NP; looks like the Dem Primary is kinda like Iceland Sparring.....

[kelber at mindspring.com]

The point of the Nader candidacy was to give people an outlet for protest against the centrist policies and candidates that are hand-picked at the top of the party (there was no groundswell from the people to have Obama address the 2004 convention, for example.  He was selected by the powers-that-be, grooming him as a future candidate.)  Since I began voting in New York for president in the late 70s, I've consistently used the electoral college system as a shield for my protest vote (Except I voted for Mondale).  I didn't vote for Clinton in either election.  Unfortunately, protest voters are not seen as expressing their distaste for centrism -- they're merely vilified by all. So I'm not sure what mechanisms you think are available for Democrats to make demands on the party leadership.  This year I'll be voting for the centrist candidate in the general election because the significance of having a black or female candidate overrides their centrist politics.

Laura
-----Original Message-----
>From: Thomas Eckhardt <thomas.eckhardt at uni-bonn.de>
>
>I do not have an alternative. I am disappointed in what I perceive as 
>the failure of Democratic voters to demand that their candidates push 
>for criminal prosecutions. I don't think I need to explain why I believe 
>it is absolutely essential to hold the members of the Bush 
>administration accountable for their numerous and well documented crimes 
>against national and international law.