Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Is a vote for Nader a vote taken away from the Democrats?

balderdash111 · 02-24-2004, 04:39 PM

I don't think so. Like you, I have no data to back this up, but I suspect that Nader won't be bringing anyone new to the polls.

Instead, he will attract some unhappy Republicans and some unhappy Democrats (I suspect more of the latter) who generally vote with the party but want to make a point by voting outside of it.

The people who are unhappy with the Democratic and Republican parties and who wouldn't vote for either one in any case likely would have voted for one of the myriad of protest candidates instead. Some of them may switch their vote for Nader so as to make the concept of third party candidacies look more viable, but they would have voted even if Nader weren't there.

I heard Nader say his polls indicated that in some state(s) (maybe just one), 60-something percent of his supporters in the 2000 election said they wouldn't have voted for any candidate but Nader, but I suspect the poll isn't accurate.

The Nader supporters had a mission, and they wanted Ralph to look viable (at that point, they were probably a little defensive against all the "a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush" talk around election day). I suspect they would have voted for someone either way.

02-24-2004, 04:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
balderdash111 Psycho	I don't think so. Like you, I have no data to back this up, but I suspect that Nader won't be bringing anyone new to the polls. Instead, he will attract some unhappy Republicans and some unhappy Democrats (I suspect more of the latter) who generally vote with the party but want to make a point by voting outside of it. The people who are unhappy with the Democratic and Republican parties and who wouldn't vote for either one in any case likely would have voted for one of the myriad of protest candidates instead. Some of them may switch their vote for Nader so as to make the concept of third party candidacies look more viable, but they would have voted even if Nader weren't there. I heard Nader say his polls indicated that in some state(s) (maybe just one), 60-something percent of his supporters in the 2000 election said they wouldn't have voted for any candidate but Nader, but I suspect the poll isn't accurate. The Nader supporters had a mission, and they wanted Ralph to look viable (at that point, they were probably a little defensive against all the "a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush" talk around election day). I suspect they would have voted for someone either way.