe that the best way for the Green party to build is by running viable candidates at the local level – for state legislative and municipal offices.

Jesse Gordon
• I voted for Nader in 1996 and in 2000, and I contributed both money and time. But I felt so bad about the results of the 2000 election that I registered as a Democrat. I reside in Massachusetts and "knew" the electoral college rules would make my vote for Nader not hurt Gore. But I was wrong -- Gore's legitimacy came from winning the popular vote, and if 2.5 million smart-alecks like me had done the right thing, Gore would have won by 3 million votes instead of a half-million.

• I suspect that my attitude reflects approximately a million of Nader's voters: Nader's candidacy in 2004 will hurt the Green party as well as hurting the Democrats' chance of beating Bush.

• I will never vote for a Green for president again. But I still support the Green party's ideals and support pushing the Democratic party to be more progressive. I believe that can be best acheived by winning local elections. I would encourage Nader to run for a US House or Senate seat -- a victory would dramatically change the national outlook on the Green Party. By promising to caucus with the Democrats if elected, Nader would get immense support from progressive Democrats nationwide.

• I would proudly support Nader for Senate or Nader for House campaign, in any district in the country. I was the Technology Director for the Robert Reich for Governor campaign in Massachusetts, and co-founded Mass for Dean in the current presidential race. I would be interested in volunteering or staffing a Nader campaign applying all of the techniques from Reich & Dean -- but not for a presidential candidacy. I am planning to meet Mr. Nader at the Exploratory Committee house party on Dec. 21 in Cambridge to say all these same things.