And my email dialogue with a Naderite friend continues.... My most recent response to her:

That press release uses goofy math: you can't compare 4% in current funding in $ terms with actual % votes in 2000. [Assuming I understand it correctly] He's comparing a % of total dollars in funds to a % of actual voters in 2000, i.e. he is equivocating that each vote in 2000 is comparable to $1 (one dollar) in today's 4% funding -- what a laugh! You've got to be kidding me! I thought Ralph was above this kind of chicanery.

Also, if 25% of his votes came from registered Republicans in 2000, why doesn't he list what % of his votes came from registered Democrats (thus, hurting Gore)?? If that figure were say 50%, or twice the Repub. 25% figure, than duh, that would be net-net bad for Gore by a 2-1 ratio! Again though, he chooses not to disclose this.... Thanks for sending me that press release as I now see that Ralph has learned many tricks of the trade! (I'm always getting educated).

It's not fair for you to simply state that ABB voters are "voting out of fear." That's not necessarily true for MANY people and you have no proof of that.

As I said, I agree with many of your (Ralph's) points but I explained my position on all of this. You choose to vote out of principal, and then live with the consequences -- I don't. If you truly feel it won't matter who's in office the next 4 years, that Kerry will up-and-down on every issue be as bad as Bush, then go ahead and vote for Ralph. I categorically disagree with that notion, and I do feel that much of what has occurred in the last 4 years and may occur in the next four years under more GW will be irreparable, or will at least take several future administrations to undo the harm and damage. You apparently disagree, feeling the country deserves what they get and also is resilient enough to recover.

Yes, voting in this country is a sham re Ralph & Maryland. I absolutely agree with his demand for a uniform, EZ federal standard for candidates to get on ballots in all 50 states. Next topic....

You are naive to say that Nader people will support Kerry if "they adopt some of his platforms!" Oh hooey. Since 2000, Naderites have been force-fed Ralph's mantra that both parties are in the sewer. There's little if any chance at this point, based on this inflammatory language, that any Nader person will ever embrace the Democratic PARTY ever again. The only chance for that to happen is for Ralph himself to decree forcefully that it's OK for his flock to return to the once-evil Dem. Party -- fat chance of that happening!

As for Supreme Court concerns, you simply dismiss it saying the Dems will be too spineless and will just sit by and let Bush stack the court with right-wing ideologues. With such resignation, how does one even debate this topic with you? It's pointless.

Finally, you ask "WHY ARE WE NOT DEMANDING MORE FOR OUR FUTURE, NOT JUST THE NEXT FOUR YEARS?!" Fair enough. You state it's naive to think that the next four years will mean much more than that, that in fact four years "is not even a blip." I simply disagree. Example: the Nixon administration (believe it or not) was in power when the EPA was established. The Clean Air Act (1970) is largely credited (by scientists!) for having improved air quality in the country, tremendously, for decades following its passage. Of course, this current administration has attempted to dismantle much of this Act, but are you going to argue against the significant benefits gained over the last 30+ years by just this one piece of legislation, all thanks to passage via a president's signature?!

Please don't be seduced into cynically dismissing even a single day with these guys in power.