It's official. Nader, who was off, and then on, the Oregon ballot, is now
off the ballot.
From
Oregon Public Broadcasting Radio:
Nader Off the Oregon Ballot
By Colin Fogarty
PORTLAND, OR 2004-09-22 (OPB Radio) - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will not be on the Oregon ballot after all. The Oregon Supreme Court ruled today that Secretary of State Bill Bradbury had the authority to exclude Nader from the ballot.
On September second, Democratic Secretary of State Bill Bradbury declared that the Nader campaign fell 218 signatures short of qualifying for the ballot. Nader supporters cried foul, calling the decision partisan.
Last week, Marion County Circuit Judge Paul Lipscomb reversed Bradbury saying he relied on unwritten rules that were applied unevenly. Now the Oregon Supreme Court has sided with Bradbury, who says the justices vindicated his original decision.
My reaction:
- Yay. FINALLY (? I hope !) we can stop paying attention to the sideshow that Nader has become here in Oregon and focus on, you know, the candidate who actually has a shot at defeating Bush.
- We lefties will now have no excuse to fail to turn out the vote for Kerry. Let's get busy!
- Most important, IMO, Oregon's Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, a real stand-up guy, can also avoid a sideshow in his campaign, since the state Supreme Court essentially agreed that he acted with appropriate authority in rejecting several of the petition signature sheets. In a time where the sanctity of the secret ballot is in serious jeopardy, we need all of the help we can get to ensure fair and honest elections.
Let the
real contest begin!