Destruction of the Ralph Nader Campaign in PA

About Ralph Nader
==Background==
* In 2004, Ralph Nader ran for president and he did not get onto the ballot in PA. 
* After the election, Ralph Nader took his case to the PA Supreme Court and won.
* PA has a nasty legacy of being brutal to people who want to advance democracy and earn votes on election day.
===Analysis of signatures to get onto the ballot, 2004 in PA.===
1. Not registered: 7,506
2. Registered after date of signature: 1,470
3. Not registered at address: 6,411
4. Omitted information: 1,869
5. Information written in hand of another: 7,851
6. Printed signature: 8
7. Illegible signature: 166
8. Forged signature: 687
9. Nicknames or initials: 32
10. Duplicate signatures: 1,087
11. Affidavit problems: 1,855
12. Other: 3,513
Total stricken: 32,455
Valid signatures: 18,818
Total reviewed: 51,273
Percent stricken: 63.30%
Valid signatures necessary for a statewide campaign: 67,070
TOTAL SIGNATURES NECESSARY TO WITHSTAND A CHALLENGE: 182,753
==Notes from another person==
I'm a big fan of Ralph Nader (although I have never voted for him.) With all due respect to Mr. Nader, he lacked in the following areas:
1. He was not (and is not) a very dynamic speaker
2. He was never a great fund raiser (or a great politician)
3. He was not a great organizer
4. He was a protest candidate vs. a serious candidate (before you argue
with me, tally up his electoral votes in either election)
5. He had no unified base constituency, aside from the "none of the above"
groups (not knocking them, just saying)
6. He had no real ground to run on (aside from the fact that he was angry
that Al Gore wouldn't return his phone calls)
7. He had no strong connection with voters, and he lacked the skills to
forge that connection (know anyone who talks nostalgically about their days
on the campaign trail with Ralph 'n' friends?)
Truth in advertising -- I'd like to see Russ Diamond run for anything he
likes. If he runs for Governor, he will not suffer from Ralph Nader's
problems. HOWEVER:
1. It will take money.
2. It will take volunteers
3. He can't do it alone
182,753 signatures is a lot. A whole, whole lot. If Russ runs, I'm in. He
needs a lot of people to be "in."
==Links==
* Ralph Nader
* Ballot access
* Democracy