{news} Courant: Conn. Green Party hopes to enlist Nader

[David Bedell]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-ap-ct-connecticutsenatenov26,0,7968327.story

Conn. Green Party hopes to enlist Nader

    
       Associated Press
       AP Political Writer
         November 26, 2009
    
       HARTFORD, Conn. - Sensing Sen. Chris Dodd's political
vulnerability, the Connecticut Green Party is attempting to
persuade its famous native son, Ralph Nader, to jump into the hotly
contested 2010 Senate race.

Dodd's poll numbers give the Greens one of their best
opportunities to win a U.S. Senate seat, said Tim McKee, a state
party spokesman. And this time, McKee maintains, Nader wouldn't be
a spoiler -- something he was accused of in the 2000 presidential
election.

"A lot of Democrats would be upset about the prospect (of Nader
entering the race). But we look at it as (he's) already lost the
seat," said McKee, who believes Dodd won't be able to resurrect
the popularity he's enjoyed over the years.

A Quinnipiac University Poll released Nov. 12 showed 54 percent
of voters disapprove of the job that Dodd is doing, up from 49
percent in September. The same survey showed the five-term
incumbent Democrat particularly vulnerable among unaffiliated
voters, the largest voting bloc in this otherwise
Democratic-leaning state.

Talk of Nader possibly entering the Senate race has heated up on
the Internet in recent weeks. The Connecticut Green Party is
stepping up its efforts to encourage Nader to run and has planned a
rally for Friday afternoon outside the Noah Webster Library in West
Hartford, where Nader is scheduled to speak at a book-signing.

The 75-year-old activist and lawyer, who divides his time
between Winsted, Conn. and Washington, D.C., released a new book in
September titled "Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!" and is
currently on a national book tour.

Nader is registered to vote in Connecticut.

"This is not about his ego or anything else. It's not really a
draft effort. It's an effort to show him there is a lot of, a lot
of support," said McKee, who is working with other party members
to build a team of 100 grass roots volunteers for Nader.

As of the end of October, there were 1,824 voters in Connecticut
registered as Green Party members, according to the Secretary of
the State's Office.

Nader has not said whether he's willing to be a candidate.
Several messages were left seeking comment through his publisher
and Washington office.

Dodd's campaign and the Connecticut Democrats both declined to
comment on the prospect of Nader getting into the Senate race. Dodd
already faces a Democratic primary challenge from former Air Force
Officer Merrick Alpert. And several Republicans are vying for the
GOP nomination, including former Rep. Rob Simmons, former World
Wrestling Entertainment top executive Linda McMahon and Peter
Schiff, a Fairfield County money manager.

McKee said he hopes the Green Party can help turn the
Connecticut Senate race into a national race and encourage people
from across the country to contribute to Nader's campaign. He
estimates they'll need to raise at least $3 million to $5 million.

"We could be extremely competitive, and we think we could
win," he said.

Gary Rose, a politics professor at Sacred Heart University in
Connecticut, said the likelihood of Nader winning the Senate race
in Connecticut is remote. But he said Nader would be a factor,
likely drawing support from Dodd.

"I think that Ralph Nader at this point, he's an interesting
candidate, yes, he has some die-hard following out there and some
supporters but I think increasingly he has become old news in the
minds of voters," Rose said.

"I don't think he could win the seat but I do think he could be
a spoiler, no doubt about it," Rose added. "It's going to be very
tight race."

Green Party members have their issues with Dodd. McKee said they
believe Dodd hasn't done enough to push for universal health care
or to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, the party is
not happy with Dodd's role as chairman of the Senate Banking
Committee.

"I think one of the reasons why Dodd is so vulnerable is, it's
clear that he's in bed with the bankers and people are upset with
that," said Charlie Pillsbury, co-chairman of the New Haven Green
Party and a congressional candidate in 2002.

"The one thing that you can say about Ralph Nader is, he has
been challenging corporate America his entire adult life,"
Pillsbury said. "He's somebody who I think people could trust and
really rally behind."

    
    Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

 		 	   		  
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