Nader: Uniter, not divider

According to this CNN article, a new 527 group, The National Progress Fund, is forming to work against the Nader vote in key battleground states. Key staff from several of Kerry's erstwhile oppponents are coming together to form the group:

The group is being run by one-time aides to two of Kerry's former rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination: Tricia Enright, who was spokeswoman for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, and David Jones, chief fund-raiser for Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri.

Enright, Jones and the creators of the original Web sites drafting Wesley Clark into the race have started Web site -- www.thenaderfactor.com -- to persuade Nader supporters to vote for Kerry.

The group will focus its television ads in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, Oregon, Wisconsin and New Mexico -- states that were decided by 2 percentage points or less in the 2000 election.

The ads feature people who voted for Nader in 2000 and now say they regret that decision. Four television ads have already been produced.

..."We're not attacking Ralph Nader," Enright told CNN, framing the group instead as a way of uniting progressives against Bush.

"We may have differences, but we can agree on one thing: George Bush is our biggest nightmare," said Enright. "Karl Rove's dream is to watch the Democrats and progressive Americans become divided."

This strikes me as just about the perfect approach to take to the Nader question:  good cop, gooder cop.  And, if it works, it can lead to a good co-opt (so, shoot me).  Kerry gets to go around saying, "I'm not going to ask Nader to drop out--he has as much right to run--but I'm going to make the case for voting for me."  In the meantime, the 527, makes the slightly more negative case with the potentially powerful use of testimonials of regretful Nader voters.  This drives just the right wedge through Nader's potential supporters.

•  Looking at their website

  ...the ad they have up is so-so okay, but I love their pitch for testimonials:

  "Slept with Nader and woke up with Bush in `00? Tell us your story and we'll publish it here on the site."

  Any takers?

  by paperbag on Wed May 19, 2004 at 01:43:34 PM PDT

•  Dean hates Kerry

  The more you see Dean and Dean (ex-Dean) staffers working hard to get Kerry elected, the more obvious it is that Dean absolutely loathes Kerry and is trying to sabotage his chances.  What could he be up to, I wonder...

  by Mikey on Wed May 19, 2004 at 01:46:23 PM PDT

  •  Yeah

    That half-million Dean raised for Kerry the other day is a dead giveaway of his distaste. He is one shrewd operator, that guy. You'd almost think he really wants him to win.

    by MattK D1 on Wed May 19, 2004 at 02:04:43 PM PDT

    •  aoeu

      Well.  If Kerry wins, then he will win in 2008.  Clinton will be too old in 2012 leaving the field open for Dean.

      Damn he's shrewd.

      by TealVeal on Wed May 19, 2004 at 02:19:47 PM PDT

•  Hold on

  Wasn't David Jones the Geppy staffer hooked up with Torricelli and Ed Feighan for the "Dean is Osama" ad group Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values?  And now Tricia Enright's working with him?   I think I'm going to be violently ill.  It's this kind of cynical crap that can turn people off to politics forever, including me.  Sorry Tricia, there's certain low you just don't go.  Unless of course she was a destructive mole planted in the Dean organization from day 1, which suddenly seems eminently plausible.

  by Dancing Larry on Wed May 19, 2004 at 02:00:37 PM PDT

  •  From the Google Cache

    I thought so

    http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:CTaeGHhQg58J:38.113.97.196/websites/Health/default.asp%3FID%3D2 +AMericans+for+Jobs,+Healthcare+and+Progressive+values&hl=en

    This Site for
    Americans for Jobs, Health Care & Progressive Values
    is presently under construction
    Press Inquiries may be directed to
    David Jones
    202-833-4330

    I am violently ill.
    

    by Dancing Larry on Wed May 19, 2004 at 02:17:20 PM PDT

  •  for what it's worth...

    ...and that ain't much, I had brief run-ins with many higher level Dean staff members at various points in the campaign, and Enright was by far the biggest *sshole of the bunch in her dealings with those lower down the chain of command. Not that I have a grudge, or anything. Just thought I'd contribute to the group-think that Enright was a bad apple.

    by jd in nyc on Wed May 19, 2004 at 02:20:05 PM PDT

•  Yeah,

  and they looked so mad at each other playing cards on the plane too... One of the pundits spoke of a budding Dean and Kerry friendship. Looks like the war going south so dramatically is leading Kerry to snuggle closer to the left. Course, after hearing that Teresa is an up front shoot from the hip kind of gal, it accured to me that Kerry might ber drawn to that type of personality. It has been pointed out that she provides what he lacks - interesting when you think about political marragies.

  by PLS on Wed May 19, 2004 at 02:02:09 PM PDT

•  If ever there was a good site to google-bomb

  This site about Ralph Nader has to be it.

  by Bill Rehm on Wed May 19, 2004 at 02:57:19 PM PDT

  •  Excellent tactics, Grasshopper

    Note my new sig.

    by paperbag on Wed May 19, 2004 at 03:21:10 PM PDT

    •  I'm not sure of google's semantic mapping

      I'm not sure how google's semantic mapping rules work, but you might want to get rid of the possessive in the link's text.

      by Bill Rehm on Wed May 19, 2004 at 08:00:17 PM PDT